The Colts have as little turnover on their roster as any team in the league, but the return of Anthony Richardson boosts a squad hoping to emerge in the AFC. If you like the analysis here, consider signing up for our free newsletter to get can’t-miss NFL news and insights straight to your inbox every week.
- 2023 finish: 9-8 (third in AFC South); missed playoffs
- Over/under: 8.5 wins
Notable additions
QB Joe Flacco, WR Laquon Treadwell, WR Greg Ward, DL Raekwon Davis
Notable losses
QB Gardner Minshew, RB Zack Moss, WR Isaiah McKenzie, DE Jake Martin, CB Tony Brown
2024 draft class
DE Laiatu Latu (1.15), WR Adonai Mitchell (2.52), OT Matt Goncalves (3.79), C Tanor Bartolini (4.117), WR Anthony Gould (5.142), S Jaylon Carlies (5.151), DB Jaylin Simpson (5.164), CB Micah Abraham (6.201), DT Jonah Laulu (7.234)
Projected starters
QB: Anthony Richardson
RB: Jonathan Taylor
WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
WR: Josh Downs
WR: Adonai Mitchell (R)
TE: Mo Alie-Cox
LT: Bernhard Raimann
LG: Quenton Nelson
C: Ryan Kelly
RG: Will Fries
RT: Braden Smith
DE: Laiatu Latu (R)
DT: DeForest Buckner
DT: Grover Stewart
DE: Kwity Paye
LB: Zaire Franklin
LB: E.J. Speed
CB: JuJu Brents
FS: Nick Cross
SS: Julian Blackmon
SCB: Kenny Moore II
CB: Jaylon Jones
2024 outlook
The Colts battled the Texans to the wire last year in Week 18 to narrowly lose the AFC South, and head coach Shane Steichen quickly proved to be one of the game’s best coaches by navigating the season-ending shoulder injury to Anthony Richardson and early drama with Jonathan Taylor’s contract dispute. Now, the offense will have those two on the field together for hopefully an entire season after just a couple of plays in 2023, and it will be extremely difficult for defenses to slow down the duo if Richardson—who we viewed as a top-five prospect coming out of Florida—reaches his ceiling as one of the most athletic quarterbacks in NFL history.
The offense also added the extremely talented Adonai Mitchell to join Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs at wide receiver, and the second-round rookie could have easily been a first-round pick just based on the ability with 4.34 speed and a 39.5-inch vertical at six-foot-two. There are some general concerns about focus to hone everything in and be consistent, but I’d bet on Steichen getting the best out of Mitchell, and Richardson should have time to find all his weapons behind an offensive line that returns the starting five and has been one of the more stable units in recent years.
My concern about the defense is at cornerback where the second-year duo of JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones will need to step up, but Indy has a clear prototype at the position with a bunch of lengthy options on the outside with Kenny Moore II in the slot. Basically, the defense will hope to suffocate opponents with size while the pass rush goes to work, and No. 15 overall pick Laiatu Latu could immediately be a star-level defender to lead a defensive line that already had Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, Dayo Odeyingbo, DeForest Bucker, Grover Stewart, and Adetomiwa Adebawore.
Position battle to watch: Tight end
The Colts have been waiting years for someone to truly emerge at tight end, and they have five options vying for snaps between Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory. I’m sure the team would like for Woods to take the starting job, but it seems he is behind Alie-Cox and Granson based on both the depth chart and first preseason game, so we’ll see how things play out for the rest of the month and into the season.
Breakout candidate: DT Adetomiwa Adebawore
Adebawore drew a start on Sunday with DeForest Buckner not playing, and he’s another freakish athlete on Indy’s roster as an interior defensive lineman with extreme twitch possessing 4.49 speed, a 37.5-inch vertical, and a high motor. The second-year defender didn’t see much action as a rookie, but he was thought to be somewhat of a developmental player, and I think he’ll begin to flash in 2024.
Circle on the calendar: Week 1 (v HOU) | Sunday, September 8 – 1:00 PM ET
The Colts surprisingly only have one primetime game on the schedule (Week 11 versus the Jets on Sunday Night Football), which is one of the more curious decisions by the schedule makers considering the excitement Anthony Richardson should draw. Still, the opener will be a chance for them to make an immediate statement versus the Texans—and the bad blood between the teams over the offseason adds another layer to the matchup.
Bottom line
Indianapolis has always been somewhat conservative under general manager Chris Ballard, but that seemed to change over the past couple of years, so a major leap feels possible if everyone hits. Look for them to run the offense through Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor while counting on Laiatu Latu and others to close games out.