Evaluating Indianapolis Colts Roster, Pre-Draft

Before the 2023 NFL Draft begins, let's take a look at the Indianapolis Colts' roster as they prepare to usher in a new era.

The Indianapolis Colts are a team that's closer to a rebuild than they are at competing for a deep playoff run. After a few years of convincing themselves that it was the other way around, leadership now seems on board with the fact that they need to make some big changes.

It started with getting a new head coach on board, which they did by hiring offensive whizkid Shane Steichen following a thorough search. The Colts now turn their attention to addressing a long-term solution at the quarterback position, which has been a priority since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck back in 2019.

However, their needs don't stop at quarterback. Here, we'll take a look at each position group for the Colts and assign it an urgency of low, medium, or high.

QUARTERBACK

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• Gardner Minshew, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles
• Urgency: High

Until the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, all eyes in Indiana are on the Colts' quarterbacks. Would a group led by Minshew and backed up by Ehlinger survive the season under Steichen's leadership? Maybe, probably even better than last year's Colts QB squad. However, they need to add that young, long-term answer in the draft. This team needs to give its fans a reason for optimism for the upcoming season and hopefully, the next decade. Another thing to keep an eye on is the status of Foles, who has been expected to be released this offseason. Doing so would free up $1.1 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.

RUNNING BACK

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• Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, Darrynton Evans, Jake Funk, Aaron Shampklin
• Urgency: Low

As long as Taylor returns 100% from the ankle injury that affected his performance last year, this group will be A-okay. Their depth is really solid as well, as Moss is a great second option, and Jackson and Evans have both played meaningful snaps. Does Taylor get a contract extension sometime before the season?

WIDE RECEIVER

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• Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin, Isaiah McKenzie, Mike Strachan, Malik Turner, Vyncint Smith, Kristian Wilkerson
• Urgency: Medium

As of right now, the loss of Parris Campbell is being covered by Dulin and McKenzie. Nice players to this point in their careers, sure, but the Colts need more. Especially with the likely addition of a rookie quarterback, the Colts will need to surround him with weapons. Like Campbell, the Colts could add another player with plenty of speed and the ability to create yards after the catch.

TIGHT END

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• Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Pharaoh Brown, Nikola Kalinic, Andrew Ogletree, Jalen Wydermyer
• Urgency: Low

This is arguably the most exciting up-and-coming group on the Colts when projecting them under Steichen. After an impressive rookie season, Woods looks like he could be a true stud if given the opportunity to be a focal point of an offense. Likewise, Granson gets above-average separation from defenders, which leads to yards after the catch. Ogletree also has plenty of potential but suffered an ACL injury during the preseason. The Colts recently added Brown, who can compete to be the Colts' top blocking tight end along with Alie-Cox and Kalinic.

OFFENSIVE LINE

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• OT — Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith, Carter O'Donnell, Jordan Murray
• Urgency: Medium
• IOL — Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Danny Pinter, Dakoda Shepley, Wesley French, Arlington Hambright
• Urgency: Medium

This group is fine in the starting five but it definitely needs depth, including some players who can push the starters ahead of them. Raimann is under a microscope after showing positive growth as a rookie, but entering the season as the starting left tackle is a big responsibility. Likewise, Fries grew as a player but cannot just be handed the starting role. We saw what a disaster the Colts' offensive line was last year without adequate competition to start the season.

DEFENSIVE LINE

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• DE — Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Khalid Kareem, Kameron Cline, Rashod Berry
• Urgency: Medium
• IDL — DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Taven Bryan, McTelvin Agim, Eric Johnson, Chris Williams
• Urgency: Low

Starting LEO Yannick Ngakoue is a free agent and his return feels unlikely after the signing of Ebukam. The latter might prove to be an adequate replacement for Ngakoue, however, as he has shown he can consistently harass the backfield and is a much better run defender. Still, this unit could use one more outside pass rusher, as Paye and Odeyingbo haven't yet proven to be players you can hang your hat on for a full season, and Lewis has only played one full season in his career. The Colts have done a nice job adding reinforcements to the interior behind Buckner and Stewart, which is an area where they lacked depth last season.

LINEBACKER

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• Zaire Franklin, Shaquille Leonard, E.J. Speed, JoJo Domann, Cameron McGrone, Segun Olubi, Grant Stuard, Forrest Rhyne
• Urgency: Medium

The linebackers have a medium urgency due to the uncertain nature of Leonard's health coupled with the free-agent loss of Bobby Okereke to the New York Giants. Right now, the only starting players we know can hit the field are Franklin and Speed, and that means they could use another proven veteran player for depth. Domann could be that guy but we don't know yet, as the second-year player was a special teamer as a rookie.

CORNERBACK

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• Kenny Moore II, Isaiah Rodgers Sr., Dallis Flowers, Tony Brown, Darrell Baker Jr., Kevin Toliver II, David Vereen
• Urgency: High

For the sake of the 2023 season, this might actually be the direst position group. The Colts traded away top cornerback Stephon Gilmore and let Brandon Facyson, who started four games last season, walk in free agency. That leaves Moore, who struggled with injuries and inconsistent play, as the top corner. Rodgers has shown he's a good player, and Flowers has promise. It would be a shocker if the Colts let the cornerbacks go into the season looking like this, though, as general manager Chris Ballard frequently looks to add cornerbacks through both free agency and the draft. We might see another couple of players added who are capable of contributing.

SAFETY

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• Julian Blackmon, Rodney Thomas II, Nick Cross, Marcel Dabo, Trevor Denbow, Henry Black
• Urgency: Medium

This is one of the most intriguing position groups on the roster to project. First, do the Colts re-sign Rodney McLeod? He was their steadiest safety last season and set several career-best statistics despite already being in the league for a decade. Next, does the second-year pro Cross show anything to earn a meaningful role in the defense? He became a starter last summer but was quickly replaced in the lineup by McLeod and then essentially disappeared from the defense. Blackmon and Thomas are the Colts' current best options at safety but are both technically free safeties. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has some sorting out to do.

SPECIAL TEAMS

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• K — Matt Gay, Lucas Havrisik
• P — Rigoberto Sanchez
• LS — Luke Rhodes
• H — Rigoberto Sanchez
• KR/PR — Dallis Flowers, Isaiah Rodgers
• Urgency: Low

This is a unit that has been overall really good over the last five years under former coordinator Bubba Ventrone, but it's about to see quite a bit of change. For starters, Ventrone left for the Cleveland Browns and has been replaced by Brian Mason, who also has a knack for a big-play special teams group. Gay was given the biggest free-agent contract for a kicker in NFL history, and Sanchez will be returning from the torn Achilles that took away his 2022 season.

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