Offseason In Review: Indianapolis Colts

The Giants brought in both Okereke and Campbell, with the former collecting this year’s second-highest linebacker AAV ($10MM) to help a team in dire need to second-level defensive help. Walker’s 2021 exit opened up a three-down spot alongside Leonard, and Okereke capitalized by scoring a quality payday amid a buyer’s market that kept most teams’ ILB payouts low. Okereke is coming off a 151-tackle season. Campbell finally stayed healthy, but his injury history capped his guarantee at $2.9MM.

Campbell delivered a quiet mini-breakthrough last season — as just about everything Colts not pertaining to QB/staff/ownership matters was obscured last season — and is now a Giants starter. Guards should be up among Giants fans, as the former second-round pick missed 34 games from 2019-21. Miraculously, Campbell played all 17 last season.

The Colts’ Eric Fisher and Mark Glowinski replacement plans backfired, accelerating the Ryan-Reich setup’s demise. Both players — Pryor and Danny Pinter — are out of the picture. Pinter suffered an ACL tear last month. It is still a bit surprising a Colts team that took heat for its O-line setup is running back the same quintet — left tackle Bernhard Raimann and right guard Will Fries around the Nelson-Ryan Kelly–Braden Smith core — considering a new staff is in place. Steichen comes from an Eagles team that deployed the NFL’s best O-lines over the past two seasons. The Colts were in contention for that title in the not-so-distant past. They will count on their top three bouncing back. After a rough October night in Denver, Raimann settled down and graded as a top-25 PFF tackle. Ex-Eagle backup Josh Sills, claimed off waivers after cutdown day, is also in place as a swingman.

Detroit served as the epicenter of the NFL’s sprawling gambling crisis, but Indianapolis became a key hub. Rodgers was found to have placed hundreds of bets on NFL games — some of them involving the Colts — over an undisclosed time period. Most of the wagers ranged from $25-$50, but at least one was in four-digit territory. Rodgers joined Jameson Williams and Nicholas Petit-Frere as starters to be punished. While the Lions wideout and Titans right tackle were only popped for six games, as they were not found to have bet on NFL games while on team grounds, Rodgers received an indefinite ban that covers at least a season. Ditto Berry, who only caught on with the Colts in January and did not play in a game.

The Colts took swift action, waiving Rodgers, the team’s three-year kick returner who was on track to keep his starting cornerback job following the Stephon Gilmore trade. The Colts not learning about the NFL’s investigation into Rodgers until after the draft limited their ability to replace him. Rodgers, 25, started nine games last season, recovering four fumbles. The Eagles took a flier on the former sixth-round pick, who must apply for reinstatement in 2024.

Trades:

• Dealt CB Stephon Gilmore to Cowboys for 2023 fifth-round pick

Gilmore sure picked an interesting year to stop through Indianapolis. As the Colts’ season morphed into the Donald Glover darkest-timeline moment, Gilmore used the campaign to remind of his standing in the league. PFF slotted the former Patriots All-Pro as a top-10 corner, completing a rebound season at age 32. Gilmore is believed to have asked the Colts to trade him, as he signed up to join a team coming off a seven-Pro Bowler season, and Ballard obliged.

The Colts saved more than $5MM by unloading Gilmore’s two-year, $20MM contract. The former Defensive Player of the Year joins Trevon Diggs in Dallas, which has the ex-New England stopper signed for one more season. With Rodgers and Facyson gone, a host of new faces will join Moore at corner.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 4: Anthony Richardson, QB (Florida) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 44 (from Falcons): Julius Brents, CB (Kansas State) (signed)
• Round 3, No. 79 (from Commanders): Josh Downs, WR (North Carolina) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 106: Blake Freeland, OT (BYU) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 110 (from Falcons): Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE (Northwestern) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 138: Darius Rush, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 158 (from Vikings): Daniel Scott, S (California) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 162 (from Bills): Will Mallory, TE (Miami) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 176 (from Cowboys): Evan Hull, RB (Northwestern) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 211 (from Vikings): Titus Leo, DE (Wagner) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 221: Jaylon Jones, CB (Texas A&M) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 236 (from Buccaneers): Jake Witt, OT (Northern Michigan) (signed)

After acquiring three veterans in the wake of Luck’s retirement, the Colts came into the offseason hellbent on stopping their QB carousel. They discussed the No. 1 overall pick with the Bears, but those talks were not believed to have been substantial. Instead, Indy appeared to have either conducted a smokescreen operation or happily stood by as rumors depicted their intentions incorrectly.

A run of Colts-Will Levis rumors circulated ahead of the draft. The team did its homework on the Kentucky prospect, who had backers in the building. Ballard and Co., however, kept the Richardson secret effectively. The Colts stopped a potential Seahawks-Richardson partnership from coming to pass at No. 5; Irsay naturally suggested the Colts would have chosen Richardson first overall. Chief personnel exec Morocco Brown had raved about the high-ceiling talent while making near-weekly trips to Gainesville to chart his progress.

