INDIANAPOLIS -- The heavy lifting of free agency is complete. The draft is over, too.

So this is a good time to take a look at where teams currently sit in ESPN’s Power Rankings.

The Indianapolis Colts have had an active offseason as general manager Chris Ballard has dismantled the roster and tried to start shaping it the way he envisions it.

With that said, the Colts moved up three spots from the post-free agency power rankings, from No. 22 to No. 19.

Progress.

That’s a positive way to look at things for the Colts. But on the flip side, based off the rankings, the Colts would not only miss the playoffs for the third straight year, they would also finish third in the AFC South for the second straight season.

They are nine other AFC teams ranked above the Colts and division counterparts Houston and Tennessee are sitting at 11th and 12th, respectively.

As I noted in a mailbag over the weekend, the AFC South should be more competitive next season because of the offseason additions each team made in free agency and due to Tennessee and Jacksonville continuing to get high draft picks.

The key, as it always is, for Indianapolis is the health of quarterback Andrew Luck. The other factor is how quickly all the new pieces Ballard has added on defense comes together.

If those two areas are intact and the Colts take advantage of the early part of the schedule, where seven of their first eight opponents are against teams that missed the playoffs last season, they’ll be in position to move up further in the power rankings.