The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of interesting storylines heading into their upcoming training camp. Considering the tumultuous season they had last year, this shouldn’t come as a shock. Then you add in the Isaiah Rodgers situation and you have even more questions that need answers.
Regardless, there is still a lot of hope and optimism for this upcoming season. And a big reason why there is so much positivity is because it’s the offseason. Also, the Indianapolis Colts drafted who they think will be their next franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson.
Related: Indianapolis Colts training camp 2023 – Schedule, tickets, location, and more
There is still a lot of work that he needs to do in order to secure the starter’s job. But he does appear to have the support of both his head coach Shane Steichen and owner Jim Irsay with both saying at different times that Richardson needs to get on the field to improve.
Speaking of Steichen, he’s yet another reason why there is some optimism as he’s getting his first shot at being an NFL head coach. He’s shown that he can create a dynamic offense as a coordinator but now he’ll be getting all of the responsibilities.
With all of that in mind, here are the five biggest storylines heading into the Indianapolis Colts training camp.
Contract extensions Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr.?
Last season, the Indianapolis Colts wanted to run the ball as often as possible. This suited Jonathan Taylor very well as he handled 756 carries in his first three seasons. He’s also appeared in 43 out of a possible 50 games too. So, he seems to be a very durable and highly effective running back.
Unfortunately, he plays the least valued position in the NFL, running back. There is no question that Taylor is one of the best at his position. The problem is that the running back position tends to dole out a lot of wear and tear on the player’s body. Most running backs are cooked at the age of 30 and some even earlier.
Taylor has already logged the 28th most carries amongst active running backs. And considering the horseshoe will be rolling out a rookie quarterback, it’s fair to expect Taylor to log a lot of carries this season. Then of course there is the number one wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. He’s coming off a year that saw him post a career-high in catches yet that didn’t result in reaching 1,000 yards. There are still questions if he is a legit number-one receiver or not.
Both of these players are integral pieces to the offense and both can make the case that they are more important to the overall success of the offense. The team can afford to keep both so that’s not an issue. What is, if both are worth keeping, and if so for how much?
Indianapolis Colts’ new look back end on defense
Last season the Indianapolis Colts selected safety Nick Cross out of Maryland with the thinking that he would be a starter. That didn’t come to fruition in his rookie season. Now, he’ll get a second chance this upcoming season. The team didn’t add any veteran free agents this off-season and only added rookie Daniel Scott. However, he profiles more as just a special teams guy.
According to Gus Bradley, the reason Cross lost his starting spot was because Bradley felt Rodney McLeod’s communication and experience were needed more. Now, the defensive coordinator is expressing confidence in the second-year player. However, the team is also moving their most experienced safety, Julian Blackmon, to strong safety this season. This brings us to a new issue.
Can Blackmon succeed in his new position? He is a very good tackler but will no doubt be pushed by Cross for earning the starting spot. According to Blackmon, who is a former cornerback, he is looking forward to this new change. The word out of previous training camps is that Blackmon is a very talkative player. So there should be little concern about his communication abilities.
The real worry will be about his ability to read the offense pre-snap and his keys. If he’s able to do this successfully it will a) help this team and defense and b) it will help himself. Blackmon’s contract is up after this season and showing that he can be a versatile player (free and strong safety, along with nickel corner) will only help increase his suitors and therefore his next contract.
Make or break summer for Kwity Paye
There is one position that Chris Ballard has not adequately addressed edge rusher. To be fair, this offseason he signed free-agent Samson Ebukam from San Francisco. Ebukam will be looking to get out from the shadow of Nick Bosa. Meanwhile, Kwity Paye is going into his third season with the Indianapolis Colts, and to date he has a total of 10 sacks.
Now, he’s shown flashes of an impending breakout but this defense needs him to put those flashes together for a full season. One thing that will help him is his ability to stay on the field. He’s missed a total of seven games over the last two seasons. For comparison, Deforest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Ebukam have missed only two games each in their careers.
If Paye can’t put it together this season, then Ballard and the Colts will be back to square one of needing a dominant pass rusher. Well, that is unless Dayo Odeyingbo pans out.
Which Kenny Moore will the Colts get?
For most of Kenny Moore’s tenure with the Colts, he’s been a player that fans have loved. He’s the small guy who plays much bigger than his size, just ask Derrick Henry. And two years ago he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. But then last year he looked like he didn’t fit in this new defense.
There’s no question that from a size and attributes aspect, he doesn’t fit the desired cornerback mold of Bradley’s. But again, he’s played much bigger than his size would say. So the question of which version of Moore will the Colts get needs to be asked. On one hand, you can look at last year as “water finding its level”. His 2021 season saw him allow a career-best only 66.9% completion. As for his career, that number is at roughly 71%. And last year it was 70.8%.
On the other hand, you can look at last season as him not being comfortable in a new system. Not only are there differences between the Cover-2 and Cover-3 defenses but there is also the way the defensive coordinators call plays and utilize their players. So, it’s very possible that Moore’s second season under Bradley will see the cornerback shine again. And considering there are two open outside corner spots available, he could take advantage.
Enough in the linebacker room without a fully healthy Shaquille Leonard?
One of the biggest storylines to watch this entire season is the health of star linebacker Shaquille Leonard. He essentially missed all of last season after having two back surgeries within a few months of each other. And now the organization doesn’t seem to be overly optimistic about the type of player that will be returning.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was on the Pat McAfee show recently and unprompted offered that “He’s working, he has a chance, he’s getting a little better each day.” This brings back memories of the Andrew Luck and Bob Sanders situations from years past. So, if he’s not his old self how effective will this defense be? Two years ago he was a big reason as to why the defense was any good.
Last season showed they don’t need him to be effective, although they certainly missed his ability to generate turnovers. Speaking of last season, the Colts linebacker room was much deeper. There was Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin, and E.J. Speed who took up all of the snaps. With Okereke in New York, it will be up to Speed to replace Okereke who was replacing Leonard.
Franklin showed that he can be more than just a special teams guy. Speed lives up to his name but has been reckless at times and committed dumb penalties at the wrong time. With Leonard being a question mark, Speed will have an opportunity to show that he can play. And when you consider that most defenses predominantly use just two linebackers on the field.
He’ll have lots of snaps to handle. If he can’t and if Leonard is still bothered by injury then the Colts could be in a bad situation at linebacker. Their most experienced players are special teams ace, Grant Stuard and second-year man, JoJo Doman. There will be a lot riding on the success of Speed and the health of Leonard.