Ballard acknowledged the risk of drafting a quarterback with 13 college starts on his resume, and Richardson will be a different type of passer compared to those who have come through Indianapolis during the GM’s seven-year tenure. Irsay also mentioned the uphill battle Richardson faces, and while Minshew was viewed as a bridge for a bit, the owner indicating the prospect needed to play early signaled Young and C.J. Stroud might not be the only rookie QBs given the keys in Week 1. Richardson won the job fairly easily in camp.

Combining an eye-popping athletic profile with unrefined mechanics, Richardson dazzled in his Gators starter season. The Colts’ veteran core makes this a potentially awkward fit, with Richardson likely needing extended developmental time. But Steichen leading the way in turning Jalen Hurts from a player with accuracy questions into an MVP candidate and Super Bowl starter gives Richardson an optimal tutor. Steichen’s pitch to the Colts on developing a young QB helped land him the HC job. Indy is all in on a player who completed 53.8% of his passes last season, and although this might be a bumpy season for the 6-foot-4 dual threat, the Colts will be an entertaining watch. The Ballard front office’s Indianapolis future obviously rides on Richardson putting it together.

The Colts moved down twice in Round 2, adding fourth- and fifth-round picks, and came away with a starting cornerback and a slot receiver with their Day 2 picks. Brents’ path should be of particular interest to most Colts fans, being an Indianapolis native. The first-team All-Big 12 corner is not a lock to start early, with 2022 UDFAs Dallis Flowers (174 defensive snaps as a rookie) and Darrell Baker (zero) positioned ahead of him on a thin depth chart. But the Kansas State alum will be expected to commandeer a job soon.

Downs will be given the chance to develop alongside Richardson, though Isaiah McKenzie — cut and then re-signed last week — is in place as a veteran aid alongside Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. Downs ripped off two 1,000-yard seasons over the past two seasons, excelling with Sam Howell and Drake Maye. Teams viewed the second-generation NFLer as a clean prospect; Downs took no pre-draft visits. At 5-8, Downs does stand to be a bit limited as a slot-only talent.

Other:

• Passed on removing Jeff Saturday‘s interim HC tag; hired Shane Steichen
• Added Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator; retained DC Gus Bradley
• Amid dispute with team, Jonathan Taylor requested trade; RB landed on reserve/PUP list
• Shopped C Ryan Kelly in trades

The affable Saturday brought a memorable chapter in interim coach lore, winning his first game and then losing the rest. This, of course, included the record-setting 33-point collapse in Minnesota — one that broke the Reich-quarterbacked Bills’ mark that stood 30 years. This memorable stretch saw two staffers (QBs coach Scott Milanovich, RBs coach Scottie Montgomery) decline play-calling duties, leading the inexperienced Parks Frazier into the role. (Frazier is now back with Reich in Charlotte.) Irsay’s defiance when hiring Saturday against the wishes of Ballard and other staffers wrapped a memorable year for the outspoken owner, and he did not exactly take a step back after that decision backfired.

Ben Johnson, DeMeco Ryans and Dan Quinn backed out of Indy’s search, and this was the only HC-needy franchise not to interview Sean Payton. The Colts’ search extended past the Super Bowl. They joined the Cardinals (Jonathan Gannon) in hiring an Eagles coordinator. January headlines suggested Irsay was not giving up on removing Saturday’s interim tag, despite the Colts reaching one of their franchise low points to close last season, but that talk faded as the search progressed.

Steichen, 38, has about as good of a quarterback-development dossier as a coach could compile in the 2020s. Anthony Lynn‘s final OC with the Chargers, Steichen took over play-calling duties during Rivers’ last Los Angeles season (2019) and unleashed Justin Herbert a year later. Hiring Steichen as his OC in 2021, Nick Sirianni handed him play-calling duties midway through that season. Steichen proceeded to tailor the offense around the run game, and the Eagles both led the NFL in rushing and became the first team since the 1985 Bears to rush for at least 175 yards in seven straight games.

The Colts will hand Steichen a bigger challenge with Richardson, but Hurts morphed from a QB the Eagles were not completely sold on to a player who went toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl. Steichen can become one of this era’s best offensive coaches by turning Richardson into a franchise-caliber quarterback. That will not be an easy mission, but Hurts’ rapid ascent bodes well for this fit.

Bradley joined Steichen on Lynn’s Chargers staff, being the Bolts’ DC from 2017-20. Still only 39, Cooter is five years removed from his Lions OC tenure. Since that three-plus-season stay as Detroit’s play-caller ended, Cooter bounced from the Jets to the Eagles to the Jaguars. The 2021 Steichen overlap, as a Philly consultant, is relevant here.

