The Indianapolis Colts have a huge season with plenty of questions ahead of them. What did the offseason do to answer any of them?
Can Adonai Mitchell find a role?
The second-round pick entering year two was clearly the fourth man in the receiving corps, and there is nothing that will really change that this year. Michael Pittman is the possession wide out, Alec Pierce brings big plays, and Josh Downs is the underneath slot. Mitchell may push Pierce, but he averaged 1.51 yards per route run last year while Pierce was at 1.82. Does Mitchell serve the same role?
How long of a leash does Anthony Richardson have?
The Colts bringing in Daniel Jones speaks to how short of a leash Richardson has. It appears his play is less of an issue but more about he handles himself in the day-to-day. Richardson brings immense fantasy upside, but they paid Jones well, and Jones left Minnesota because he felt he could start here, not where the Vikings have a young quarterback coming off an ACL injury.
What kind of role does Tyler Warren have?
It usually takes rookie tight ends a couple of years to adjust to the NFL. Beyond that, the Colts do have three or four notable wide receivers. Still, they drafted Warren 14th overall to utilize his skill set, and he is clearly the starting tight end. This is a player who took wildcat snaps in a creative play caller’s offense. Warren could be in for a solid immediate role.
Did the secondary get enough boost?
The Colts made big splashes with Chavarius Ward and Cam Bynum in free agency. They drafted Justin Walley, who will compete to start in round three. They needed all of this, and the question is still whether they did enough after how rough things looked last year.
With Ward on the outside and Kenny Moore in the slot, they just need one of Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, or Walley to step up. Bynum should be an upgrade at safety. Is this the best this unit has looked in years?
Who will be the leading edge rusher?
The Colts invested in three players with top 40 picks in their edge rusher room. Kwity Paye and Laitu Latu have not hit their peaks yet, although Latu is expected to get more chances this year. JT Tuiomolu is now in the mix and will push both. How do all three shake out, and who leads the group in sacks?
