The Indianapolis Colts were hoping to claim one of the final playoff spots in the AFC this season, but with a 7-9 record, they have been eliminated from playoff contention.
They have a big question mark at the quarterback spot, where second-year man Anthony Richardson hasn’t measured up, and they have a few other roster needs.
Star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said that changes will be made this offseason and that it may not be a desirable situation, per Mike Chappell.
“‘This offseason there’s going to be changes.’ Some might be ‘uncomfortable.’”
‘This offseason there’s going to be changes.’ Some might be ‘uncomfortable.’ https://t.co/X3nB8FOAo5
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) December 30, 2024
Indianapolis will have to decide what to do under center, where Richardson has struggled again after a rookie campaign that was prematurely ended by a shoulder injury.
He has thrown for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing just 47.7 percent of his pass attempts in 11 games this year, and he was briefly benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco before regaining his starting job for Week 11.
Richardson has shown some dual-threat ability, but his inability to be a bona fide threat as a passer may be the biggest concern the Colts organization has right now.
In addition, despite some fine play from Buckner and linebacker Zaire Franklin, their defense has been very poor — they rank near the bottom of the league in a number of key defensive metrics.
On the other hand, the Colts have one of the NFL’s best running backs — when healthy — in Jonathan Taylor, who has collected 1,254 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns in 2024, and a trio of decent wide receivers in Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce.
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