Steichen and Cooter have not enjoyed the opportunity to coach Taylor just yet, and it is quite possible they will not end up doing so. The Wentz, Ryan, Reich and Saturday decisions displayed Irsay’s willingness to play the lead role in personnel matters; the Taylor matter has not put the second-generation Colts owner in a good light. Taylor, 24, has gone from saying he wanted to be a Colt for life as recently as mid-June to launching a crusade to leave Indiana by late July. A few events are worth noting from this span, but Irsay stoked this fire.

Taylor hired a new agent, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, in late May and observed the RB market nosedive this offseason. The Giants, Raiders and Cowboys respectively franchise-tagging Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard — and then not extending them by the July 17 deadline — prompted a response from Taylor, who took on a more combative persona following the tag deadline fallout. It was not hard to foresee a bleak reality forming for Taylor had he played ball with the Colts, who declined his request for an offseason extension. The prospect of a 2024 franchise tag, keeping him off the market as a narrow earning window began to close, almost definitely drove Taylor to change his approach.

Barkley’s No. 2 draft slot set him up favorably regardless of his future contracts, and Jacobs secured eight figures guaranteed upon being drafted 24th. Taylor is tied to a $7.83MM contract as a former second-rounder. The Wisconsin alum going the other way and playing out his rookie deal would have endeared him to the Colts, but after Irsay’s tweet criticizing running backs for holding meetings about the position’s value decline, the owner pointed to an extension not happening this year. Ballard then cited the team’s 4-12-1 2022 record when asked why no extension would be on tap ahead of Taylor’s contract year.

Taylor, who won the 2021 rushing title by more than 500 yards, is coming off his first notable injury in either college or the pros. Irsay’s one-on-one meeting with Taylor on his bus — and rumors of the team shifting the disgruntled RB from the PUP to the NFI list, which would have threatened his $4.3MM salary — only emboldened the fourth-year veteran, leading to this point.

Undergoing a minimally invasive ankle surgery in January, Taylor appeared to use the recovery as an excuse to stay off the practice field amid this dispute. Irsay proclaimed Taylor ready to roll in mid-July. This hold-in brought multiple Taylor camp exits, and the Colts greenlit trade talks. It is worth wondering how eager the Colts are to execute a trade and whether ownership and the front office are on the same page. Some in the building were believed to be open to moving Taylor amid this dispute, while Irsay immediately said a trade would not happen. The Colts bringing up Jaylen Waddle in their Dolphins talks, after asking for a first-round pick or a picks package equivalent to one, does not signal a willingness to make a deal.

No team has traded a first-rounder for a back since the Ryan Grigson-era Colts gave up one for Trent Richardson in September 2013. With Taylor lacking Christian McCaffrey‘s pass-game impact, it should not be expected that type of package (second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-rounders) is coming Indy’s way, either. Taylor’s aim of an upper-crust RB extension — when no team has even signed a back to a multiyear deal averaging north of $10MM since the Browns’ Nick Chubb pact in July 2021 — further complicates Ballard’s task.

This relationship’s deterioration casts a pall on Steichen’s first season in Indianapolis, with the team’s hopeful Richardson-Taylor partnership on hold due to the team keeping Taylor on the PUP list. Taylor can return to practice after two games, but this feud has shown no signs of slowing down. It will be interesting to see if the Colts reopen trade talks ahead of the actual trade deadline (Oct. 31) after their team-imposed shutdown yielded no satisfactory offer from Miami, Green Bay or any other suitors.

Perhaps tasked with brokering a peace between Irsay and Taylor’s camp, Ballard said this relationship can be salvaged. For now, though, the Colts are paying a probably healthy Taylor not to play. Considering where the RB market went this year, the Taylor impasse provides a fitting conclusion to one of the worst stretches in the position’s history.

Top 10 cap charges for 2023:

1. Shaquille Leonard, LB: $19.79MM
2. Braden Smith, RT: $19MM
3. DeForest Buckner, DT: $17.25MM
4. Ryan Kelly, C: $12.38MM
5. Quenton Nelson, G: $12.2MM
6. Grover Stewart, DT: $10.88MM
7. Kenny Moore, CB: $8.19MM
8. Anthony Richardson, QB: $6.18MM
9. Mo Alie-Cox, TE: $5.31MM
10. Samson Ebukam, DE: $5.21MM

Leonard, Moore, Buckner and Co. saw their status as leaders of a playoff nucleus change rapidly, and they are now Pro Bowlers on a rebuilding team — one without its top skill-position player. The Taylor matter will overshadow this Colts season for as long as it lasts, though Richardson’s progress will define this Indy iteration on the field.

While the Texans enter the season in a clear rebuild, the Colts appear trapped between periods. The Ballard-assembled Pro Bowler core residing on Steichen’s first Indy roster stands to provide an advantage for Richardson, who will be the Colts’ seventh Week 1 starting QB in seven seasons. With Indy’s run game potentially set for a major downgrade, how ready will the one-year college starter be to capitalize on it?