The Indianapolis Colts have quietly had one of the best offseasons in the NFL. While they didn’t make a splash acquiring a star wide receiver, or land one of the big headlining grabbing names at the quarterback position, they have steadily improved upon a roster that went 9-8 last season.
Acquiring Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, after trading Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders, was a stroke of genius. Ryan should be enough of an upgrade on Wentz, despite Father Time catching up with him, to help get this offense over the top.
They also acquired Yannick Ngakoue from the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade, bolstering their pass rush. But, that trade created a hole on the roster, as cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was sent to the Raiders.
Indianapolis did an excellent job filling the void left by Ya-Sin’s departure, as they signed Stephone Gilmore. Gilmore was one of the top free agents available coming into the offseason, but his market was pretty cold. Whatever the reasoning was, whether it was his age, ability or asking price, the Colts are certainly happy to have him in the fold.
His addition is a nice upgrade for what was already a strong defensive unit. One NFL scout believes the addition of Gilmore can catapult the Colts’ defense into being one of the very best in the league.
“This was the biggest steal of the entire offseason. Indianapolis came into the offseason needing a corner, and to get Stephon Gilmore at the stage of free agency they did is an amazing pickup. Gilmore makes that defense a legitimate top-three defense in the NFL.”
A potential top-three defense with an offense that should also showcase some strides makes the Colts one of the dark horse contenders in the league. A few needs are remaining to address, such as the starting left tackle spot and adding more wide receivers behind Michael Pittman Jr.
The 2022 NFL Draft will present the Colts a chance to fill those needs as well, and there are still several useful veterans that remain available in free agency. Once the dust settles from the draft, Indianapolis could revisit some of those veterans and find a good bargain just as they did with Gilmore.
