ESPN put together its ranking of each team’s wide receiver units, which included all three of the Colts’ AFC South opponents ranked within the top 15 league, two of which were in the top 10.
At the top of ESPN’s receiver rankings were the Houston Texans. The Tennessee Titans came in at No. 8 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 15. Here is a look at the top pass-catching options from each unit:
Texans: Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, John Metchie III
Titans: DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Jaguars: Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., Gabriel Davis, Devin Duvernay, Parker Washington
The Texans acquired Diggs in a trade with Buffalo earlier this offseason. He, of course, has been one of the more productive receivers in football for several years, totaling at least 1,200 yards in five straight seasons and over 1,000 yards in each of the last seven years.
Diggs joins an already well put together receiver room featuring Nico Collins, who had a breakout year in 2023, totaling 1,461 yards, and Tank Dell, who had 709 yards as a rookie, averaging an impressive 15.1 yards per catch.
Ridley joins the Titans after one season in Jacksonville, where he recorded 1,016 yards and eight scores. During his last full season prior to 2023, Ridley went for 1,374 yards with Atlanta.
The Titans also added Tyler Boyd, a consistent slot presence who produced at a high level even while playing with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati. Both players will join DeAndre Hopkins, who eclipsed 1,000 yards last season at 14.1 yards per catch.
Lastly, the Jaguars added Brian Thomas in the draft, a big play threat coming out of LSU, and Gabe Davis in free agency, who has averaged 17.3 yards per catch over his career. Jacksonville also has Christian Kirk returning, who has over 2,000 receiving yards in the last two years combined.
These rankings are of potential significance to the Colts because the secondary is arguably the biggest question mark on the team entering training camp.
This was a unit that battled inconsistency, giving up too many big plays while not making enough plays on the ball, ranking in the bottom third of the NFL in both yards per pass attempt and pass deflections.
“Like I said, sometimes the inconsistency,” said defensive coordinator Gus Bradley on the root of the issues last season. “There was three or four games where we look back and say it just wasn’t us, and what was the culprit of it, explosive passes and things like that, whether it was a bust coverage here and there. But I think in those times, we’ve just got to make sure the young guys play at their highest level.”
Outside of Kenny Moore in the slot and Julian Blackmon at strong safety, the free safety role and two boundary cornerback spots were ‘wide open,’ according to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
Throughout OTAs and minicamp, we’ve seen JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones occupying the starting cornerback spots, although Dallis Flowers will be in the mix as well, while Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas have rotated starting reps.
Although playmaking is certainly great, Bradley has said that, ultimately, it will be day-to-day consistency that determines who the starters are.
Internally, the Colts seem bullish on the cornerback and safety positions, given that the only outside additions they made this offseason came on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. The experience gained by this young group last season, along with hopefully fewer injuries, will be two important factors in seeing improved play in 2024.
“I think all those guys, obviously, we drafted two young guys, but I think with Jaylon Jones, Dallis, and JuJu, they’re long, rangy guys that are physical when they get up and press,” said Shane Steichen of the cornerback room.
“They got good vision. I love those guys. It’s a good room. A good competition there. It’s going to be a good competition, obviously, in minicamp and OTAs, but going into training camp is going to be big for all those guys.”
