With the benefit of hindsight, we now have a full season’s worth of information to judge the signings the Indianapolis Colts made during the 2023 offseason.
Some of them panned out better than expected. Others not so much.
Simply looking at the outside free agents brought onto the roster last offseason, we’re here to re-grade the signings the Colts made one year later. So we won’t be discussing the re-signings of players like Tyquan Lewis and E.J. Speed, both of which turned out exceptionally.
For reference, we’ll compare the initial grade we gave at the moment to how we currently feel about the signing.
Without further ado, here are our grades for the Colts’ free-agent class of 2023 one year later:
DE Samson Ebukam
Initial grade: B+
Current grade: A
Contract Terms: Three years, $24 million
Arguably the best signing the Colts made last offseason was Ebukam. Though there was a bit of projection in terms of his development as a pass rusher, it paid off handsomely. Ebukam led the team in sacks (9.5) while posting career-high marks in tackles (57), solo tackles (39), tackles for loss (10), quarterback hits (17), and total defensive stops (38). His 30 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, were tied for a career-high.
K Matt Gay
Initial grade: B+
Current grade: B
Contract Terms: Four years, $22.5 million
The Colts brought Gay in hoping to shore up the kicker position. He wasn’t a disappointment by any means, but he also left some attempts on the field. The historic performance in Week 3 helped the Colts pull off the upset against the Baltimore Ravens, but he also converted 80.5% of his field-goal attempts. That was his lowest mark since his rookie season. The five misses from 50 yards or more skew the numbers a bit, but the Colts also pay him to make those kicks.
QB Gardner Minshew
Initial grade: A
Current grade: A
Contract Terms: One year, $3.5 million
It’s easy to look back and be disappointed the Colts missed the playoffs with Minshew under center. But the reality is they likely wouldn’t have been in that position without him. The move to bring him in as the backup to Anthony Richardson made too much sense at the time. One year later, that notion holds true.
DT Taven Bryan
Initial grade: C
Current grade: D
Contract Terms: One year, $3.51 million
Though we shouldn’t be too hard on a one-year prove-it deal, this one simply didn’t pan out. Bryan was brought in as depth for the interior. He wound up appearing in all 17 games while making seven starts, logging 29% of the defensive snaps. He never came through on the upside as a pass rusher, registering just nine total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. On top of that, he was a liability against the run while Grover Stewart was suspended.
WR Isaiah McKenzie
Initial grade: C+
Current grade: D
Contract Terms: One year, $1.2 million
Again, we can’t gripe too much considering what the Colts paid. McKenzie was brought in to serve as a return man while adding depth on offense. The issue became that he didn’t make much of a difference on punt returns. On 23 returns, he averaged 8.9 yards per return. Among the 26 players with at least 20 punt returns, McKenzie’s average ranked 17th. He was a non-factor on offense with 11 receptions for 82 yards and three carries for 14 rushing yards. Then, his season ended with a suspension due to conduct detrimental to the team.
TE Pharoah Brown
Initial grade: C
Current grade: C
Contract Terms: One year, $1.08 million
Another depth signing the Colts made last offseason, Brown was a long shot to make the roster. He was let go during roster cuts following training camp so the end result was to be expected.
RB Darrynton Evans
Initial grade: C
Current grade: C
Contract Terms: Unknown
Evans spent roughly one month with the Colts. His contract terms were never reported, but it’s likely he was signed for the veteran league minimum. Evans was signed March 31 and then waived May 2 immediately following the draft. There wasn’t much expectation that he would make the roster.
DE Jacob Martin
Initial grade: N/A
Current grade: B+
Contract Terms: One year, $1.08 million
Martin didn’t receive an initial grade because he was signed just before the start of the season. It was an inspired move as Martin became a productive rotational pass rusher. Despite playing just 192 total snaps on defense (107 as a pass rusher), Martin logged two sacks, one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits and 14 total pressures.
