3 Colts Offensive Players Who Could Earn a Pro Bowl in 2023

After a down year from several key players, the Indianapolis Colts offense has a chance to bounce back, with a few possibly notching a Pro Bowl in the process.

2023 is a crucial year for the Indianapolis Colts franchise. This is the first time in a long time that the Colts have had the board wiped clean with a lot of changes included. However, no area of the team has more that’s brand new than the offense.

The head coach, Shane Steichen, will be calling plays. Quarterback Anthony Richardson could start day one and has a completely different ceiling and set of skills than any QB has ever had with the Colts. The receiving corps features free-agent signings (Breshad Perriman) and rookie draftees (Josh Downs). These are only a few of the changes for the sake of time.

With this in mind, it’s time to take a look at a potential resurgence, of sorts, for this Indianapolis offense. In this piece, I’ll highlight three players who could see themselves nominated for a Pro Bowl in 2023.

To kick things off will be the most efficient offensive lineman in 2022 for the Colts.

#1.) Braden Smith – Right Tackle

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To even my surprise, Braden Smith has never been nominated to the Pro Bowl. In 2023, this can change.

Since 2018 Smith has been a mainstay at the right flank of the offensive line and has played at a high level. Coming out of Auburn in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Smith was originally a right guard that was transitioned to tackle. After that, he never looked back.

However, 2022 brought many changes to Smith’s role and what was happening around him. While former right guard Mark Glowinski (now a New York Giant) was to the left of Smith in previous seasons, things seemed a lot easier for Smith, in part because he could focus solely on his blocks alone. Last season, it simply wasn’t the case, leading to a “down year” from Smith.

Matt Pryor, Danny Pinter, Will Fries, and even Smith himself had to man the right guard spot. With so much changing, Smith likely had to try adjusting to a lot of pressure being allowed from his left side, thus, assisting with the team-lead seven sacks he gave up (t-1st with LT Bernhard Raimann). Despite this, Smith led the offensive line in all blocking grades, per Pro Football Focus. He had an overall grade of 75.5, a run block grade of 75.0, and a pass block grade of 75.9, all considered great by PFF standards.

Smith isn’t that far removed from being a high-level blocker for the Colts. Even amidst the chaos, he still played efficiently. Given that the Colts will likely run the ball as a focal point, the right side is the power end of the offensive line, so look for this to be Smith’s calling card to finally get himself a Pro Bowl.

#2.) Jonathan Taylor – Running Back

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This one may seem too obvious, but after what was a bad year for Jonathan Taylor in 2022, he’s due a rebound season.

His illustrious MVP-caliber 2021 season has been beaten into the dirt. What’s more important is that he still averaged 78.3 rushing yards per game last year on a brutally bad team. If not for his ankle injury, it’s hard to imagine Taylor doesn’t eclipse 1,000 rushing yards and nearly ten rushing scores with a full year. Now, he has a new beginning, with Steichen calling the shots offensively.

Pair this with Richardson’s already lethal mobility, and it has all of the ingredients for a campaign that Taylor could be very proud of.

There could also be more room to operate with how this offense wants to attack defenses vertically down the field. This will relax the linebackers and secondary, giving Taylor more of an element of surprise. In 2022, defenses knew well that Taylor was likely getting the ball. There simply wasn’t any threat of the deep shots over the top. Now, this is a real weapon that the Colts will have to start the Steichen-Richardson connection.

While it might not be like 2021 was, it’s better that way. Taylor could do more with less on his plate. Asking a running back to carry the entire offense isn’t the way to go in the modern NFL. But, with a player of Taylor’s caliber, all he needs is more diversity with playcalling, and a return to the Pro Bowl might be in order in 2023.

#3.) Jelani Woods – Tight End

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This entry might raise some eyebrows or cause foreheads to be scratched in confusion. But hear me out, the potential is there for this to happen for monster tight end Jelani Woods.

Last season was almost a write-off for Woods, as he compiled 25 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns. No numbers to support this argument reside in Wood’s rookie campaign. But, with a team and staff who didn’t know how to use him paired with a laughable QB situation and it’s fair to say he didn’t get the targets he could have. This held back Woods's rookie potential.

Steichen is coming off helping Philadelphia Eagle’s tight end Dallas Goedert become a household name. Given how athletic, quick, and massive Woods is, it’s not out of the question that Woods couldn’t make far more noise than anyone’s thinking.

While it is a competitive tight end room, nobody possesses Woods’ potential, respectively. If Steichen and this new offensive look can figure out how to get him open in space and improve blocking, Woods could be a big issue for defenses and a weapon that Richardson or Gardner Minshew will look to often.

The biggest argument for him winning a Pro Bowl nod wouldn’t likely be rooted in his catches but more so in his touchdown potential. Woods may grab about 50 catches or so but could notch 10-plus touchdowns in the process. With a six-foot-seven-inch, 265-pound frame, he will be invaluable in the red zone. This was an area the Colts struggled badly with last year. Woods can be a remedy for that problem.

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