Josh Edwards of CBS Sports ranked his top 10 NFL offseasons, and included on this list were the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts came in at No. 8 in Edwards’ rankings, just ahead of Philadelphia and Cleveland, and just behind Buffalo at No. 7 and Carolina at No. 6.
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“Indianapolis finally spent on its secondary in free agency, but did lose a few pieces to the offensive line,” wrote Edwards. “Those two players missed a large portion of last season, which allowed rookies to gain valuable repetitions. Daniel Jones is not going to provide the level of quarterback play that every team is chasing, but it should be improved over last season. Tight end Tyler Warren was added as another outlet in the pass game.”
As noted, the additions of Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward on the back should really level up the Colts’ secondary. And not to be overlooked is the addition of Lou Anarumo as the defensive coordinator. His more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme can elevate this entire unit.
On offense, GM Chris Ballard was able to address the tight end position–which was a massive need–with Tyler Warren, who many considered the top tight end in this year’s draft.
Even the addition of Daniel Jones, a move that certainly isn’t guaranteed to solve the Colts’ quarterback inconsistencies, has already been beneficial, with Anthony Richardson having missed time due to a shoulder injury. Whether as a starter or a backup, with 69 career starts, Jones can help raise the competition at quarterback and hopefully provide some stability as well.
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On the flip side, losing Ryan Kelly and Will Fries are two very noteworthy departures. On the roster already, the Colts had potential replacements in Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves, but there is always some unknown when relying heavily on inexperienced players. And while the quarterback competition will garner the attention, consistent success for just about any offense begins with the play up front.
Now, having said that, as we’ve discussed before, and highlighted above, there’s a lot to like about this Colts’ roster on paper. The ceiling of this team, of course, hinges on the play of the quarterback, but there appears to be enough help on both sides of the ball around that player where, even with somewhat steady play from under center, this can be a Colts team that can stack some wins.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL offseason rankings: Indianapolis Colts make the top 10