Horseshoe Huddle

Colts Lose OL Coach to Division Rival

Former Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach Chris Strausser has a new home.

Andrew Moore

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The Indianapolis Colts and new head coach Shane Steichen are hard at work as they are quickly building a coaching staff.

It was reported yesterday that the Colts are hiring Jacksonville Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter as their new offensive coordinator. However, as one coach comes in, another is on his way out.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Colts offensive line coach Chris Strausser has been hired to replace George Warhop as the offensive line coach of the Houston Texans.

Strausser joined the Colts before the 2019 season after the Colts fired Dave DeGuglielmo following the 2018 season. Strausser was a disciple of the late Howard Mudd, the legendary Colts' offensive line coach through the 2000s.

Strausser was one of the first coaches former head coach Frank Reich brought onto his staff with the Colts. Strausser got to work right away and helped coach the Colts' offensive line into one of the best in the NFL from 2019-2020.

However, the offensive line started to regress in 2021 after the retirement of left tackle Anthony Castonzo. The Colts signed Eric Fisher before the 2021 season, but he could never regain his Pro Bowl form after tearing his Achilles the year prior. Other positions began to regress that year as well.

Everything came to a head in 2022 as the offensive line performed its worse under Strausser. The Colts allowed 60 sacks last season, the second worst in the NFL behind only the Denver Broncos. While the line play improved towards the end of the season, it was nowhere near the standard the Colts were used to.

Many fans pushed for Strausser to be fired in the middle of the season. While two offensive coaches were fired by the Colts mid-season in Reich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, Strausser held onto his job and finished out the season. Part of the reason for this was that the Colts did not have anyone else on staff they trusted to take over as OL coach if Strausser was let go.

Strausser will now join the division-rival Texans. The Texans allowed far fewer sacks than the Colts in 2022, only giving up 38 all season. The 38 sacks allowed by the Texans ranked tenth best in the NFL a season ago.

But with the Texans assembling a new staff under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, Warhop was let go. Strausser is still well respected around the NFL, despite what has transpired in Indy over the past couple of seasons.

It is unlikely that Strausser would have been retained in Indianapolis for next season. Steichen is building his own staff and replacing most of the offensive coaches. Philadelphia Eagles assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan is the favorite to be the next offensive line coach of the Colts as he spent two seasons with Steichen in Philly.

The Chris Strausser era in Indianapolis saw a dramatic rise and fall of the Colts' offensive line. Hopefully, the next offensive line coach for the Colts will be able to have sustained success with one of the highest-paid units in the NFL.

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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