Indianapolis Colts 2020-2021 Season In Review and Looking Forward

It has been a wild ride for the Indianapolis Colts this season. Fresh off a disappointing season last year due to putting too much trust into Jacoby Brissett after the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck and a lot of other factors, we signed Phillip Rivers in hopes he would lead these Indianapolis Colts back into the playoffs, and he did. The big move, however, was trading our first round draft pick to the 49ers for DeForest Buckner, probably the best interior defender in the league not named Aaron Donald. We all knew he would be a disruptive force and he was as advertised and more.

There were a few surprises this season, starting with the draft. Not many anticipated Ballard taking a RB so high in the draft, but it paid off. We drafted a promising big target WR in Michael Pittman, with safety help in Julian Blackmon. These players stepped up big during the season, and I was most surprised at how quickly Julian Blackmon was acclimated to the defense. Isiah Rodgers was also a kick return threat every time he received the ball, and it was great watching him run back kicks.

Other players that weren’t drafted also stepped up. Xavier Rhodes, who signed a one year prove-it deal, excelled in our Cover 3 Zone, played like a man possessed at times. It was much needed as Rock Ya-Sin struggled mightily this season. Grover Stewart stepped up and became the 1-2 punch alongside Buckner on the inside, and George Odum was magnificent in special teams play. Hot Rod Blankenship established himself as a good kicker in the league as well.

We played well at times but struggled a lot as well. It seemed as things were reverse from the Andrew Luck days, where we would go down big and come back on Luck’s spectacular plays. This season, we played many great first halves but let our guards down and let the opponent come back, and sometimes even win. We managed to get into the playoffs with some help, but ultimately fell short of the Super Bowl with Josh Allen and the red hot Buffalo Bills barely defeating us in the Wild Card Round.

This offseason will be one of the most interesting and important offseasons we have had in a long time. We have a question mark in the biggest position, quarterback. Will Phillip Rivers return? Will we sign or trade for a veteran QB? Will we draft a QB? Or will we develop our 2020 4th round draft pick Jacob Eason? Ballard will have his hands full thinking about the most important position in football as well as other positions of need. Let’s go through each position group, with my analysis:

Quarterback: The quarterback position will be the most talked about in the offseason for the Colts. Phillip Rivers did a great job in leading us to the playoffs, but he’s not getting any younger and he is as mobile as a snail. His arm strength is limited as well, and we need a QB to put us over the top, not a game manager. Both Phillip Rivers and gadget QB Jacoby Brissett will come off the books this season, so we’ll have plenty of money to spend. Let’s take a look at our options:

1. Re-sign Phillip Rivers – This is a not-so-fun take, but I believe this is the most likely. If Rivers thinks he still has some juice left, the Colts may just re-sign him for another 1-year deal and run it back. It is a very conservative play, but it won’t be the worst thing in the world. It also won’t be the best thing in the world. It’s just meh. Even with his physical limitations, he still has accuracy, quick throws, and is a leader on the team. I won’t be happy about it, but I also won’t be mad if Rivers does come back for another year.
2. Trade for Carson Wentz – There have been rumors swirling around on Carson Wentz coming to Indianapolis via trade. It makes sense; Wentz reunites with his coach Frank Reich again and make magic. However, this is a hard pass for me, unless the Colts only give up draft picks in the 3rd round or later, which is a very low possibility. Giving up a first or second (or both) and taking on his contract (even though Philly is paying for a part of his salary) for an injury-prone QB who hasn’t had success in few years is too much a price to pay. Plus, with so many spots to fill on our team, we can’t be gambling away our draft picks. This option is very low on my list, right below developing Jacob Eason.
3. Trade for Matthew Stafford – I’d much prefer this option. Stafford can still sling the ball despite perennial bad running games and offensive lines. He’s a durable and tough QB, playing through injuries throughout his career. I like this idea better than the Wentz option because I think it won’t require as much to trade for Stafford than Wentz and his cap hit is only $9 million, giving flexibility for the Colts to shore up other positions. Detroit may be going for a complete rebuild, and I would love it if they traded Stafford to us for a reasonable asking price. I’ll dream of Stafford slinging the ball to Pittman or to one of our newly drafted receivers. Maybe Parris Campbell on a streak if he’s healthy. Again, just like the Wentz scenario, it would be hard to give up draft capital with LT and WR as glaring holes in the offense.
4. Sign Dak Prescott – This is a long shot, as he is the best QB hands down on the market. The problem is the Cowboys will probably prioritize to re-sign him, and with all those weapons at WR, why wouldn’t Dak go back? Even if we hand him an empty check, our WR group doesn’t stand a chance when comparing that to the trio of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb. If he wants to win, however, then the Colts are open for conversation.
5. Sign Mitch Trubisky – Another option that became a Foles backup that I wouldn’t be mad at. This is actually my most preferred attainable option behind trading for Stafford. Trubisky wouldn’t require trading away any draft capital as he’s currently a free agent and we have the cap space to sign him. He has had a few flashes in his career so far (even was my starter in fantasy football in some weeks) but has been unlucky enough to go in the same draft class as future hall-of-famers Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. He’s also played through some injuries. He hasn’t lived up to his draft position, but we don’t have to worry about that now. Maybe a change of scenery for him will help, going from windy Chicago to windy Indianapolis. It worked for Tannehill, and look at him now.
6. Develop Jacob Eason – I am on board with developing our draft pick last season if Rivers retires and we aren’t able to sign Dak or Trubisky. He has a big arm with accuracy being one of his major weaknesses. He has a similar build, with a couple strengths and weaknesses similar to Josh Allen, and I’m optimistic he can develop into a good QB. He doesn’t have the mobility as Allen, but he sure can sling the ball. I think the Colts having Eason as QB1 is not very likely however. We have a dominant defense right now and we can’t waste many more seasons in developing a project QB.
7. Trade for Deshaun Watson – Not happening. If only Bill O’Brien was still there…

