The 2022 season has been an utter disaster for the Indianapolis Colts. They came into the season with playoff aspirations, some people even believing they were a dark horse to win the Super Bowl. The organization felt they had made the necessary upgrades to become legitimate contenders, but nothing went according to plan.
The biggest letdown was the quarterback position. Indianapolis acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, believing he would be an upgrade over Carson Wentz. That was not the case as Ryan has struggled mightily with turnovers all season.
Once again, it is the quarterback position that is the Achilles heel for this team. Since Andrew Luck unexpectedly retired leading into the 2019 season, things have been a mess for Indianapolis. They have had a different starter in Week 1 in seven straight seasons. This offseason, it is paramount for them to find stability at the most important position in the game.
The Colts could look to bring in a veteran again as there are a few options in free agency that could intrigue them. Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith and Jimmy Garoppolo are all going to be free agents. There is a chance a player such as Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers could be had in a trade as well.
Those options will be considered, but the best course of action for the organization could be resetting the clock and selecting a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. That is exactly what Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has them doing in his latest mock draft, as the Colts land Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the seventh overall pick.
If the board falls in this fashion, Indianapolis would be ecstatic. This occurring depends on the final draft order, of course, but also no teams making trades up the board. The Chicago Bears certainly don’t need a quarterback, but a quarterback-needy team could make a blockbuster trade and move up, similar to what the San Francisco 49ers did in 2020 to land Trey Lance.
The only team currently ahead of the Colts that will almost assuredly take a quarterback is the Houston Texans. The Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks could go either way, while the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals will certainly not be picking a signal caller.
Stroud has been excellent in two seasons with the Buckeyes as their starter, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 7,775 yards and 81 touchdowns compared to only 12 interceptions. Unlike some of the previous quarterbacks that Ohio State has graduated to the NFL, Stroud is a pure pocket passer as he looks to shake the reputation of knocking Buckeye quarterbacks.
