Three players the Colts need to play more going forward
The Indianapolis Colts know they won't have QB Anthony Richardson for the rest of the season. Could this news cause the Colts to consider making some different decisions about playing time for some of their younger players? Some may read my thoughts above as me saying the Colts should tank. That's not what I'm saying, […]
The Indianapolis Colts know they won't have QB Anthony Richardson for the rest of the season.
Could this news cause the Colts to consider making some different decisions about playing time for some of their younger players?
Some may read my thoughts above as me saying the Colts should tank. That's not what I'm saying, though; I just believe the team's overall goal should be adjusted. The team will be trying to win games every single week, as they believe their roster is better than the consensus outlook. But they must also prioritize evaluating their young talent across the entire roster. We've already seen them do it at WR by starting Josh Downs over Isaiah McKenzie and CB, with Juju Brents and Jaylon Jones starting for the team. They've even gotten to see rookie offensive tackle Blake Freeland start on both sides of the line in two games due to Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith missing a game this season. But there are other spots that the team would be wise to start adjusting snap counts at, in my opinion.
The Colts believe they have their franchise QB in Anthony Richardson. This should push them to start figuring out which other young players should be a part of their long-term plans and which won't. A few players that come to mind that the Colts should up their snap counts going forward to get a clearer picture of who those players are/can become:
S Nick Cross:
The Colts drafted Nick Cross with the 96th pick in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Cross received tons of preseason hype during his rookie season but would go on to have a very limited role with the team last year. This season, his main role has been on special teams. The Colts have not gotten great play out of 2022 standout Rodney Thomas, who was also a 2022 draft pick for the team. Thomas has struggled in coverage in 2023, but the Colts have yet to adjust his snap count, as he has played 100% of the defensive snaps this season. I'm in no way saying Thomas should be benched, but why not let Cross get snaps to offload some of Thomas' workload and allow the Colts to truly see Cross in action.
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore:
The Colts drafted Adetomiwa Adebawore with the 110th pick in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Adebawore has been a healthy scratch in four of the team's six games this season. But the recent news of Grover Stewart's suspension will likely open up more opportunities for him going forward. The Colts don't have a clear replacement for Stewart's snaps; at the moment, they have Taven Bryan listed as the starter in his place. Bryan's struggles in the run game have been clear all season, though, and there's simply no way the team trots him out to take all of Stewart's snaps. They will have to get creative with how they line people up going forward, and I think Adebawore should be a part of their plans for this season.
TE Will Mallory:
The Colts drafted Will Mallory with the 162nd pick in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. And while he has also been a healthy scratch at times this year, he has had flashes when he has gotten the opportunity to play. Mallory's situation is a little more time-sensitive as the Colts expect TE Jelani Woods to return this season. And when he does, they will likely have to part ways with one of their TEs. Without seeing more of Mallory, he could be the odd man out in a pretty deep room. But if they give him some opportunities now to prove himself and show the team the type of player he can become, maybe they decide to run with the youth in this room, which would mean parting ways with a player like Mo Alie-Cox who I could see a team trade for at the upcoming trade deadline.
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