Colts: Youth Movement Considered, the Biggest Concerns on Defense

The Indianapolis Colts are a young team on the rise, but what's the biggest concern to address at each position on defense?

At the start of the 2023 season, when the Indianapolis Colts didn't yet have their star running back and then they lost their starting quarterback after just five weeks, it was evident that the defense would have to steer the ship.

In Year 2 under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, the unit had a lot of returning faces but the veterans would be counted on to help get their young counterparts up to speed in a hurry.

While the Colts defense did live up to being the strength of the team, what are the main concerns still to address at each position group? 

DEFENSIVE LINE

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Now that the sack volume is there, the next step is consistency.

The Colts had an Indianapolis Era-best 51 sacks this season, including a league-high four players with at least 7.0 sacks (Samson Ebukam 9.5, Kwity Paye 8.5, Dayo Odeyingbo 8.0, DeForest Buckner 8.0).

The attack front did finish fifth in the NFL in sacks, finally bringing together the "waves of pass rush" that GM Chris Ballard has always wanted, but the next thing they need to accomplish is consistency.

The defense had four games this season with 1 or fewer sacks, and they only won one of those matchups. In the three losses, the opposing starting quarterback averaged a 118.4 passer rating. For the Colts' defense to pull its weight, it almost always will include more pressure on the QB.

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LINEBACKER

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It's time for Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed to ascend to well-rounded playmakers.

The Colts have a stud linebacker duo in Franklin and Speed, and they took a difficult road to get there. In 2022, Shaquille Leonard was rarely ever able to play, which opened the door for Franklin to become a starter and ultimately break the franchise's single-season tackle record two years in a row.

In 2023, Leonard returned but didn't look like his All-Pro self. Speed has been getting better steadily over the last few years to the point it no longer made sense for Leonard to play ahead of him. The Colts let Leonard walk and Speed took his starting role.

Franklin and Speed are both tenacious defenders who seek and destroy what's in front of them, whether it's a running back between the tackles or a pass-catcher trying to find an opening on a screen pass.

The problem is that neither player — nor any linebacker on the Colts for that matter — excels in coverage. Franklin and Speed ranked 68th and 70th, respectively, among NFL linebackers in coverage according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, the Colts' last linebacker who did excel in coverage, Bobby Okereke, ranked 11th in his first season away from Indianapolis.

Franklin and Speed are really good players so it's going to be a challenge to take them off the field, but they will either need to broaden their impact or the Colts will need to invest in a linebacker who can be brought in on passing downs.

As Franklin goes into 2024 in his third season as a starter and Speed goes into his first in an official capacity, they do still have the opportunity for growth.

CORNERBACK

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Despite already employing a youth movement, do they need to use another early-round pick at the position?

The Colts were intentional about going young at cornerback last offseason, trading away veteran Stephon Gilmore (33) and allowing Brandon Facyson (29) to walk in free agency. The Colts then drafted JuJu Brents, Darius Rush, and Jaylon Jones.

This trio was intended to mix in and compete with Isaiah Rodgers Sr. and Dallis Flowers at outside corner. However, Rodgers was suspended and subsequently released due to a betting scandal, and Flowers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury after four games. Brents also spent most of the summer on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, leading to Jones and Darrell Baker Jr. getting the bulk of the work otherwise alongside Kenny Moore II in the slot.

It was an odd amount of turmoil in the cornerback group, but such is life in the NFL.

Looking forward to 2024, Brents would likely have one outside spot locked up while Jones and Flowers jockey for the other, while Moore (if he's re-signed) mans the slot. Brents is a solid option but Flowers is coming off of a major injury while Jones has his limitations. And then there's Moore, who just turned 30.

It would be a good idea for the Colts to draft another player that they can have confidence in as a long-term starter.

SAFETY

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What's the plan in 2024?

Safety seemed like a relatively iron-clad group for the Colts coming into the year, but we saw instead that there is work to do.

Free safety Rodney Thomas had some buzz going into his second season after leading the Colts in interceptions (4) as a rookie. However, he took a step back and often appeared to be involved in many of the defensive breakdowns in the secondary that allowed big plays.

The veteran Julian Blackmon had a pretty healthy season up until suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 16. Blackmon was a stud, putting up career-high numbers in his first year as the strong safety, and picked up the playmaker torch that Leonard left behind. Blackmon led the team with 4 interceptions (8 pass breakups) and 2 fumble recoveries, along with at least a couple of other takeaways that were nullified by penalty or replay.

Nick Cross and Ronnie Harrison also saw meaningful snaps at safety and should factor into the group in 2024. When Blackmon went down, Harrison stepped in at strong safety for the last couple of games while Cross supplanted Thomas as the free safety. Both new starters had plenty of positive moments but need more time on the field together in order to play more consistently. 

Blackmon is an impending free agent but is the only one in the group that you can have total confidence in, so it would be appealing for the Colts to re-sign him and start him at strong safety alongside Cross at free safety.

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