Colts voted as AFC South winners by Bleacher Report panel

With training camp just a week away from officially beginning, there is a lot of optimism and hype surrounding the Indianapolis Colts and their potential in the 2019 season.

While pumping the breaks a tad might be in store for the Colts, there are several analysts who believe Indy is the team best suited to win the AFC South.

Bleacher Report is no different as its panel of NFL experts and analysts voted the Colts as the projected winner of the division in 2019. The Colts received seven out of a possible eight votes. Here’s a snippet of what they had to say:

Indianapolis Colts (7 votes)

Since that run (to end the season), the Colts have done a good job of building on that momentum. General manager Chris Ballard provided Luck with additional passing-game weapons in veteran Devin Funchess and rookie second-rounder Parris Campbell. He brought in veteran edge Justin Houston to goose the pass rush.

As NFL National Lead Writer Matt Miller pointed out, this team is ready to come into its own, and while it wasn’t a unanimous vote, the Colts are the runaway choice to win the AFC South in 2019.

“The Indianapolis Colts were close last year to taking the AFC South and this year will overtake the Texans in a strong division,” Miller said. “Year 2 of Frank Reich as head coach is important, but a second season removed from injury for Andrew Luck is the key to the Colts’ success. The maturation of the 2018 draft class plus the addition of Houston makes this one of the NFL’s best rosters.”

Indianapolis isn’t just well-positioned for a Super Bowl run this year. With more salary-cap space than any other team, it could be a force in the AFC for seasons to come.

Others receiving votes: Houston Texans (1 vote)

The Colts have all of the tools necessary to be the division winners in 2019. Luck is coming back stronger than ever, the offensive line is knocking on the door of being elite and the defensive depth is the strongest its been this decade without question.

How far the Colts can actually go remains to be seen. A deep playoff run requires nearly everything to go right for a team.

Entering the season, though, the outlook is extremely bright for the Colts as potential division winners.