Following a 7-9 season, the Indianapolis Colts used the 2020 offseason to make big changes at several positions on the offensive side of the ball.
While the coaching staff remains the same being led by head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, the personnel has changed a bit at some very important positions.
Going through each position on offense, we take a look at whether the moves made this offseason were upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves:
Quarterback
Gained: Philip Rivers, Jacob Eason
Lost: N/A
Following the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts went ahead with Jacoby Brissett as the starter hoping their faith in him wouldn’t be misplaced. While he got off to a hot start thanks to efficiency in the red zone early on, his season came crashing down to Earth as defenses realized he is allergic to the deep ball.
After some horrid play during the second half of the season, the Colts knew they need to upgrade the passing offense. In doing so, they brought in the veteran Rivers, who mutually parted ways with the Chargers after 16 seasons.
They also drafted Jacob Eason in the fourth round out of Washington to give the room some sense of direction toward the future. Brissett remains as the backup quarterback behind Rivers, giving the Colts a stable quarterback room.
Verdict: Upgrade
Running Back
Gained: Jonathan Taylor, Roosevelt Nix
Lost: Jonathan Williams
The Colts had a pretty stable backfield in 2019 as Marlon Mack continued to impress. He went over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career while keeping his touchdown rate at its solid level. With Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins also returning, the backfield was one of the lesser needs entering the offseason.
But that didn’t stop the Colts from trading up in the draft in order to secure their pick of the most productive three-year running back in college history. Taylor joins the Colts at the perfect time to run behind the elite offensive line in Indy while sharing the early-down work with Mack.
An underrated move the Colts also made this offseason was bringing in fullback Roosevelt Nix. Though the position is essentially being faded out, the Colts have found a use for the H-back role in their offense to aid the rushing attack.
This unit should have a big year.
Verdict: Upgrade
Wide Receiver
Gained: Michael Pittman Jr., Dezmon Patmon
Lost: Dontrelle Inman, Devin Funchess, Chester Rogers
Arguably their biggest need entering the offseason, the Colts decided against overpaying in free agency to bring in a veteran. Instead, they continued to add to the room via the draft. With T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell returning, the Colts used two of their picks at the position.
The big one comes in the form of Pittman Jr., who was essentially dubbed a perfect fit by everyone. The Colts loved him throughout the pre-draft process from his fit in the offense to what he brings in the locker room. How big Pittman Jr.’s role will be early on remains to be seen, but he is expected to be involved heavily.
The other selection came later in the draft in the sixth round. Patmon brings an intriguing athletic profile with the upside to develop as an X-receiver. He will battle for one of the final spots in the wide receiver room but should at least be on the practice squad.
Verdict: Upgrade
Tight End
Gained: Trey Burton
Lost: Eric Ebron
Things were looking up for the Colts tight end room as Ebron was coming off of an incredible career year in 2018. But the decreased passing production hit him hard and he eventually got to the “squeaky wheel” part of the season when he demanded more targets. Ebron then decided to undergo surgery that ended his season, much to the disagreement of the Colts front office.
This led to the Colts allowing Ebron to hit free agency and even though many expected Indy to draft a tight end, that notion was thrown out the window when Burton became available.
It was almost too easy to predict the Colts would go after Burton. His familiarity with Frank Reich was the reason the Colts pounced so quickly. He’s a good fit for the offense and he should have a role, but it remains to be seen just how much of an impact he will have.
Verdict: Lateral move
Offensive Line
Gained: Danny Pinter
Lost: Josh Andrews, Joe Haeg
The Colts may very well have the best starting offensive line unit in the NFL. But there are still some concerns with the depth in the room behind the first five on the depth chart.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the depth in the room might not be as strong as it was entering the offseason. The selection of Pinter was a strong one and should pay dividends down the road. However, the loss of a valuable asset like Haeg could be detrimental.
Having a quality offensive lineman who can play all five positions isn’t something that comes around often. Maybe he wanted too much money in free agency, but the Colts allowed him to leave, and the depth is much worse because of it.
And while Andrews wasn’t the most impressive center during the preseason games when he was on the field, the Colts are essentially entrusting the backup duties behind Ryan Kelly to Javon Patterson, who is unproven after missing his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL.
The Colts offensive line is still one of the strongest units on the roster. But with so much unproven talent at valuable depth spots, it’s hard to say that this unit was an upgrade. At best, it’s a lateral move that could wind up paying off.
Verdict: Slight downgrade
