Before the 2024 NFL season, where is your team at? Setting the stage, Adam Rank examines all 32 teams in his State of the Franchise analysis, focusing on the new players to watch, one big fantasy play, and the stakes for the upcoming season.
Colts players, Colts supporters worldwide, and fantasy football aficionados such as me who are considering selecting Anthony Richardson with pick 1.01…
In 2023, Indianapolis had a somewhat exciting season. With backup quarterback Gardner Minshew playing most of the snaps and almost to the end of the game, the squad won nine games.playoffs even if their point differential was negative. With Richardson leading the way, the Colts are now trying to end a three-year postseason skid. Will they be able to pull that off? Let’s examine this.
While we all hope Anthony Richardson stays injury-free this season, having a skilled QB2 on the roster has advantages. In addition to having a seasoned backup who can win games—like Joe did in Cleveland last year and Gardner Minshew did in Indianapolis—it’s also fantastic that Flacco, who is starting his 17th NFL season, is a former MVP of the Super Bowl. For the Colts’ second-year quarterback, having that kind of experience in the QB room could be very beneficial.In 2023, the Colts’ defence regressed, giving up 24.4 points per game (28th in the NFL) and 349.8 total yards (24th). However, there is cause for hope as Indianapolis’ coordinator Gus Bradley returns for Year 3. Last season, the Colts were the only club in the NFL to have four players with eight or more sacks in 2023: Dayo Odeyingbo (8.0), Samson Ebukam (9.5), Kwity Paye (8.5), and DeForest Buckner (8.0). All four of these players are still with the team. In addition, the Colts selected a second pass rusher in the draft, selecting, surprisingly, at No. 15 overall, the best defensive player available. With the depth of the DL that I just said, they didn’t exactly seem to have a dire need when they acquired an edge rusher.
