Why Colts’ O-Line Will Be Most Important for Anthony Richardson
It’s not a secret that the Indianapolis Colts had offensive line issues last season. Despite having a bit of an uptick with former interim head coach Jeff Saturday at the helm in the latter part of the season, it was still one to forget for household names like left guard Quenton Nelson, center Ryan Kelly, and right tackle Braden Smith.
It’s fair to say that the immobility of quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Nick Foles didn’t assist in the matter, but even the more elusive and quick Sam Ehlinger couldn’t stay protected when playing (sacked 14 times through four games).
The offensive line has been the point of much scrutiny but with good reason. Last year, the Colts finished second in the NFL for the most sacks allowed as a team with 60, per Statmuse. This number simply cannot be repeated, even with the most athletic quarterback ever drafted under center.
With the protectors up front in mind, it’s time to discuss why the Colts’ offensive line will be the most crucial part of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson’s success and how a breath of fresh air in the form of the Shane Steichen era can help repair what happened last year.
The Grades from 2022
Below are the pass and run-blocking grades, along with snap counts, for each of the current starters on the offensive line for Indianapolis last season, per Pro Football Focus.
- Bernhard Raimann – LT
- Pass Blocking Grade – Snaps: 71.4 – 428 snaps
- Run Blocking Grade – Snaps: 74.7 – 281 snaps
- Quenton Nelson – LG
- Pass Blocking Grade – Snaps: 74.1 – 720 snaps
- Run Blocking Grade – Snaps: 64.6 – 428 snaps
- Ryan Kelly – C
- Pass Blocking Grade – Snaps: 64.8 – 679 snaps
- Run Blocking Grade – Snaps: 64.3 – 413 snaps
- Will Fries – RG
- Pass Blocking Grade – Snaps: 44.4 – 381 snaps
- Run Blocking Grade – Snaps: 66.2 – 261 snaps
- Braden Smith – RT
- Pass Blocking Grade – Snaps: 75.9 – 669 snaps
- Run Blocking Grade – Snaps: 75.0 – 397 snaps
Grades like these are a nice reference point to a player’s overall performance but shouldn’t be taken as concrete numbers. What they do show is an offensive line that simply couldn’t locate consistency with passing or run protection. While it could be argued that having a constant rotation of quarterbacks didn’t help, none of them were as raw as Richardson will be, either.
Anything over 70 is considered at least “good” by PFF standards. However, outside of Raimann and Smith, there wasn’t the type of strength you’d want from the lone Pro-Bowler Nelson, an up-and-comer like Fries, and the most experienced starter on the line in Kelly.
Without question, this has to change for Richardson to have any success early on. While he is slightly acclimated to a below-average level of protection, as he experienced as a Florida Gator, the caliber of defenses that will be after him are far more efficient, pressuring, and consistent.
Will these grades be better as the 2023 season rolls along? They will need to be for Richardson to have hope as a professional passer out of the gate.
One thing that hasn’t been discussed is that the offensive playcalling will also assist the protection in getting back to the destructive ways that they exhibited in 2021. Enter Steichen’s new attack for the Colts.
The New Offensive Look for 2023
The Philadelphia Eagles wrecked opposing defenses in 2022 with efficient run blocking and shifting pass protection. While they display a more talented group statistically than the Colts, they also weren’t running the mundane and predictable offenses that Indianapolis was, either.
Whether it was former head coach Frank Reich or the aforementioned Saturday taking calls from Parks Frazier, the offenses were bland at best and easy to figure out. If you placed the Eagles’ entire starting offense into simple play calls, it might not end up the same way it did with Steichen’s innovative and unpredictable offensive attacks.
With vertical shots, empty sets, screens, quarterback-designed runs, play-action, and exotic blocking schemes, the Eagles’ protection was varied and deadly, leading to big plays and the “explosive” element that Steichen has preached. This is why the pairing of him and Richardson was sought after by many in the Colts facility. To perhaps grab that magic that Steichen had with Jalen Hurts that nearly won Philadelphia another Super Bowl.
While Indy has a lot of room to go with their offensive line and its performance, it will be better for them with a game plan that isn’t vibrantly simple to dissect from a defensive perspective. This will help Richardson and everyone else involved with the offense succeed and score more than 20 points in a contest, which was a tall task to ask in 2022.
Outlook
It’s hard to remember how dominant these men in the offensive trenches were for the Colts just two years ago.
Jonathan Taylor seemed to effortlessly find gaps and holes, leading to massive runs and yardage to open up more opportunities for Indianapolis to take advantage of defenses. They were doing this with Taylor as the lone weapon, too.
Now, enter a gifted athlete at the signal-caller spot like Richardson, pair it with Steichen and Taylor, and sprinkle a dash of new schemes and a fresh start for the offensive line, and you may have a recipe for a resurgence in the protection.
This is exactly what Richardson needs in his first year as an Indianapolis Colt.
