Two seasons after making it to the AFC Championship game, the Indianapolis Colts are still searching for a winning record. Last season’s 8-8 campaign was the second .500 season in a row for the Colts, who have struggled with injuries and consistency, with holes all over both sides of the ball.
Years of being too good have taken their toll on a roster. Two elite quarterbacks in a row have also kept away any pesky salary cap room. These two back-to-back 8-8 seasons might turn out to be blessings in disguise as Indianapolis has finally had some mid-round draft picks with which to build an offensive line and a defense. Let’s see how head coach Chuck Pagano and new general manager Chris Ballard did in building a better 2017 squad.
Free Agents Kept
Darius Butler, Free Safety
Jack Doyle, Tight End
Robert Turbin, Running Back
Free Agents Gained
Kamar Aiken, Wide Receiver, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens
Johnathan Hankins, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the New York Giants
Margus Hunt, Defensive End, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals
Jeff Locke, Punter, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings
Barkevious Mingo, Linebacker, formerly of the New England Patriots
Jabaal Sheard, Defensive End, formerly of the New England Patriots
John Simon, Outside Linebacker, formerly of the Houston Texans
Sean Spence, Inside Linebacker, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
Brandon Williams, Tight End, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks
Al Woods, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
Free Agents Lost
Mike Adams, Safety, signed with the Carolina Panthers
Chris Carter, Linebacker, signed with the Washington Redskins
Zach Kerr, Defensive End, signed with the Denver Broncos
Hugh Thornton, Offensive Guard, signed with the Atlanta Falcons
D’Qwell Jackson, Inside linebacker, still a free agent
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Malik Hooker, Cornerback, Ohio State
Round 2: Quincy Wilson, Cornerback, Florida
Round 3: Terell Basham, Defensive End, Ohio
Round 4: Zach Banner, Offensive Tackle, USC
Round 4: Marlon Mack, Running Back, USF
Round 4: Grover Stewart, Defensive Tackle, Albany State
Round 5: Nate Hairston, Cornerback, Temple
Round 5: Anthony Walker, Jr., Linebacker, Northwestern
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Andrew Luck
RB: Frank Gore
WR: T.Y. Hilton
WR: Kamar Aiken
WR: Phillip Dorsett
TE: Jack Doyle
LT: Anthony Costanzo
RT: Le’Raven Clark
LG: Jack Mewhort
RG: Joe Haeg
C: Ryan Kelly
Offensive Outlook
The Colts were the No. 8 ranked offense in the league last year with this exact unit. Andrew Luck is a year out of some devastating injuries that derailed his 2015 season and I’m not sure how healthy the kid was last year. Still, Luck was able to complete 63.5 percent of his passes for 4,240 yards, 31 touchdowns and 13 picks in 15 starts. Luck at 100 percent is a Top Five NFL quarterback and the main reason you can’t count out the Colts in 2017.
The offensive line that finished last season returns with some solid, added depth. 2016 third round pick Le’Raven Clark took over at right tackle late in the 2016 campaign and should lock down that side for the next decade (contracts willing). Next to Clark, Haeg moved into the starting line up in game three and stuck. He was a rookie too, a fifth rounder in 2016. Rookie Zach Banner will push for playing time and could be the heir apparent to Anthony Cosatanzo on the left side.
At the skill positions, running back Frank Gore has been ageless, picking up another 1,000-yard year with 263 carries for 1,025 yards and four touchdowns. The Colts kept Robert Turbin in house and they needed to. He’s their short-yardage weapon and scored seven TDs last season. T.Y. Hilton remains one of the most underrated receivers in the league, catching 91 balls for 1,448 yards and six touchdowns last season. Jack Doyle emerged as one of Luck’s favorite targets in an offense that needs a good pass-catching tight end. Phillip Dorsett has yet to live up to his lofty draft position, but he’s a solid slot receiver. For whatever reason this team keeps Donte Moncrief as the No. 2, a position he isn’t suited for at all. I have Kamar Aiken beating him out pretty easily.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Kendall Langford
DT: Johnathan Hankins
DT: Margus Hunt
OLB: Jabaal Sheard
OLB: John Simon
ILB: Antonio Morrison
ILB: Sean Spence
CB: Quincy Wilson
CB: Vontae Davis
FS: Malik Hooker
SS: Clayton Geathers
Defensive Outlook
This is where the Colts spent most of their free agent and draft capital for good reason. They had an incredible draft fall right into their laps, completely revitilizing their defensive backfield with second rounder Quincy Wilson and free safety Malik Hooker. Hooker allows Clayton Geathers to move to strong safety. Wilson will start on the opposite side of Vontae Davis. Darius Butler, who started seven games last season, will move to the slot, a more effective position for him.
The linebacker group has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. Free agent acquisitions John Simon and Jabaal Sheard will start on the outside. Inside, Antonio Morrison, who started four games last season, will have to replace the departed D’Qwell Jackson. Sean Spence from the Titans moves into the other inside linebacker spot.
Up front, the Colts brought in two new defensive linemen to start alongside journeyman Kendall Langford. Don’t sleep on third-year man David Parry getting plenty of playing time in the rotation and maybe taking Langford’s or Margus Hunt’s job. He was the Colts’ most effective defensive lineman last season and started all 16 games. Johnathan Hankins should make the new linebacker corps’ jobs a lot easier. He’s a significant upgrade over anything the Colts had up front last season.
Grade: A
The Colts had big holes to fill on defense and they did it, especially in the draft, pulling in the next Ed Reed in Malik Hooker. They found an offensive line at the end of last season and kept it together, building some depth, but their linebackers and defensive line alone should make this a more formidable unit
O/U wins: 8.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: Detroit Lions
Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 2: Arizona Cardinals
Week 3: Cleveland Browns
Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 5: San Francisco 49ers
Week 6: at Tennessee Titans
Week 7: Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 9: at Houston Texans
Key game: To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man and getting a victory over the Texans on the road before the bye is huge for a Colts team looking to return to the postseason. The only hiccup here is Deshaun Watson might be starting at quarterback for Houston and that gives this game a completely new dynamic.
Week 10: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: Tennessee Titans
Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 14: at Buffalo Bills
Week 15: Denver Broncos
Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 17: Houston Texans
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