5 Most Impactful Moments from the Colts 2023 Offseason

The Indianapolis Colts have had an eventful and busy offseason as the 2023 NFL Draft approaches.

The Indianapolis Colts have had to make several changes regarding coaching staff, players, and planning after a less-than-stellar four-win season. 

Once the regular season concluded, general manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay got to work. There have been some key happenings for the entire organization, and that is what this list will dive into. The most important and impactful occurrences ranked from fifth to first.

Kicking things off will be a decision the Colts made to NOT retain a free agent who was a leader on the defense.

5. Colts Choose to Not Re-Sign Yannick Ngakoue

© Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colts signed former San Francisco Niners pass rusher Samson Ebukam earlier in the offseason to a three-year, $27 million deal. This essentially put the writing on the wall that Indy may be moving on from 2022 sack leader Yannick Ngakoue.

That eventually came to fruition when Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley announced the team wouldn't be bringing him back.

Yannick Ngakoue still hasn't signed anywhere in free agency, but Gus Bradley confirmed what the Samson Ebukam signing already indicated: Ngakoue won't be back in Indy. https://t.co/bImZfjuXwP

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) April 19, 2023

Ngakoue did have 9.5 sacks, but struggled mightily in run defense. Opposing offenses often ran to Ngakoue's side knowing he wasn't the best in this category. With younger talents like Dayo Odeyingbo and Kwity Paye also ready to fire, this one made sense for both parties involved.

4. Colts Sign WR Isaiah McKenzie & DE Samson Ebukam

© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts needed to desperately fill the depth at wide receiver. They were able to take a step in the right direction by signing former Buffalo Bills playmaker Isaiah McKenzie.

Mckenzie just came off his best season in 2022. He had 42 catches for 423 yards and four touchdowns. He also added nine rushes for 55 yards and another score.

Another signing that added depth where it was needed was bringing in the aforementioned Ebukam.

Breaking: Former 49ers' DE Samson Ebukam has agreed to a three-year, $27M deal with the Indianapolis Colts. #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/QmSa89ZOVH

— Indy SportsOne (@IndySportsOne) March 15, 2023

While with the Los Angeles Rams and Niners, Ebukam was more of a rotational piece. For the past four seasons, he's recorded at least 4.5 sacks and recorded a career-best five in 2022.Look for Ebukam to make an impact with potentially more snaps and opportunities coming his way with Indianapolis.

3. The Losses of Parris Campbell and Bobby Okereke

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Having to move on from talented players isn't easy. This is what happened with wide receiver Parris Campbell and linebacker Bobby Okereke.

After both recorded career seasons statistically, it demanded potentially a bit more for contracts than the Colts were willing to pay. Inevitably, both Campbell and Okereke would find their way to the New York Giants with new deals.

Okereke had a career-best 151 tackles and six tackles for loss. Campbell reflected career highs in catches (63), receiving yards (623), and receiving touchdowns (three).

2. The Hirings of Jim Bob Cooter and Cam Turner

© Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

After hiring Jeff Saturday out of frustration, Irsay understood that experience and offensive thinking had to be the way to go with the position his franchise was in.

While the head coach is the most important staff spot, it's integral to get QB-centric people in the building around that respective leader, especially given the Colts may draft a rookie field general. The Colts were ready to make this happen.

The proof was when the Colts signed former Jacksonville Jaguars pass game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter as their offensive coordinator and former Arizona Cardinals QB coach Cam Turner for the same role.

JBC was one of the instrumental pieces in helping Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence hit his stride in 2022 with Doug Pederson. The Jaguars would even have a stellar come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the 2022 playoffs.

Turner, like JBC, has helped develop more mobile, raw quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and Cam Newton during his time with the Cardinals and Carolina Panthers. With a rookie QB likely to be taken, these are two solid hires to help that respective passer hit the ground running.

1. Hiring Shane Steichen as Head Coach

© Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

This one was obvious, but for a simple reason: Shane Steichen knows the quarterback position inside and out.

Needing no introduction, he's coached the pocket passer (Philip Rivers), the volume passer with mobility (Justin Herbert), and the run-first athlete who needed tuned-up mechanics (Jalen Hurts). With the previously brought-up rookie QB likely happening, this adds to the security.

Below is a brief rundown of some of the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive rankings while Steichen was the offensive coordinator in 2022.

• Total yards per game: 3rd (389.1)
• Passing yards per game: 9th (241.5)
• Total rushing yards: 5th (2,509)
• Total points per game: 3rd (28.1)

Add in a trip to Super Bowl LVII and a near win and you have a simple reason why this is the number one moment for the Colts. Irsay and Ballard couldn’t deny Steichen’s ability to groom their next franchise signal-caller. 

The NFL draft is nearly here, and the Colts are making massive decisions that will impact their future for years to come. So far, as the previous information details, they've made the right strides to this point. We will see how it all culminates this Thursday at the draft.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

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