Colts Offseason Focus Becomes Crystal Clear: Revamp Passing Game
The Indianapolis Colts have made it known since the very beginning of the offseason where they need to get better.
The running game is not the issue. Boasting the rushing leader Jonathan Taylor, arguably the best running back in the league, and the versatile Nyheim Hines, the Colts have one of the best running back duos in the league.
The Colts also have a stout defense against the run. With Pro Bowlers DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard in the middle, the Colts gave up only 109.1 yards per game on the ground, good enough for tenth best in the league.
It’s through the air where the Colts must get better on both sides of the ball if they want to compete with the best in the AFC. With Carson Wentz under center, the Colts only averaged 197.7 passing yards a game, 26th in the NFL. The 234.1 yards allowed per game through the air ranked 19th in the league.
“Our passing game has to be better, just has to be,” general manager Chris Ballard said candidly after the season. “On defense, we have to be able to rush the passer better. It’s a passing league. You’ve got to be able to affect the passer and you’ve got to be able to throw it.”
Ballard knew it. Head coach Frank Reich knew it. And owner Jim Irsay demanded it.
Irsay met with Ballard and Reich at Colts headquarters immediately following the abysmal collapse in Jacksonville that forced the Colts to miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Ballard himself described the meeting as an “ass-chewing.”
It simply wasn’t good enough. Not for a team and organization known for having prolific passing games and giving opposing coaches fits through the air.
The moves began on March 9, with the Colts agreeing to trade Wentz to the Washington Commanders. The Colts received a 2022 third-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick that becomes a second-rounder if Wentz plays 70% of the snaps, and moved up five spots in the second round this year to No. 42.
The Carson Wentz trade for the Colts was admittedly a major failure. Indy gave up first and third-round picks to the Philadelphia Eagles last year for basically a one-year rental of Wentz’s services, and they didn’t even reach the playoffs. However, considering the market for Wentz was not very strong and the Colts were prepared to cut him if they could not find a trade partner, Ballard recouped quite the haul for the polarizing QB.
But with Wentz now gone, an enormous hole was left at the quarterback position. Say what you will about Wentz and his volatile play, but the Colts’ passing offense would take a giant leap back by handing the reins over to Sam Ehlinger. Admittedly, the Colts did not have a plan at quarterback after the Wentz trade. They just knew they could not go into 2022 with Wentz under center.
Before the quarterback question was answered, the Colts were looking to upgrade against the pass. The Colts’ pass rush did not do enough to generate pressure and allowed quarterbacks to sit in the pocket all day last season. Indy only generated 33 sacks on the season, tied for 25th in the NFL.
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As free agency got underway, an opportunity presented itself for the Colts to acquire the feared pass rusher they have desperately needed since the retirement of franchise icon Robert Mathis. Across the country, the Las Vegas Raiders were finalizing a deal with stud pass rusher Chandler Jones. With Maxx Crosby signing a massive extension with the Raiders just a few days earlier, that left Yannick Ngakoue as the odd man, or pass rusher, out.
The Colts and the Raiders agreed to send Ngakoue to Indianapolis for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Ngakoue racked up 10 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in 2021, both of which would have led the Colts. The Pro Bowler has never had a season in his six-year career where he had less than eight sacks.
Ngakoue is a perfect fit for the Colts for numerous reasons. He once again is reunited with Gus Bradley, the Colts’ new defensive coordinator who coached Ngakoue with the Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars before that. He will be playing the LEO position in Bradley’s defense, designed for explosive pass rushers who line up wide to give them more opportunities at the quarterback.
Ngakoue will also be joining a defensive line with Buckner and Kwity Paye, the Colts’ first-round pick a year ago, who is filled with promise and started to come on towards the end of 2021. A pass rush group that includes those three is sure to generate much more pressure on the quarterback. With one year left on his deal and only 27 years old, the Colts could look to sign Ngakoue to a long-term deal to keep him in Indy through his prime.
Speaking of quarterback, the Colts, at this point, still had a massive hole at quarterback. Ballard always says that a little bit of luck is involved with getting the right quarterback. The Colts received just that.
After the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes had ended with him choosing the Cleveland Browns, the Atlanta Falcons found themselves in a precarious situation. They had pursued Watson with long-time quarterback and former MVP Matt Ryan still on the roster. When Watson did not choose the Falcons, a decision had to be made to push forward with Ryan or move off the veteran.
The Colts had been interested from the jump as soon as Ryan became available. A quarterback of his stature does not come available very often, especially one with the accuracy, leadership, and ability to carry a team in the clutch that Ryan possesses. Reich dove into the film on Ryan from the past couple of seasons, and as he watched all of the deep throws and throws outside the numbers, he came away very impressed.
“I really didn’t see any diminishing physical skills,” Reich admitted at the NFL Owners Meetings. “Once (Ryan) became an option, that was the number one option the whole way as far as I was concerned.”
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The Falcons granted the Colts permission to meet with Ryan to discuss a possible deal. Ballard, Reich, offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, and assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier joined a Zoom call with Ryan for three hours discussing the team, the offense, and how far the team could go with Ryan in Blue and White. It did not take long for Reich to feel a special bond with Ryan.
