Fans of the Indianapolis Colts saw it all this season. There were huge last-second victories and epic late-season collapses. They were in it to the end but just missed out on a playoff spot. Not all hope is lost. There was plenty to like from this team in 2024, but there are some glaring issues as well. Their division is very winnable, and with some improvement, they could be in contention. Here are three important questions the Colts need to answer this offseason.
Can Anthony Richardson Develop Into A Franchise QB?
Nothing else matters this offseason. There are plenty of other issues for the Indianapolis Colts. When the team took Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they knew he would be a project. After missing most of last year due to injury, he had a roller coaster of a season. He was benched and brought back two weeks later. He led the team to thrilling comeback victories. There was also plenty of bad. The biggest issue the former top pick has is accuracy. It is historically bad.
Richardson only completed 47.7% of his passes this year. For his career, his completion percentage is at 50.6%. If he were to continue on this pace, he would be in the bottom 20 in NFL history in completion percentage. Of the games this season where he threw more than 20 passes, he only went over 50% once. Three times, he was at exactly 50%, and the rest were sub-50%. Because of the poor completion percentage, his passing yards take a big hit. He only averaged 164.6 yards per game.
Here’s the crazy thing. He was the league leader in yards gained per completion (14.4). He throws a gorgeous deep ball, but everything else is a hot mess. Richardson has to be able to make the short, easy throws. His athletic ability is unmatched. If he can complete even 60% of his throws, this offense could be dangerous next season.
Can The Indianapolis Colts Fix The Defense?
As rough as the offense was, the defense was worse. The whole season was punctuated by a loss to the New York Giants when the team made Drew Lock look like the second coming of Dan Marino. He completed 17 of his 23 passes for 309 yards and four passing touchdowns. He added another on the ground. This translated to 1.18 EPA per play, which was the sixth-best performance by a quarterback since 1999. Only Peyton Manning (twice), Phillip Rivers, Lamar Jackson, and Tom Brady have ever done better. That’s not what you want to see out of your defense.
There were some bright spots. Laiatu Latu was solid in his rookie year. Many analysts had him as a top-ten pick, but he fell to the Indianapolis Colts. He had four sacks, three forced fumbles, and 12 quarterback hits this season. Zaire Franklin had the most tackles in the NFL this year. Other players had solid performances, but defense is all about playing as a unit. Head coach Shane Steichen will need to hire the right coordinator, and the front office will need to upgrade the roster.
How Many More Chances Will Chris Ballard Get?
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was quick to say that both Steichen and GM Chris Ballard would be staying. Ballard has been given a very long leash, something NFL GMs do not see often. Usually, a GM gets one chance (maybe two) to get the quarterback position right. Ballard has gotten multiple. Here are all the quarterbacks he has brought in during his tenure.
- Jacoby Brissett: 2017 and 2019 after the suprise Andrew Luck retirement
- Andrew Luck: 2018
- Phillip Rivers: 2020 (Signed a 1-year, $25 million contract)
- Carson Wentz: 2021 (Traded a 2021 third round pick and conditional 2022 pick that turned into a first round pick)
- Matt Ryan: 2022 (Traded a 2022 third round pick)
- Gardner Minshew: 2023 (Drafted Anthony Richardson fourth-overall this year)
- Anthony Richardson: 2024
Let’s recap this run of trying to fix the quarterback position. The first three years of Ballard’s tenure were fine. Luck’s surprise retirement definitely threw a wrench in things. I also don’t mind signing Rivers to a one year deal. Sending a first and a third for Wentz is a fireable offense. Yes, he was able to flip him to the Commanders for two third round picks the next year but giving up a first round pick in 2022 wasn’t good. He doubled-down on trading for a quarterback and send another third round pick to the Falcons. These are valuable assests the Indianapolis Colts could have used!
It is one thing if these moves worked. They did make the playoffs with Rivers in 2020 but lost in the Wild Card round. All of the draft captial spent since then has led to a 30-37 record and no playoff appearances. Since Ballard has been with the Indianapolis Colts, the team has gone 62-69 and had one playoff win back in 2018 when Luck was the quarterback. It is becoming borderline malpractice for him to still be the GM. This feels like his last chance. If Richardson is a bust, Irsay will likely try to find a new architect for the Indianapolis Colts.
Final Thoughts
The Indianapolis Colts were in it until the end despite all the turmoil this season. If they can get more consistency out of the offense, it stands to reason they could compete in a soft AFC South. This is one of the teams that is under the most pressure going into the season. If Richardson doesn’t improve and the team falls flat again, they could be heading toward a massive rebuild next offseason.
