5 Lineup Changes Colts Could Make to Turn Season Around

Something is clearly not working with the Colts to start the 2022 season. Here are 5 slight changes that the team could make to help turn around their season.

The Indianapolis Colts are off to a rough start in 2022, as they tied the Houston Texans in week one and got trampled by the Jacksonville Jaguars in week two. Something desperately needs to change, and soon, before this season begins to unravel out of control for the team.

With how things are currently going for the team, they could stand to make some lineup changes across the board. These changes obviously aren't guaranteed to find more success, but anything is better than what the Colts are currently trotting out there on gameday.

Here are five lineup changes that the Colts should consider making to turn around their early season woes:

© Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

1.) PLAY ISAIAH RODGERS SR.

One of the more absurd storylines of the season for the Colts is the lack of playing time for young cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. Rodgers is coming off of an outstanding 2021 season with the team, where he allowed a passer rating of just 72.2 as the primary defender and came down with three interceptions.

That success a year ago has shockingly led to less playing time for the young cornerback. He has yet to see the field on defense through two games, as Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley has opted to give a majority of the defensive snaps to veteran Brandon Facyson.

Facyson has been adequate to start the year for Indy, but his play has been far from special. There is simply no excuse for keeping a talented player like Rodgers off of the field on gamedays. For a defense that has struggled to create turnovers to start this season, inserting a player like Isaiah Rodgers Sr could actually make a difference.

2.) More Ashton Dulin, Less Parris Campbell

The Colts' pass catchers have been far from stellar to start this season, but Ashton Dulin has been quietly productive through two weeks. As a matter of fact, Dulin is currently the highest graded offensive player for the Colts by Pro Football Focus (with an overall grade of 77.6). Dulin is also rated as the 18th best receiver in the league by the site, as he has hauled in eight receptions on 12 targets for 125 yards through two weeks.

For Dulin, he hasn't been phenomenal to start the year, but he has at least been serviceable in both the pass and in the run game. He made some tough catches over the middle against the Jaguars and he has graded out extremely high as a run blocker through two weeks. He's has seen 64 snaps through two games, which is solid, but that number could stand to increase with how he has played.

For Parris Campbell, he just hasn't been productive on the field this season. He has logged the most snaps of any receiver on the team through two weeks (114 snaps) and has only three receptions on five targets for 37 yards. While I understand that Campbell is used as a decoy on a lot of snaps, I would like to see Dulin eating into some of his snaps in the slot going forward.

3.) More Snaps For Nyheim Hines

Another player that should eat into some snaps at slot receiver is running back Nyheim Hines. Hines has been fairly productive through two weeks, hauling in 10 catches on 11 targets for 87 yards. The problem is the lack of playing time for this talented player, as he has seen just 41 total snaps in two games (just 14 snaps out wide as a receiver).

The Colts are lacking quite a bit at the skill positions at the moment. A player like Nyheim Hines is a dynamic threat that can threaten a defense in a multiitude of ways. Keeping him on the sideline in favor of players like Dezmon Patmon (24 snaps last week) and Mike Strachan (35 snaps last week) is a detriment to the offense.

The Colts have to find ways to get Hines more involved in the offense going forward. He is simply too talented to keep on the bench for 80% of the game.

4.) Dayo Odeyingbo/Tyquan Lewis > Yannick Ngakoue (in base defense)

The Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars attacked the Colts quite similarly in the first two games. Both teams lined up in heavier sets and elected to attack the Colts' defense with power runs and play-action. While the Colts have been steady against the run thus far, they could stand to make a change at edge to further improve their base defense.

Veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue has simply been putrid in run defense to start the season. He is currently Pro Football Focus' second-lowest graded run defender in the league with a grade of 29.5. While run defense has never been Ngakoue's calling card, the concern is the amount of snaps he is seeing against the run/in base defense. His 45 snaps in run defense are actually the 10th most among edge rushers this year.

One way to keep Ngakoue fresh for passing downs (while also improving the edge run defense) is to start either Dayo Odeyingbo or Tyquan Lewis at end in base sets. Moving Ngakoue to more of a sub-pass rusher could pay dividends for the team this season.

© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

5.) Matt Pryor/Danny Pinter OUT

Bernhard Raimann/Will Fries IN

The root issue for the Colts' offensive woes through two weeks is their offensive line play. Outside of Quenton Nelson, every player on the line has looked overmatched, especially in pass protection. While they aren't the only two players causing issues, Matt Pryor and Danny Pinter have certainly been negative impact players through two weeks.

One way the Colts could try to improve the passing game is by making a switch up front. Rookie Bernhard Raimann has looked better than Pryor in his limited snaps this season, and second-year guard Will Fries had a strong preseason in pass protection for the team. While these changes wouldn't guarantee instant success, they would at least be something that could lead to more effectiveness in pass protection.

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