5 Hard Truths the Colts Must Face Entering the Offseason

The truth is hard to hear. For the Indianapolis Colts, it has fallen on deaf ears for too many years, resulting in a snowball effect that is now an avalanche of issues.

With the final regular season game on Sunday, the 2023 offseason is on the horizon. This being the case, the Colts must be honest with themselves in five different ways, starting with coaching.

1st: Jeff Saturday and Parks Frazier Aren’t the Answers

The Colts rank as the fourth-worst overall offense in the NFL (28th) and near the bottom in pass (23rd) and rush (24th). Defenses have been able to easily dispatch any play calls from the inexperienced offensive coordinator, Frazier. Pair that with the inexperience of the interim head coach, Saturday, and you have an offense that can’t move the ball. Factor in that they’re also 31st in points per game (16.1 tied-Houston Texans) and you have a truth that is as glaring as the fiery disaster that the offense has been.

2nd: The Indianapolis O-Line Glory Days are Over

There was a time when names like Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith struck fear in the hearts of opposing defenses. Now, this is the farthest thing from reality, as the Colts have been a shell of their former selves while costing Indianapolis $42 million to allow the quarterback to be destroyed. The Colts have allowed an insane 58 sacks through 16 games this year. This is horrific enough for the second-most allowed in the NFL. Whatever this line used to be, it’s not only no longer it, but it needs to change, badly.

3rd: The Offense Needs Far More than Just a New QB

Whether it’s Will Levis, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, or another quarterback that the Colts decide to suit up in 2023, the offense needs way more than just someone new to pass the football. With the tight ends underperforming (mostly Mo Alie-Cox), the constant sacks and pressures allowed, and the lack of deep passing, this is clear that it wasn’t solely on Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, or Sam Ehlinger, but the offense, and play calling, as a whole. There will very likely be new faces to grace the Colts' offense in 2023. Speaking of that, how about the man that should make those moves happen?

4th: Chris Ballard Must Spend Money to Get Better Offensive Talent

Ballard has been the general manager since 2017 for Indianapolis but has also been heavily criticized for not spending enough on talented free agents. While he is an ace at nailing the draft and evaluating talent, he isn’t the same with the dollars. Currently, the Colts have the seventh-highest cap space at $7,185,450, per Spotrac. This allows wiggle room for Ballard to spend money and shift the narrative on him and his team. If he values this offense, he must spend something.

5th: Jim Irsay Must Allow his Staff to Make the Decisions

I covered this in a past article, but it’s simple; Irsay needs to not be his father, Bob. Bob made decisions on an emotional whim for the Colts when he was the owner. This led to a complete disaster for years to come. Since 1997, Jim hasn’t done that. Once Andrew Luck retired in 2019, this changed slowly and has become out of control in 2022. Irsay won’t want to admit it, but his erratic decisions have put his fingerprints all over the disaster this year for the Colts. If he wants to succeed, he should do what he used to do, stay in the background, and allow his staff to work.

The Colts will be happy to jump into the 2023 offseason after their Week 18 contest against the Texans.

What kind of truths will they face and confront in 2023? If they want to succeed, they must avoid these trends and get back to the brand of winning football that used to dominate the NFL for years.

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