INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts were one of the hardest teams to figure out in 2021.
They started the season 1-4 before winning eight of their next 10 games to become the team nobody wanted to face in the playoffs, largely because of running back Jonathan Taylor and a defense that finished second in the NFL in turnovers.
However, nobody faced the Colts in the playoffs because they missed the postseason entirely.
A late-season collapse, losing their final two games when all they had to do was win one to clinch a playoff spot, made the future of the organization, especially for quarterback Carson Wentz, murky.
Owner Jim Irsay met with general manager Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich at the team’s facility immediately after arriving back in Indianapolis following the team’s embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18. Then Ballard refused to commit to Wentz as their starting quarterback in 2022.
Projected salary-cap space: $41 million
Top free agents: OL Eric Fisher, WR T.Y. Hilton, OL Mark Glowinski, OL Chris Reed, DL Tyquan Lewis, K Michael Badgley, LB Zaire Franklin, DL Kemoko Turay, DL Al-Quadin Muhammad, TE Mo Alie-Cox
Potential cut candidates: Wentz and defensive end Ben Banogu are names to watch. The Colts are responsible for $15 million for Wentz in 2022, whether he’s with the team or not. But they can save about $13 million if they cut him before March 19. Banogu has been a major disappointment since the Colts selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. He has 2.5 sacks in his career.
What you need to know: The Colts’ offseason is centered around their quarterback position, but the pressure is also on Ballard and Reich. Ballard is heading into his sixth season as general manager, and all he has to show for it is one playoff victory -- and that was in 2018. Ballard has been very methodical in building the team’s roster. Free-agent signings have been selective, with Ballard choosing to go the route of the draft to find their core players.
That approach can be questioned now, especially after the past two Super Bowl champions -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams -- have been aggressive with trades and free-agent signings by acquiring the likes of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Matthew Stafford, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr.
The person leading the pressure on Reich and Ballard is Irsay. He has publicly said he expects his franchise to win multiple Super Bowl titles this decade. The clock is ticking for that to happen.
Best-case scenario for the team’s offseason: The Colts find their next franchise quarterback after Wentz and Jacoby Brissett failed in that role and Philip Rivers provided a band-aid for one season. The AFC won’t get any easier in coming years with quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Mac Jones in the conference.
Worst-case scenario for the team’s offseason: The Colts run it back with Wentz, don’t find a new starting left tackle and continue to lack depth at receiver behind Michael Pittman Jr. Taylor is one of the best in the NFL at his position, but teams will load the box more and more to stop him if he doesn’t have more help on the outside and at quarterback.
Early look at the NFL draft, from ESPN analyst Jordan Reid: Ballard has been one of the league's best drafting general managers over the past few years, but quarterback is the one position that he’s yet to identify correctly. With reports surfacing that the team could be ready to move on from Wentz, they are once again searching for a signal-caller. With no first-round pick, the franchise could look to upgrade its perimeter weapons or find a replacement for Fisher at left tackle on Day 2.
Top needs: OT, WR, QB
Top pick: No. 47