General manager Chris Ballard did a lot of work on Indy’s roster this offseason, but will it be enough to get the Colts back into contention this fall?

 

Projected Starters

 

Offense

QB: Andrew Luck

RB: Nyheim Hines
WR: T.Y. Hilton
WR: Ryan Grant
TE: Jack Doyle

TE: Eric Ebron
LT: Anthony Castonzo
LG: Quenton Nelson
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Braden Smith
RT: Austin Howard

 

Defense

DE: Jabaal Sheard
DT: Al Woods
DT: Denico Autry
DE: John Simon
OLB: Darius Leonard
MLB: Antonio Morrison
OLB: Najee Goode
CB: Quincy Wilson
CB: Pierre Desir
S: Malik Hooker
S: Clayton Geathers

 

Roster Notes/Thoughts

 

Notable depth

QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Marlon Mack, RB Christine Michael, WR Chester Rogers, WR Deon Cain, WR Daurice Fountain, TE Erik Swoope, OT Joe Haeg, OT Denzelle Good, G Jack Mewhort, G Matt Slauson, DT Hassan Ridgeway, DT Grover Stewart, DE Kemoko Turay, DE Tyquan Lewis, DE Tarell Basham, LB Anthony Walker, LB Skai Moore, CB Kenny Moore, S T.J. Green, S Matthias Farley

 

Biggest strength: Interior offensive line

Offensive line has been a weakness for the Colts since Andrew Luck was drafted, but GM Chris Ballard made sure that isn’t the case anymore when he selected human bulldozer Quenton Nelson with the No. 6 pick and battle-tested Braden Smith with the No. 37 pick. If former second-round pick Ryan Kelly can stay healthy and productive at center, Indy will be opening up some running lanes—and more importantly, won’t be letting the pocket collapse from pressure up the middle.

 

Biggest weakness: Cornerback

Putting together the projected starters for Indianapolis on defense was somewhat of an adventure, as Jabaal Sheard and Malik Hooker might be the only two players that are virtually guaranteed to be starting at the position I have them in. Perhaps heavy competition will bring the best out of the entire unit, and that includes cornerback, where Quincy Wilson needs to be better than he was as a rookie with a bunch of question marks behind him. If the Colts can’t cover or get after the quarterback, it could be a long year.

 

Position battle to watch: Running back

There probably won’t be a clear-cut starter for Indianapolis under new head coach Frank Reich (look at the running back rotation for Philadelphia in 2017), but several options will vie for a role this summer. I think fourth-round pick Nyheim Hines will end up getting the most work because he’s extremely dangerous in space and also has tremendous contact balance for his size. Marlon Mack, Christine Michael, and fellow rookie Jordan Wilkins will also likely push for playing time with Hines.

 

Early over/under: 6.5 wins (via Odds Shark)

Under. I hope and pray that Andrew Luck will be back on the field this fall, but he will probably need to immediately return to his superstar form if Indy is going to compete this season. Again, the protection should be better, but the other side of the ball has a ton of holes and will be relying on a bunch of first- or second-year players to have a significant role. In a loaded AFC South, I’m taking the early under for the Colts.