Colts Get Brutal Treatment in Power Rankings

The Indianapolis Colts worked hard on boosting the roster in the earliest stages of the 2025 offseason, and general manager Chris Ballard can be thanked for that. Great talents like former Second Team All-Pro corner Charvariues Ward and Cam Bynum were brought on and will provide immediate impact.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was also hired to boost the defense, and likely had a say in acquiring Ward and Bynum. The Colts also drafted cornerback Justin Walley to further solidify Anarumo's defensive backfield.

For the offense, Indy took running back Khalil Herbert off the market and provides Jonathan Taylor a potential relief. But, the biggest acquisition was drafting tight end Tyler Warren to give Shane Steichen a weapon at tight end for the first time in his head coaching tenure.

Despite these moves and improvements, Bleacher Report shows no mercy by putting Indy at an unfavorable 25th designation.

Gary Davenport has the opinion that it's important to recognize the 25th spot, and while there might be questions regarding that power rank, the analyst possibly answers the quandary as to why Indy is so far back despite changing the roster for the better.

They say, "Steichen talked up “Danny Dimes” while speaking to reporters."

This was followed by: "It stands to reason that Steichen would do so—he may need Jones to save his job. Because while the Colts have talented players on both sides of the ball, we have seen the past two years how far the team won’t go without a quarterback."

This simply says two things. First, the Colts didn't just bring Jones in to compete with Anthony Richardson; they also signed him as an insurance policy that might fit the offense well with the weapons at his disposal.

Second, as Davenport points out, Steichen's future is also on the line, and he can't wait for Richardson to rise to the occasion any longer. Despite being hired and tied directly to Richardson's development, it hasn't worked at all.

It's harsh to say, but accurate, that Richardson looked abysmal as an operator of the offense. Yes, he ran well, as expected, tallying 499 rushing yards on 86 attempts and six touchdowns. But, he couldn't put together much as a passer.

He only connected on 126 passes out of 264 attempts, which gives no offense a chance. He also threw 12 interceptions and coughed up the ball nine times in 11 games. On that point, Richardson was hurt again and missed another six contests, totaling 19 for his two NFL seasons.

There has been a slew of negative assessments in recent coverage for Richardson, but it's a must to report, as Indy's future is on the line. Richardson was supposed to be the long-term solution Indy was desperately searching for at quarterback.

Sadly, he's been the complete opposite, looking too raw and underdeveloped to play in the pros. This is merely an opinion, but a strong one. Richardson has a massive shot to prove everyone wrong and elevate to ridiculous levels that he's certainly capable of.

As for beating out Jones for the starting position, Richardson will need to put on a phenomenal training camp to show Indy that he deserves the spot. Jones already has a lead on Richardson, so the Florida product must play the best football of his existence to take over under center.

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