Indianapolis Colts: Strange offseason leaves more questions than answers
By Jon Benne
2. Will the pass rush step up?
The Colts defense was largely a strength last season, but they needed reinforcements at pass rush after letting Justin Houston and Denico Autry leave in free agency. To its credit, Indianapolis attacked this need early in the draft, selecting edge rushers Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo with its first two picks, but both players come with risks.
Paye boasts impressive physical tools but didn’t have much sack production in the Big Ten, while Odeyingo tore his Achilles in the Senior Bowl and likely won’t contribute in 2021. Let’s be generous and say that was a bold move to make with solid offensive linemen still on the board.
Yet again, the Colts are relying on unproven and injury-prone players at key positions, which makes it hard to really gauge their ceiling.
1. Are the Indianapolis Colts really better after this offseason?
It all leans on Wentz. If he gets his mojo back, then the Colts are clear favorites for the AFC South title. If he’s still skittish but competent, the rest of the roster is good enough to compete for a wild card spot. If he keeps playing like 2020 Wentz, Reich and Ballard’s seats could be heating up after an expensive failed experiment torpedoes their season.
It’s tired and cliche to say that quarterback is the most important position, but the Colts have forced the narrative by betting on Reich fixing Wentz. And it’s hard to claim they set him up for success, doing little to upgrade the line or weapons while assuming the defense stays at a high level. That is just way too much hoping and dreaming for an ostensible contender, which makes it harder to take the Colts seriously next season.
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The Colts are a good team that could easily be in the playoffs again. They won’t be a great team until they really commit to long-term plans at important positions that could put them over the top. Chris Ballard has done a lot of little things right so far. Let’s see if he can get the biggest thing right.