What is the current trajectory that the Indianapolis Colts are on?
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently put all 32 NFL teams into tiers based on their trajectory and what’s needed this offseason to help each organization ascend.
Fowler came up with 10 different tiers, ranging from ‘still major contenders’ to ‘yep, still rebuilding,’ and really everything in between.
For the Colts, they fell into the ‘stuck in the middle…but a move or two away’ category. Joining them were San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta.
“Time to change,” wrote Fowler. “No team embodies the NFL middle quite like the Colts, whose 8-9 record last season was quasi-impressive given the drama around quarterback Anthony Richardson and the defense’s late-season collapse. GM Chris Ballard has embraced the need for change, something that others in the building have echoed privately.”
There’s obviously a lot of factors that go into whether the Colts can turn things around and take a step forward this season. But if we had to boil that down to a few items, Chris Ballard’s willingness to accept some roster turnover and Richardson’s play are going to be the dominant factors in determining the outcome of the Colts’ 2025 season.
Even though the Colts missed the playoffs in 2023, Ballard banked on continuity being a catalyst for growth in 2024. This led to only two outside free agent additions being made, and instead of growth, there was complacency and the the team regressed.
Ballard would call this roster building approach a “mistake” after the season.
This year, Ballard wants to embrace competition to help elevate the level of play throughout the roster and fight off complacency while increasing urgency.
In order to do that, free agency is going to have to be a part of the equation, and there are a lot of position groups that could be added to, but some of the bigger needs that have to get fortified are at tight end, cornerback, safety, and potentially the offensive line, depending on what happens with Will Fries.
The other key factor is, of course, Richardson’s play. We did see improved play from Richardson after being benched last season, but the overall play in 2024 was still quite inconsistent and he again missed time with injuries.
For those reasons, Ballard did say that there will be competition for Richardson this season.
However, when it comes to Richardson furthering his development and taking that next step, a big difference this year compared to last is that he is healthy at the start of the offseason. Richardson will also reportedly be working with the same quarterback coach that Josh Allen did early in his career.
For the reasons mentioned, along with the Colts having some key players already on the roster, including DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Kenny Moore, Jonathan Taylor, the receiver room, and others, you can see why Fowler has the Colts in this category. There’s certainly unknown, but you can see a path forward, even if it’s not always clear.