The Indianapolis Colts made their first big move of the offseason when they hired Shane Steichen to become their next head coach. Steichen found a lot of success as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles the last two seasons and with the Los Angeles Chargers before that.
Indianapolis is hoping that he can bring that productivity and success to its franchise. Finding a long-term solution at the quarterback position for him to work with is of the utmost importance this offseason. The team has been struggling in that regard since Andrew Luck surprisingly announced his retirement ahead of the 2019 season.
The Colts could look to bring in one of the veterans available in free agency or hope they land a top prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Regardless of where they find their next quarterback, the team needs to add more weapons around them.
A more explosive passing game certainly wouldn’t hurt to take some pressure off of Jonathan Taylor in the running game. Michael Pittman Jr. has shown flashes of being a true No. 1 wide receiver and Alec Pierce had good showings as a rookie. But, with Parris Campbell set to hit free agency, they could certainly use some help.
What if that help didn’t come from the wide receiver position, but instead at tight end? The Colts have notoriously had success working tight ends into the passing game and Jelani Woods could be the next one. But, pairing him with an established pass-catching tight end could really open things up for this offense.
One potential option in free agency at the tight end position is Dalton Schultz. Schultz played the first five seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. After playing out last season on the franchise tag, he seems ready to move on this offseason.
Schultz came on the last three seasons, taking on a bigger role in the Cowboys’ passing offense. He finished the 2022 season on a high note after a rocky start courtesy of some injuries and Dak Prescott being sidelined.
From Week 7-12, Schultz was the third-highest-graded tight end in the league at 83.5. He was productive in every facet of the game, registering a strong receiving and run-blocking grade. While he won’t blow anyone away with his athleticism, Schultz is a steady receiver that routinely finds holes in zones and can make plays up the seam.
A good run blocker, Schultz would be a nice addition to this team based on how Steichen ran his offense in Philadelphia. Any tight end that has seen the deployment of Dallas Goedert the last two seasons would be excited about joining his offense. Schultz could be that guy in 2023 with the Colts.
