5 Colts Put On Notice This Offseason

This has been an offseason of reflection for the Indianapolis Colts.

Mostly reflection on the normal way they do things, and how it's led to a four-year playoff drought. It's resulted in the Colts making some uncharacteristic moves, most notably spending more money than usual in free agency, and allowing some of their own homegrown success stories to walk out the door to other teams. The Colts usually throw bags of cash at their own players, regardless of whether they can be upgraded or not.

The Colts' new approach has put some pressure on some of the players in the building, which is definitely a good thing. It was one of general manager Chris Ballard's biggest goals that he discussed when the 2024 season ended.

Here are five players who should be feeling the pressure now as a result of the Colts' offseason moves.

QB Anthony Richardson

This one is the most obvious, as bringing in competition for Richardson has been discussed ad nauseam from early January to now, when we're still talking about it daily until we find out who the starting quarterback is.

The Colts brought in Daniel Jones early in free agency to be the push they felt Richardson needed to take the next steps in his development. Richardson was either going to keep the pedal to the metal in his preparations, or the Colts would have a new quarterback they felt could help win them some games.

Between his 50.6% career completion percentage, his 17 games missed due to injuries, and an approach to the game that got him benched for a pair of contests in 2024, Richardson has not yet lived up to what the Colts hoped. Likewise, Jones' career found rock bottom with his benching and release from the New York Giants last year.

Between the two quarterbacks, the Colts are hoping the pressure of this competition creates a diamond.

RB Khalil Herbert

It didn't take long for the Colts to add competition for Herbert. They signed him in March in free agency to replace Trey Sermon. On the surface, Herbert is a solid upgrade, holding a mark of 4.8 yards per carry in his career and routinely making big plays for the Chicago Bears offense. However, in a clear sign that they want a powerful backfield, the Colts then drafted running back DJ Giddens out of Kansas State.

While Herbert was the obvious backup to Jonathan Taylor before the draft began, that is now an intriguing question. It now seems that if Giddens is as good as advertised, there's no reason for him not to share the backfield with Taylor, leaving Herbert to pick up whatever scraps are left of the touches.

TE Drew Ogletree

The Colts think very highly of Ogletree and consider him one of the NFL's best blocking tight ends. However, they now find themselves trying to figure out a crowded tight end room.

Tight end was the Colts' most glaring need going into the draft, and they found it in the first round with Tyler Warren. However, shortly before the draft, the Colts also re-signed Mo Alie-Cox, likely as an insurance policy if the draft didn't go as planned.

Now that the Colts have Warren, Ogletree, and Alie-Cox, all of whom can block, is there a need for all three? Keeping the three of them may mean parting ways with players at roster cut time, with pass-catching talent, such as Will Mallory or Jelani Woods.

Ogletree went from being the Colts' top tight end to someone battling for a roster spot within a matter of a few weeks in April.

LB Jaylon Carlies

Carlies was put on notice this offseason, but in a totally different way than the other guys on this list. The Colts did almost nothing except lose players at the linebacker position this offseason, and they did it in part because of their comfort level with who they have.

Starting WILL E.J. Speed left in free agency for the division rival Houston Texans and is going to be replaced by Carlies.

Carlies showed a lot of really good things as a rookie in 2024, but he missed seven games, mostly with a leg injury. He also sat out all of this offseason program recovering from a shoulder injury suffered as a rookie.

The Colts are putting a ton of faith in a player who missed much of his rookie year and all of his first spring as a starter recovering from injuries.

CB JuJu Brents

Cornerback might be the Colts' deepest position, and they've attacked it from every angle this offseason. They signed an alpha cover corner to be their top player in Charvarius Ward. They also signed a couple of depth veterans with experience in Corey Ballentine and David Long. Plus, they spent their third-round draft pick on Justin Walley, who can play inside and out.

JuJu Brents used to be the Colts' hopeful top cornerback, taken in the second round of the same draft that the Colts got Richardson. However, he's missed most of his first two years with various injuries. This may be the final chance for Brents to prove he can stay healthy and be a good player for the Colts.

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