Shane Steichen and Anthony Richardson give the Colts the direction they need.
After a 9-8 season finale in 2023, the Indianapolis Colts have renewed faith in themselves. Their organization has found a much-needed direction for the first time in many seasons.
First, there’s rookie head coach Shane Steichen, who helped Indianapolis finish 11th in total scoring offense while juggling multiple injuries to key players, including running back Jonathan Taylor and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Steichen also found novel and inventive ways to customize his play calling style by utilizing as many players as possible.
Both Taylor and Richardson have missed time this season due to injuries; Richardson missed one game because of a concussion he received against the Houston Texans in Week 2, and in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, he suffered an AC joint injury that ended his season. Taylor struggled with two injuries: a thumb injury that kept him out of three more games, for a total of seven, and an ankle injury that kept him out of the first four games of the season.
Throughout the regular season, running back Zack Moss and quarterback Gardner Minshew were used to fill in for both Taylor and Richardson, who only managed to play one snap together. Several key offensive linemen, including left tackle Bernhard Raimann, center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Braden Smith, also missed time at points during the season. Josh Downs, an outstanding rookie wide receiver, and Michael Pittman Jr., the team’s primary wide receiver, did the same.
Despite a 3-5 start, the Colts managed to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race, with Steichen being the main factor behind their remarkable improvement from a year ago.
Let’s go back to the Colts’ exact position from the previous season. With a record of 4-12-1, the team was coming off what was possibly one of the worst seasons in the organization’s history. Following a lackluster performance in Foxborough against the New England Patriots, former head coach Frank Reich was fired, becoming the first head coach to be fired during the season in franchise history. After hiring Jeff Saturday as an interim head coach, Indianapolis ended its 2022 campaign with a string of defeats, including giving up the biggest NFL regular-season comeback to the Minnesota Vikings, whom Indianapolis led 33-0 before losing 39-36 in overtime.
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After Andrew Luck retired, the team had several quarterback changes in the years that followed, including veterans Matt Ryan (2022), Carson Wentz (2021), Philip Rivers (2020), and Jacoby Brissett (2019). Not until the 2022 season had everything stopped was that true. The Colts as a team lacked a clear sense of direction and their processes had, for the most part, failed them over time.
Well, until Richardson and Steichen showed up. Steichen had come after the team’s close 38-35 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57. The former offensive coordinator for the Eagles was, in the words of Colts general manager Chris Ballard of his first-year head coach, “dialed in” from the beginning. It didn’t take long for others in the NFL’s vicinity to begin paying attention.
“Swung in.” Always dialed in. Everything ball…He never lacks confidence in his abilities or harbors even the slightest doubt. Ballard stated as much at his season-ending news conference on Thursday. “And he sees the big picture.” “He’s an amazing problem-solver, and he has high expectations for all of us—staff and players alike.”
Anthony Richardson, a rookie quarterback chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is comparable. Despite many believing he was more of a project coming out of the University of Florida, the 21-year-old quarterback showed immediate promise with his dual-threat abilities while simultaneously showing growth as a passer.
Richardson’s early returns were extremely encouraging. In less than 200 offensive plays, the rookie signal-caller scored seven touchdowns in total—three passing and four rushing—while also throwing for 577 yards and only committing three turnovers (one interception and two fumbles).
Ballard acknowledged the young quarterback’s promising potential, but he also made sure to point out that Richardson still needed to work on getting healthy and creating space for growth.
We’re inspired by what we observed. Wait to stamp him. Not only does he have a ton of work ahead of him, but so do we. But it’s encouraging,” Ballard said. “He’s very gifted and he will work.” I think that this guy is a legitimate passer. The more he plays, I believe the better and more improved he will become. Anthony has accurate throwing ability and can play out of the pocket.
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Without a doubt, Indianapolis will need to work during the offseason. However, they have a number of effective offensive weapons. Josh Downs broke both the franchise reception record set by Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and Bill Brooks as a rookie with 66 receptions. Michael Pittman Jr., who’s set to be a free-agent this offseason, had his best season as a pro. Pittman Jr. set career-highs in several categories, including receptions (109) and receiving yards (1,152) while scoring four touchdowns. For the most part of the season, Jonathan Taylor, on the other hand, was back to his former self as well. He finished with seven rushing touchdowns and 741 rushing yards on 169 carries (4.4 yards per attempt).
There are many positive aspects about the Colts’ defense as well. Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo, two defensive ends, made enormous progress in 2023, each recording career-high sack totals of 8.5 and 8.0, respectively. Julian Blackmon, a free safety who will also be available as a free agent this summer, recorded a career-high four interceptions to go along with 65 solo tackles and eight pass deflections. The Colts’ defensive triumphs during the season were also greatly attributed to linebackers Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed. Franklin, in particular, broke the franchise record for the most tackles in a single season with 179. These are only a handful of the potential rising stars on Indianapolis’ defense in 2024.
Along the offensive line, Indianapolis also made a comeback with guard Quenton Nelson, who was selected for the sixth time in a row, and center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Braden Smith. In the second season, left tackle Bernhard Raimann made significant progress toward his goal of becoming the Colts’ left tackle of the future. Raimann will be a key component in Richardson’s future development.
Without a doubt, their roster is still very young. Specifically, one of the youngest in the NFL. However, that didn’t stop the Colts from having a fantastic season.
For the first time in a long time, the Colts feel like they can build on their 2023 season’s successes under one of the best offensive coordinators in the league in Steichen, and they have a young quarterback in Richardson who is a threat. Their efforts begin in the upcoming offseason as the team prepares to contend for an AFC South division title in the future.
Ballard stated, “We ought to be seriously vying for the division and the playoffs.” That is what we anticipate. Although we truly hope for that each year, I believe it is still feasible in this situation moving forward.
