Defense improves, offense confuses.
We are now a few weeks removed from the whirlwind that the first wave of free agency provides.
Indianapolis Colts fans were in dream land when General Manager Chris Ballard secured not one, but two headline additions to a defensive unit that was crying out for support.
Charvarious Ward was brought in from San Francisco, to add some stardust at cornerback. Closely followed by Cam Bynum from Minnesota who many Colts fans will be hoping can bring the dance moves that became his trademark in 2024 following a stellar year that included three interceptions.
There were further additions of Neville Gallimore at defensive tackle and cornerback Corey Ballentine. Hopefully the Colts defense will be in a much stronger position going into 2025 under new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
So with the draft still to come, the defense has already had some much needed attention.
Quarterback uncertainty
Onto the other side of the ball, and the storyline that just does not seem to want to go away. The quarterback position for the Indianapolis Colts.
It was undoubtedly one of the more interesting signings this offseason when the Colts completed the acquisition of former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
Jones has played six years in the NFL with a record of 25-44-1 and has a completion rate of 64.1%. A man who does, however, have a post season win on his resume.
It has been positioned as a quarterback competition. As recently as this week head coach Shane Steichen has said that Jones and current incumbent Anthony Richardson will share the first team practice reps when OTA’s start in spring.
A decision on who will be named starter will be announced later this year, with no timeline yet being given.
Due to injuries, former first round pick Richardson has yet to complete a full year on the pitch. Having a competent quarterback to compete for a starting role makes perfect sense, from an organisational point of view. Especially when your existing starter has had struggles staying healthy.
The words ‘consistent’ and ‘productive’ were also used as barometers for deciding who will win out the competition.
At the current NFL annual meeting Steichen spoke in glowing terms about Daniel Jones’ high football IQ. Interestingly, Jones, who finished last year in Minnesota, supposedly had an offer to stay with the Vikings. He instead opted to come to Indianapolis to compete for the starting job.
It will be another summer of uncertainty for Colts fans as they wait to see who will be starting under centre when September comes.
