Heading into the 2020 season, Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich has the fourth-highest odds for the upcoming season’s Coach of the Year award according to Betmgm.com.
Entering his third year as the Colts head coach, Reich is looking to lead a comeback season for Indianapolis.
Often in sports, the Coach of the Year award is similar to a Comeback Player of the Year award, but for coaches.
Reich’s Colts finished third in the 2019 AFC South with a 7-9 record one year after a 10-6 season.
Although the Indianapolis head coach is expected to lead the squad to a much improved season in 2020, he could be on the hot seat if he does not.
Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts had won the offseason.
The grades for Ballard’s draft had a large range: some of the draft experts rated it as high as an A grade and some were as low as a B grade.
The Colts’ selection of Jonathan Taylor was an impressive one, as he has the fourth-highest odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Then, Indianapolis drafted its possible quarterback of the future in the fourth round.
Jacob Eason will fit very well in Reich’s system, and he may be the reason Reich is the Colts’ coach for a very long time:
#Colts QB Jacob Eason vs. BYU: 24/28 (85.7 COMP%), 290 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Frank Reich scheming up a quick-passing system centered around Eason’s freakish arm talent with YAC playmakers like Pittman, Campbell, Hines, and Taylor has lethal potential long-term. pic.twitter.com/UUG9Q3EoVr
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) April 26, 2020
Reich praised Eason on the radio on Tuesday:
.@Colts Head Coach Frank Reich told Bill Polian and @BruceMurrayNFL why QB Jacob Eason was the right pick for them in the 4th Round…
“We are always going to go by the board. Jacob was a guy that we thought had some talent.”
👇AUDIO👇| #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/zA2m9fpMGi
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) April 28, 2020
Offensive Outlook
Even before drafting Eason, the Colts improved their offense greatly during the offseason.
They reunited Philip Rivers with Reich.
In the second round of the draft, Indianapolis selected wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. No. 34 overall.
The Colts signed former Chicago Bears tight end Trey Burton the day before the draft began to reunite Reich and Burton.
They also picked wide receiver Marcus Johnson back up with a one-year contract.
Johnson will provide some much-needed depth at the wide receiver position, especially with T.Y. Hilton’s injury troubles.
With Jack Doyle and Burton at tight end, the team may not be able to replace Eric Ebron completely.
Another tight end signing may be in order to help with passing situations.
Defensive Outlook
After the draft, the Colts have three important needs, and the top two are defensive positions.
The Colts drafted Utah safety Julian Blackmon No. 85 overall in the draft.
The strong offseason continued with the acquisition of Pro Bowl defensive lineman DeForest Buckner.
Indianapolis also signed 2019 Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
The positions that Indianapolis is still in need of are cornerback and defensive end.
If they can bring in a player to fill each position, the Colts can be a Super Bowl contender.
Special Teams Outlook
The Colts will continue to have Rigoberto Sanchez, who is signed through 2023, as their punter.
The undrafted 25-year-old punter has played all 16 games in each of his first three seasons, and he made the 2017 NFL All-Rookie Team.
In terms of kicking, Indianapolis had a strong case for drafting Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
Although the Colts did not draft him, they signed him after he went undrafted.
Blankenship and Chase McLaughlin will have a kicking competition heading into the season, and Reich’s starting kicker choice will be an important one.
NEXT: The 3 Biggest Needs For The Indianapolis Colts Post-Draft