Colts top 5 team needs for 2024
The Indianapolis Colts fell just short in 2023, and they now have a full offseason to ensure 2024 doesn't suffer a similar fate. They must now evaluate players whose contracts expired after the 2023 season, on top of identifying which positions they will need to target during the 2024 NFL Draft and free agency. While […]
The Indianapolis Colts fell just short in 2023, and they now have a full offseason to ensure 2024 doesn't suffer a similar fate.
They must now evaluate players whose contracts expired after the 2023 season, on top of identifying which positions they will need to target during the 2024 NFL Draft and free agency.
While the Colts are busy identifying the strengths and weaknesses on their roster, I decided to take my own stab at it as well. Below are the five positions I believe to be the biggest needs for the 2024 Colts.
Colts Top 5 Team Needs:
1. FS
The Colts free safety position took a massive step back this season. Rookie standout Rodney Thomas was one of the bright spots of the team's 2022 season, but the 2022 7th-round pick began to look like his draft selection this season. The Colts elected to bench Thomas mid-game on multiple occurrences throughout the year due to an abundance of blown coverages on Thomas' part.
Near the end of the year, they began to give Thomas' fellow 2nd-year safety Nick Cross more snaps as a result. But neither should be viewed as suitable day-1 starters for next season. I believe the Colts have to look to upgrade at FS by any means necessary, whether that is a high draft pick or targeting a high-level free agent.
2. CB
Colts GM Chris Ballard decided to go young at CB this season, which he knew would have plenty of ups and downs. And he was right; the youth in the Colts' CB room caused problems throughout the season, but they seem to have two solid young CBs that they will look to develop with 2023 2nd-round pick Juju Brents and 7th-round pick Jaylon Jones.
While I agree this duo showed some legitimate potential for the future, the Colts must add to their CB room. On top of their youth, another major issue was their lack of fieldable depth at the CB position. In my opinion, adding talent to compete with Brents and Jones is a must; whether that's through the draft or by adding a veteran is up to them.
3. WR
The Colts have a big decision to make on star WR Michael Pittman Jr., who is set to hit free agency this offseason. If they let him walk (which I highly doubt happens), then WR would skyrocket to the top of their needs. But even if Pittman Jr. is back in the fold, adding another reliable WR to their roster needs to be a priority. Any injury to the Colts top three WRs this season, Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs, resulted in someone who spent time on the team's practice squad this year to log key snaps at WR.
I believe the trio of Pittman Jr., Pierce, and Downs all can have a place in the team's future, but adding another outside WR, preferably one that excels at creating separation, whether that's via speed and/or his route running. This year's WR class is loaded with talent. I think the best way for the Colts to attack WR is by drafting one inside the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
4. Edge Rusher
I know I may get some pushback on this one, especially after the Colts finished with 51 sacks, the most of the Indianapolis era in the franchise's history and the fifth most in the NFL. While the 2023 Colts edge group was the best they've had in quite some time, they still lacked a critical piece; I would even go as far as to say the most crucial piece, a certified number one pass rusher to lead the room and be a consistent difference maker.
They will have an important decision to make on Kwity Paye's upcoming fifth-year option, and while I think he is excellent in the run game, he just isn't dynamic enough of a pass rusher to be the top guy for the Colts. With the Colts having the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, there are a couple of solid options in this upcoming draft class to consider, such as Dallas Turner out of Alabama, Laiatu Latu out of UCLA, or Jared Verse out of Florida State.
But this upcoming free agency class could have some real game changers hitting the market at the edge position. Players like San Francisco 49ers' Chase Young, Carolina Panthers' Brian Burns, and Minnesota Vikings' Danielle Hunter are all set to hit free agency if their respective teams can't extend them in time. If any of these three make it to free agency, I believe that is the best route for the Colts to take.
5. Coverage LB
The starting LB duo of Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed will continue to lock down starting roles with the Colts, but adding a third LB who possesses a true skill in coverage could complete the room. Franklin, for the 2nd straight year, set the Colts franchise record for total tackles in a season with 179, but when asked to drop back in coverage, he has struggled severely. Speed is more reliable than Franklin in coverage, but it takes him away from his specialty: play recognition in the backfield and bringing ball carriers down behind the line of scrimmage. And even with Speed being suitable in coverage, adding one who excels in that area would open up many more possibilities for how the Colts can deploy their LBs.
Honorable Mentions
SS
The best player for the Colts secondary this season was, without a doubt, SS Julian Blackmon. Unfortunately, his season came to an end prematurely with an injury sending him to the IR. And with him set to hit free agency, the Colts will have to decide whether or not to bring him back to the team next season. I think his stellar play in 2023 warrants an extension, but if the Colts disagree, SS would certainly leapfrog a couple of the positions listed above.
TE
The Colts deployed a TE-by-committee approach throughout 2023, which included Kylen Granson, Mo Alie Cox, Will Mallory, and Drew Ogletree. The problem at TE is that I only feel solid about two of the players I mentioned being with the team next season. Ogletree was arrested for domestic battery late in the season and put on the Commissioner Exempt List. Veteran Alie Cox has been a rumored cap casualty over the past two years, so who knows if this time around, it will come to fruition. They will be getting 2022 rookie Jelani Woods back in the fold next season, but because of his injury, the team's current offensive staff hasn't got to see him play at all yet. If the Colts had the chance at a special talent at the TE position, say, I don't know Brock Bowers out of Georgia, I think they should pounce.
And lastly, before you go, I felt it necessary to note that for the first time in what feels like forever, I didn't have to mention a QB on my top team needs. Unfortunately, rookie QB Anthony Richardson's rookie season ended after a shoulder injury sustained during their Week 5 matchup with the Tennesee Titans. But I've been told that the team was impressed with what they did get to see, and they have tremendous belief throughout the organization that they have finally found their next franchise QB.
