Colts will have huge advantage in this phase in 2023

A productive Colts unit found a perfect match with its coordinator this offseason and the results could be monumental.

Back in March, the Colts hired Notre Dame’s Brian Mason as their new special-teams coach. He immediately discussed how he planned to gain every possible advantage with his unit:

“I've always tried to be aggressive, tough and disciplined in everything we do,” Mason said. “Certainly, we want to be aggressive but smart. We're not going to be reckless, but we want to be able to find different advantages we can to have some fun in the game and create explosive plays that can impact field position.”

New head coach Shane Steichen chose Mason as one of the final members of his staff after former coordinator Bubba Ventrone left for Cleveland. As the special-teams coordinator at Notre Dame, Mason was widely considered to be one of the best in the country at his job. After his squad blocked seven punts and was staunch in every phase last fall, he was nominated as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant. 

Mason won’t be tasked with revamping the Colts’ unit as he transitions to the NFL, but rather building on what’s already there. According to Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings at the end of the 2022-23 season, Indianapolis finished eighth-best in the league in a compilation of 22 different categories. Their sharpest aspect was in the kick-return game, as the data shows their 27.8-yard average was tops in the NFL, almost five yards higher than the league average.

While that unit may be losing its coordinator, the Colts’ advantage lies in their returning players. Many of the top snap-getters from last year’s squad are returning for another season, including EJ Speed, Tony Brown, JoJo Domann, Grant Stuard, Nick Cross and Ashton Dulin. Their experience and obvious talent may help the unit go from strong to formidable this season. 

Additionally, it’s clear that GM Chris Ballard has made special teams a priority. Look no further than this year’s draft – each of the Colts’ 12 picks were taken at least in part due to their athleticism. According to the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) system, each prospect was at or above a grade of 8.48/10 and labeled as athletic standouts. The Colts’ already-strong unit could be fleshed out even more with the addition of gifted rookies like Julius Brents, Darius Rush and even Blake Freeland, who ran a sub-5.0 40-yard dash and recorded a 10-foot broad jump as a 6-foot-8 offensive tackle. 

Further evidence of Ballard’s commitment to the special teams unit is found in the team’s financial records. Back in March, the Colts signed kicker Matt Gay to a four-year, $22.5 million deal, making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Previously, the franchise signed punter Rigoberto Sanchez to a four-year, $11.6 million deal. Sanchez is currently the seventh-highest paid punter in the league. There’s no question both players deserve it: Gay was near the league lead in field goal percentage at 93.3% while only missing one extra point last year. And Sanchez was among the most consistent punters in 2021 (before suffering a torn Achilles in 2022), only recording one touchback all season. 

With the addition of a strong special teams coordinator in Mason, as well as a strong foundation of returning players combined with some fresh talent, the Colts are poised to elevate their special teams unit even more heading into the 2023-24 season. The valuable edge could be just what Indianapolis needs to get back into Super Bowl contention following a down year.