Colts Future Looks Bright According to PFF
The Indianapolis Colts fell just short of the NFL Playoffs in 2023, but to many, the Colts outperformed expectations with their 9-8 record.
The Colts looked to have answered two of the biggest questions in 2023 with head coach Shane Steichen and quarterback Anthony Richardson. Despite playing just-four games in 2023, Richardson showed flashes of brilliance before being lost to a shoulder injury. Steichen is seen as one of the brightest-young coaches in the NFL.
General manager Chris Ballard has lined up the team and contracts to be a player in free agency despite having a pair of highly-coveted free agents of his own. Wide receiver Michael Pittman and defensive lineman Grover Stewart are in for massive pay raises... especially Pittman.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) named the five teams who are best set up for the future with a combination of available-salary-cap space and a nucleus of players to build around.
PFF had the Colts fourth in the entire NFL. However, it looks like the division could be ultra-competitive in the near future with the Houston Texans coming in first and Tennessee Titans coming in third.
"The Colts don’t have quite as much cap room as the Titans, but given where quarterback Anthony Richardson was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, they will be confident that they have the position figured out for the foreseeable future," wrote Gordon McGuinness on PFF.
"Perhaps they will look to make a splash on defense and add an impact defender like cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who earned a 71.1 PFF grade with the Kansas City Chiefs this past regular season. But the biggest advantage of having so much cap room is that they can place the franchise tag on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as they look to keep him around long term."
With nearly $60 million in available-cap space, the Colts can re-sign Pittman and Stewart and still be players in free agency. Especially the way contracts can be structured to minimize the cap hits in the early years of a new deal.
Steichen looks like a home run hire. Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor only played a handful of plays together in 2023, and the Colts still went to the final whistle before being eliminated from the playoffs.
They have the resources to keep their key players and be a player in free agency. Add in the No. 15 pick in April's NFL Draft, and an improving team should be able to take the next step in 2024.
The future is bright indeed.
