The Colts can’t afford for the quiet spots on the roster to go silent this year.
Sure, the headliners get the attention. Daniel Jones, Josh Downs and Sauce Gardner are the names that jump out first, and for good reason.
Indianapolis needs its best players to play like it. But the more interesting pressure points might be in the places that don’t always grab the spotlight.
One of them is on the defensive line, where the Colts made a move on Dayo Odeyingbo and are asking a thin edge group to do a lot with very little margin for error. Laiatu Latu has to keep rising, but the bigger issue is the overall construction of the room.
Clemons was signed to a 3-year $17.5M deal after a 4th round pick that never put it together in New York, and the Colts clearly expected that investment to help a unit that was one of their biggest needs entering the spring. Instead, Latu is being asked to carry a burden with players who don’t have much pedigree or stature in the league.
That’s why the focus shouldn’t just be on Latu becoming a stud pass rusher. The real question is whether Chris Ballard gave that room enough support.
If Latu misses time, this would be the worst defensive end room in the league. The Colts also paired Clemons with Jaylahn Tuimoloau in the discussion, because the team simply can’t stomach a third straight second-round pick failing to pan out.
Backup running back is another spot that could matter more than people think. DJ Giddens and Seth McGowan sit behind Jonathan Taylor, and Taylor will still get the bulk of the carries.
He should. But the Colts also have reasons to be careful.
Taylor is headed for his third contract, running back wear and tear is real, and the team would be wise to manage his workload so he’s there when it matters most.
There’s also the issue of how last season finished. Taylor was strong for much of the year, but his pass protection regressed as the season wore on, and the Chiefs and Steelers showed the blueprint for how to exploit that.
The Colts were excited about Giddens, though Ameer Abdullah was the only one who really cracked the starting roster. The staff values trust, sometimes to a fault, and Giddens hasn’t earned that yet.
Still, the pick made sense at the time, even if there isn’t enough publicly available tape to say for sure what he’ll become.
McGowan might be the more intriguing of the two. He looks like the back with the better chance to make an impact, especially after Abdullah won Shane Steichen over and became the de facto second back when Giddens had a chance to break through last year. In the end, the Colts’ comfort level with Taylor’s snap count may come down to whether one of those reserves can actually pop.
And then there’s the offensive line, which has usually been one of the quiet advantages of the Chris Ballard era. Colts fans may not appreciate how often that unit has held things together.
This year, though, there are some real questions on the right side. Braden Smith is gone in free agency, and the Colts drafted Jalen Farmer to push Goncalves in year 2 at guard.
Even with those changes, there’s confidence Tony Sparano Jr. will sort it out. But it still matters that the right side holds up.
Daniel Jones needs clean protection, not just because he’s historically struggled under pressure and had trouble staying healthy, but because the Colts’ run game asks linemen to do a lot. That kind of versatility starts up front, and if the line doesn’t deliver, the rest gets a lot harder fast.
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For the Colts, that perspective matters as much as any coverage rep or ball skills drill. Ward has also taken time to discuss the secondary around him and the role he wants to play in it, with his focus set on living up to his contract and performing at a high level. If he can do that, Indianapolis would not just be adding a proven defender, but a voice in the back end who has already shown the kind of resilience that can resonate in a locker room. [Read more 🡒]