There are three things that can always be expected out of life: death, taxes, and the boring competence of the Indianapolis Colts.
Aside from the odd recent incursion from the Houston Texans, and more recently by the Tennessee Titans, the Colts (with some luck) have been quietly one of the better-run teams in the NFL. Even after Peyton Manning’s inevitable departure in 2012, the Colts immediately rebounded from his injury-riddled last season with the team with an 11-5 record under the similarly boring-but-excellent Andrew Luck. After Luck retired early, the team spent only two seasons with mediocre talent under center before pulling one of the signature moves of this year’s free agency period.
Good-bye, Jacoby Brissett and dusty Philip Rivers. Hello, Carson Wentz.
Of course, quarterback was one of Indianapolis’ needs entering into free agency. Rivers might as well have been a statue this past season, and the rest of the roster was so good that he immediately stood out like a sore thumb. The Colts needed an immediate upgrade at the quarterback position that wouldn’t hold their offense back, and not only did they get their guy in Wentz, they got him for a relative bargain. By all accounts, Wentz is poised to have a renaissance type of year under a new ceiling, partnered with his reunion with Frank Reich.
Behind a rock-solid line captained by Quentin Nelson, and with the help of a host of underrated weapons, the Colts offense is set to hum this season. Their defense is just as solid, with any questions entering free agency having already been answered (good to have you back, Xavier Rhodes).
With all that being said, what could the Colts possibly want with such a well-rounded roster? What could they possibly need?
That answer is found in Carson Wentz. Frank Reich knows his potential from their time together with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Reich definitely knows how severely Wentz’s injury history plagues him, inside and out. He has the weapons in Indianapolis, but the Colts now need to invest in his protection.
Quentin Nelson is definitely a start: as a 25-year-old, he is already in the conversation as the best offensive lineman in the NFL. But he also works on the interior, which is much less important for Wentz’s blindside protection.
The Colts will definitely miss LT Anthony Costanzo, who recently announced his retirement. They also didn’t opt to shell out for two of this year’s top free agents at left tackle. The Trents (Brown and Williams) are older and expensive but would have gone a long way in providing depth for the team’s insurance for Carson Wentz.
Now, to be fair, the Colts do tend to draft well, so we can probably expect them to shore up the line in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. The 2021 OL class is deep, and goes way further down than its trio of stars at the top.
It is more than likely that the trio of Penei Sewell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Rashawn Slater will be long gone by the 21st pick, but Jalen Mayfield and Christian Darrisaw are flying way under the radar as great high-floor players.
Granted, this upcoming draft has plenty of fireworks-level talent at other positions, especially on the defensive end. The Colts could opt to shoot for another toy for Carson Wentz to play with, or for CB Caleb Farley to shore up their secondary. But if they are to extend Wentz’s career as a true investment for the franchise, Indianapolis needs to invest in his protection as well.
