The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2022 offseason with a major question mark at the quarterback position. Carson Wentz was still under center, but they had to decide if he was still the player they wanted under center as their starter.
They decided that he was not. Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders, leaving a true void at the position. That void wasn’t present too long as the Colts acquired veteran Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons.
While Ryan may no longer be in his prime when he won an MVP award, he is still a more than serviceable quarterback. He brings a lot to Indianapolis that they will benefit from, such as his leadership and ability to lead an offense.
Ryan was solid the last few seasons with the Falcons despite an underwhelming supporting cast around him. Last season he lost top pass catcher Calvin Ridley when he decided to step away from football for his mental well-being and the team’s running game has been nonexistent for years.
Atlanta hasn’t finished above 27th in rushing yardage since the 2017 season, which makes this stat from PFF that much more impressive. According to their grades, Ryan has been among the best play-action passers in the NFL the last two seasons with a play-action grade of 90.2, which is seventh-best in the league. The Colts are going to love that aspect of Ryan’s game.
When you take into account just how poor the running game has been for Atlanta the last two seasons, it is an impressive feat that Ryan was able to succeed in the play-action game. No defenses were threatened by the Falcons’ running game, so they would routinely drop extra men in coverage, daring them to run the ball.
Knowing how proficient he has been in that area, imagine what he will be able to do now that he has one of the best running backs in the NFL lining up behind him? Jonathan Taylor burst onto the scene in 2021 and ran over defenses on a weekly basis.
That came with opponents doing the opposite of what they did to Atlanta. Teams stacked the box against Taylor, daring Wentz to throw the ball. Taylor and Ryan are perfect for each other in that sense and we could see some real fireworks from the Indianapolis offense in 2022.
