At the one-third mark of the season, the Colts are staring at some uncomfortable truths, and the position-by-position report card reflects it. Indianapolis has already moved on from its general manager, the results are lagging well behind the expectations that followed last season’s midyear surge, and there are very few spots on the roster that have held up as planned.
That said, this is still a team with talent, and the season is not beyond repair. The margins in the NFL are thin, and the Colts are sitting in the same record category as the preseason Lombardi Trophy favorite, the LA Rams. But the overall picture is still ugly.
Quarterback is where the concern starts. Daniel Jones has not been good enough, and there are reasons the start has looked rough.
He appears slower and less athletic than he did before his Achilles injury, and he may still be feeling the effects. He is also operating without his most important receiving threat.
Even so, the criticism is hard to ignore, and the Giants’ old warning about Jones - that he can tease promise before sliding back into disappointment - still hangs over him. There is a chance he plays better from here, but right now it is not a pretty watch.
The running game has been one of the few steady elements, with Jonathan Taylor still serving as a dangerous piece and Seth McGowan giving the Colts the best backup since the days of Zack Moss. But Taylor has not been as effective without a functioning passing attack, and his fumbles have been both unusual and costly.
He is carrying more of the load while producing fewer yards than he did last year, and his yards per carry are the lowest of his career by a wide margin. He is still the offense’s best player, but he needs help.
That lack of help shows up everywhere in the passing game. Without Alec Pierce, the offense has lost the field-stretching presence Chris Ballard paid for this offseason.
The Colts no longer have someone who forces defenses to cover the whole field, and Josh Downs is better suited as a complementary target than as the centerpiece. Laquon Treadwell has been better than expected, but he is nowhere near Pierce’s level.
Keenan Allen has flashed, but not often enough. Compared to where this group started last year with Pittman, Pierce, Downs, and Mitchell, the fall-off is striking.
Tight end has been better than some of the other receiving spots, but not enough to cover for the missing firepower around it. Tyler Warren remains one of the better young tight ends in the league, yet his numbers have taken a step back without Pierce on the field.
He is catching more passes for fewer yards than he did a year ago, which raises the question of whether this is a coaching issue or a limit on what he can do. Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory have also left some production on the table for a team that badly needs receiving help.
Up front, the offensive line has been solid without dominating. Matt Goncalves is up a bit, Tanor Bortolini is down a bit, and Jalen Travis has had stretches where he looks good along with some rough ones that feel like the growing pains of a young player. The unit remains the best one on the roster, but it has not taken over games the way the Colts need it to, especially with Pierce unavailable.
The defensive interior has been steady enough. DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Adetomiwa Adebawore are among the stronger parts of the defense, but they cannot carry the whole group by themselves.
In a better environment, this would be a very solid unit. On this roster, they need to be close to perfect every week, and that has not happened.
The edge rush, though, has been one of the clearest problems on the team. Through six games, Colts edge rushers have combined for just one-and-a-half sacks.
Laiatu Latu is expected to rebound from a slow start, but the rest of the group is a serious concern. This was already an issue last year, and it has only gotten worse.
Linebacker has been even harder to defend. Outside of Akeem Davis-Gaither, the rest of the linebacking group has combined for 59 tackles through six games.
That is fewer than ten tackles a game from the other four linebackers in regular rotation. The comparison to Miami’s Jordyn Brooks, and even rookie Jacob Rodriguez, only sharpens how thin this unit has been.
Rodriguez was drafted ten spots ahead of the Colts’ CJ Allen, who has only five combined tackles this season. The tackling and pass coverage have both been poor, and there is not much sugarcoating that.
The secondary has been a mixed bag, with the corners carrying the highest expectations and the most reason for frustration. Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Justin Walley, with Cam Taylor-Britt in the mix, were supposed to be a strength.
They have not delivered much yet, though the weak pass rush and the linebacker play have made life harder than it should be. Walley was beaten badly early on, but he has responded.
Even with the disappointment, this still looks like the most talented defensive position group Indianapolis has.
Safety has also been uneven. Cam Bynum has not looked as sharp as he did last year, and the rookie AJ Haulcy appears to be part of the problem because the chemistry looks off.
Haulcy has talent, but he does not yet look like a dependable presence. Hunter Wohler, meanwhile, is not seeing enough time, whether that is at safety or in a big nickel role.
Special teams almost got a much better grade. Spencer Shrader’s start was strong enough to carry that group on its own, but two blown punt plays against the Titans turned into the Colts’ most embarrassing loss of the year. Shrader is still the most reliable weapon they have there, but that game left a dent.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Travis Hunter Problem In AFC South Race
Travis Hunters role in Jacksonville has started to look a lot different, and that matters for the Colts as the AFC South race tightens. The Jaguars have been easing him into a larger offensive workload lately, and Week 6 showed just how dangerous that can make him on both sides of the ball. Against a league opponent, Hunter produced a standout all-around game with an interception, a receiving touchdown, three tackles and a pass defended, while also turning four catches into 59 yards.
For Indianapolis, the challenge is no longer just accounting for a gifted defensive back. Hunters expanded usage gives Jacksonville another layer of stress on game day, especially with the Colts trying to keep pace in the division. The bigger question is how much more often the Jaguars are willing to put him in position to impact the game on offense, because the recent trend suggests that part of his value is only starting to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Could Get An Early Look At A Coach Who Changes Everything
Carlie Irsay-Gordons approach to a possible Colts coaching search appears to be centered on one thing above all else: winning. If Indianapolis eventually looks for a new general manager or head coach, the owner is expected to focus on the best candidate available, even if outside perception becomes part of the conversation, and that could widen the field in a way that matters far beyond the usual early speculation.
Brian Flores is one name that could come up, and the Colts will get a useful reminder of why his profile draws attention when Indianapolis faces Minnesota in Week 7. That matchup offers a chance to see Shane Steichens offense go against Flores defense up close, with Carlie Irsay-Gordon getting a direct look at a scheme that has long carried a reputation for pressure and disruption. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Get A Needed Boost Right Before Minnesota
Tyler Warrens status is one of the bigger health updates hanging over the Colts as they prepare for Minnesota, and it sounds like the rookie tight end is moving in the right direction after a groin injury. Indianapolis has already had to manage the ripple effects of injuries elsewhere, signing veteran punter Thomas Morstead as insurance after Rigoberto Sanchez went down, so any sign of a key contributor trending back matters even more this time of year.
The timing also matters because the Colts could use a little stability before facing the Vikings, especially with Sauce Gardner now listed week-to-week because of a left calf injury that should keep him out of the upcoming matchup. Warrens availability is still something to watch, but the fact that a return is at least on the table gives Indianapolis a chance to regain a piece of its offense just as the schedule starts asking for more from everyone else. [Read more 🡒]