3 Offensive Colts Players Set to Thrive Under Shane Steichen

The Indianapolis Colts did the right thing in hiring an offensive-minded head coach. Which players currently on the offense stand to benefit the most from this hire?

The Indianapolis Colts are firmly in the Shane Steichen era, as the team's new head coach was announced during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. This hire is an extremely promising one and Steichen will have the tall task of fixing one of the league's worst offenses from 2022.

Even with the Colts' well-documented offensive struggles from a year ago, there are a few pieces worth building around. Steichen is the type of coach that these players desperately needed to maximize their potential in the NFL.

So today, I dive into the three Colts' players that are set to thrive under this new coaching regime.

Alec Pierce, Wide Receiver

If there is one thing that we know about Steichen's philosophy, it is that he loves to take shots down the field. He has been a play-caller in the NFL for the past three seasons now, and in each of those seasons, his starting quarterback has attempted at least 67 passes of over 20 air yards (the Colts attempted just 38 last year). His offenses have also ranked top ten in pass attempts of over 20 air yards in each of those seasons as well.

On top of simply attacking defenses down the field, Steichen's offenses have been quite effective on these deep shots. Jalen Hurts finished this past season with 982 passing yards and 12 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions on such throws down the field. Wide receiver A.J. Brown also ranked third in the NFL in 20+ air-yard targets this season with 35.

This should bode well for a wide receiver like Alec Pierce in Indianapolis. Pierce had a promising rookie season in 2022, and he particularly excelled on vertical shots down the field. The only issue was the lack of targets in this area, as he ranked 40th in the NFL with just 15 targets of 20+ air yards in 2022. With Steichen bringing his willingness to attack vertically to Indy, Pierce should see a healthy uptick in targets down the field in 2023.

Ryan Kelly, Center

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Steichen has been quite spoiled at the center position in his coaching career. Mike Pouncey was the primary center during his time in Los Angeles, and he also had the chance to work with future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kelce over the past two seasons in Philadelphia. It is safe to say that this is a very important position for Steichen and his offensive system.

When it comes to the Colts, the team does have a guy that is capable of playing center at a Pro Bowl level. The only problem is that he hasn't necessarily performed at that level for the past two seasons. Kelly has struggled mightily the past two years and he has been at the forefront of the Colts' offensive line woes since 2021.

To me, Kelly's regression really started to show in Frank Reich's offensive system. Reich's scheme is extremely reliant on interior linemen creating vertical displacement in the run game, and Kelly seems to have regressed heavily in this area. Luckily, Steichen seems to use his centers in a different way.

If you analyze how Kelce was used in Philadelphia, you will see a player that is on the move quite a bit. From pulling in space to getting out in front on zone runs, Kelce was primarily used on the move rather than a bulldozer in the trenches. While Kelly may not be the same caliber of athlete that Kelce is, this style change could benefit him quite a bit.

I'm not saying that Kelly will automatically revert back to his peak form, but he has a better chance to thrive in this system than he did in Reich's scheme the past two seasons.

Jelani Woods, Tight End

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Steichen has had a lot of fun over the years in utilizing the tight end position. He does an excellent job of getting the ball to his tight ends in space and allowing them to rumble down the field for big gains. This is something that could benefit Jelani Woods in a big way in 2023.

Woods had a strong rookie season for the Colts, despite only seeing the field sparingly. He, like Pierce, was primarily used down the field as he ranked fifth among tight ends in average depth of target (10.7 yards). This is drastically different from how Dallas Goedert was used in Philadelphia. Goedert had an average depth of target of just 5.6 yards in 2022.

What Steichen and the Eagles did with Goedert was allow him to create after the catch on shorter completions. He was fourth among all tight ends in yards after the catch in 2022, and he was fifth in average yards after the catch per reception (6.8). Woods, on the other hand, was near the bottom among all tight ends with just 4.6 yards after catch per reception.

Woods is a special athlete that can be used as a vertical threat, but he is going to get a chance to create more after the catch in 2023 under Steichen. The image of seeing this 6'7", 253-pound athletic freak in space more often has me even more excited for the upcoming season.

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