“It was apparent very quickly there was an instant connection in every way,” Reich said. “Personally, but also football, the way we think about the game. I had a cut up made up of a lot of our offensive plays, just kind of talking through some of our plays, talking offensive football, just wanting Matt to envision himself in our offense and some of the things that we could do.”
“What sold me was I was able to have a meeting with Chris Ballard, Frank (Reich), Marcus Brady, Parks Frazier – all those guys on (that) Saturday night,” Ryan admitted at his introductory press conference. “Their passion, their commitment, their professionalism, the accountability Chris has for himself and what he does, the empathy Frank has for my situation of understanding you’ve been in a certain spot and done it one way, and don’t ever forget that. It’s an incredible part of it, but this next chapter can be even better.”
Two days after that meeting, Ryan was a Colt. The Colts traded a 2022 third-round pick to the Falcons for Ryan. This was the Colts’ own third-round pick at No. 82 overall, allowing the team to keep the third-round pick acquired from the Commanders in the Wentz trade at No. 73 overall.
Ryan is a quarterback that models his game after Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, the Colts great who led Indy to the winningest decade in NFL history. Like Manning, Ryan is known for his preparation. Ryan reached out to Manning and Philip Rivers, another former Colts quarterback, to get intel on the franchise, the staff, and the culture inside the building. He came away more than impressed.
“I knew at some point I was going to need to make a decision on whether or not I wanted to stay,” Ryan admitted. “And as I looked into it, I knew there was only one spot that I wanted to go. There was no doubt that if I were to make a move, this is exactly where I wanted to be.”
Ryan has thrown for 59,735 yards and 367 touchdowns in his 14-year career, ranking eighth and ninth all-time, respectively. His 42-career game-winning drives rank seventh in NFL history. The Colts are getting a quarterback they can trust and one that will deliver in the clutch. Most importantly, Ryan is a quarterback that keeps the Colts in contention to win now.
Even after acquiring Ngakoue and Ryan, the Colts have continued to make the passing game a focus. Trading Ya-Sin, the young corner the team drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, was no easy decision. Ya-Sin was their best outside cornerback in 2021 and a young ascending player the Colts were high on.
The Colts signed former Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson, who had nine starts in 2021, in free agency. Other than Facyson, no other moves had been made. That was until the big news dropped on Friday.
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Ballard made another splash move with the signing of Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. The 10-year cornerback comes to the Colts two years removed from back-to-back First-Team All-Pro seasons on the heels of four straight Pro Bowls. In eight games with the Panthers last season, Gilmore had 16 tackles, two interceptions, two pass deflections, and only allowed 16 receptions in coverage.
The Colts did not bring on Gilmore strictly for his on-field ability. Indy’s decision-makers did their homework, gathering intel on the veteran corner and how he would fit with the team. Gilmore’s professionalism and leadership ability blew the Colts away, leading the Colts to make an all-out push to sign him, with Irsay sending his private jet to bring Gilmore in for his visit.
Gilmore gives the Colts a true No. 1 corner on the outside who can lock down wide receivers and give opposing quarterbacks pause before they throw his way. The Colts have not had an outside cornerback make the Pro Bowl since Vontae Davis in 2015. Gilmore brings high-end cornerback talent the Colts have not had in a long time.
All of these moves show the Colts’ commitment to upgrading the passing game on both sides of the ball. The Colts knew they could not sit by and run it back in 2022 simply hoping for the best. Changes needed to be made, and the Colts brass made that decision in the intense meeting at W 56th Street the night after the season-ending loss to the Jaguars.
The offense now has a cerebral quarterback with elite accuracy and leadership the Colts covet in their signal-caller. Adding a Pro Bowl pass rusher and cornerback gives the Colts five Pro Bowlers on defense alone to go along with the three on offense and one on special teams. While many fans criticized the Colts for their methodical approach, Ballard stuck to his guns, and his patience has paid off.
Even with these moves, the Colts still have plenty of work to do to improve the passing game. Outside of Michael Pittman Jr., the Colts do not have any proven talent at wide receiver with T.Y. Hilton a free agent, and Zach Pascal signing with the Eagles. Long-time tight end Jack Doyle announced his retirement this spring and will not return either. Even with the Colts expected to get Hines more involved in the passing game, additions are still needed.
Expect the Colts to go offense-heavy in the NFL Draft in a couple of weeks. Indy has been doing their due diligence on wide receivers and tight ends throughout this draft process and is likely to add talent at both positions. The draft has been the Colts’ strong suit for acquiring talent since Ballard was hired, and they’ll be looking to add players who can contribute on offense from the jump.
The NFL is a passing league, dominated by the teams that can throw the ball and defend against the pass. The Colts have not done a good enough job excelling in these areas over the past couple of years. 2022 is setting up to be a different story.
Have thoughts about what the Colts have done this offseason to improve the passing offense and defense? Drop a line in the comments below and let us know what you think!
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