Running back – The running back position isn’t a glaring need, with the outstanding rookie Jonathan Taylor ending his rookie campaign top 3 in total rushing yards and top 5 in yards per game. With Marlon Mack becoming a free agent, there is a decision to be made. After his injury, does he want a short-term contract? Will he command a large payday? If he wants to return to the Colts as RB2 and less money, I’d want him back. He is still young and a good elusive RB. I have a feeling this won’t happen even with his injury this season however, as the free agent market is thin and some team will pay him just enough for the Colts front office to shy away.

Wide Receiver – The 3rd best receiver in Colts’ history TY Hilton is now a free agent. He has mostly looked like he lost a step these past couple seasons, but towards the end of this season, he showed flashes of what he could do. As hard as it is to say, I think the Colts should move on from him unless he is satisfied with a hometown discount. The draft class at WR this year is deep and there are some better free agent options such as Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson II, Kenny Golladay, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Will Fuller V. TY coming back as a part-time slot receiver would be nice, but Campbell is a lot younger and has a similar role. Personally, I would like the Colts to target Godwin or Allen Robinson II. Maybe Trubisky and Robinson II can continue to link up, but in the Colts blue and white.

Tight End – This group showed flashes this season, but has been inconsistent. Burton has been great at times, being a dominant threat, but he’s also dropped many passes that killed drives. With Burton becoming a free agent and the rest of the TEs not getting any younger (Doyle is getting up there and Mo Cox is a restricted free agent, and I think he’ll stay another season), I hope the Colts target Hunter Henry and he can catch passes from Rivers once more. Rivers loves his tight ends, and a player as skilled as Henry would be a great addition.

Left Tackle – Our all-star LT Anthony Castonzo has just announced his retirement after a long and amazing career, so left tackle will be a major hole to fill, either through the draft or free agency. He has been a staple in the Colts offensive line for a long time, and now it is a glaring and important need. I suspect we will look towards LT in the draft, likely selecting one in the early rounds. It is vital to have a good left tackle to protect a right handed QB’s blindside. Draft targets should be Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw, Ohio State’s Rashawn Slater, or Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg. Trent Williams is a free agent, but he has been a beast this season, and more than likely to return to the 49ers and rewarded a giant contract.

Defensive Line – With Justin Houston, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Denico Autry set to be free agents, the defensive line needs some edge help. Turay and Banogu hasn’t showed they can be full-time pass rushers, and there are some options in the draft or through free agency. One target I’d like the Colts to pursue is Steelers’ Bud Dupree. The Steelers defense has largely underperformed but Dupree is a good player who would be an upgrade to our defensive line.

Cornerback – This is an underrated but important position group. With Ya-Sin regressing, Xavier Rhodes played a major part in the defense. He might command a big pay day however, and I’m not sure if the Colts want to match. T.J. Carrie is also a free agent that provided some depth. Kenny Moore II is the only corner worth mentioning left on the roster (Marvin Tell opted out but we have yet to see his play on the field), so we will have to look at this position with depth. There are decent options through free agency we can target, including Patrick Peterson, DJ Hayden, Mike Hilton, and Richard Sherman, or we can look towards addressing this need via the draft.

Free Safety – With Julian Blackmon having a promising rookie campaign, Malik Hooker is the odd man out, and I don’t believe the Colts will re-sign him. He doesn’t quite fit in this cover offense, and with his injuries, it’s more than likely he will continue his career elsewhere.

This offseason will definitely be looked back upon in a few years whether we did a great job or whether we regressed, with key vacated current positions including QB, LT, CB, and WR. Our front office has done a great job in making moves and drafting, and I look forward to seeing what happens during the 2021 offseason. In Ballard we trust, and let’s go Colts!

January 13, 2021 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment