With the Indianapolis Colts wrapping up their minicamp last week, it is time to look at which position groups are a strength heading into the 2024 season.
Most of the offseason for the Colts was spent reinforcing the roster while adding some depth to key areas on both sides of the ball.
Some positions that were already considered strengths became even stronger while others turned from a questionable group to one brimming with optimism.
MORE: Colts' biggest X-factors that will define 2024 season
Let’s take a look at which parts of the roster are steady and the ones that have a cause for concern:
Indianapolis Colts strongest position groups in 2024
1. Edge Rushers
The deepest position group for the Colts heading into this season is the edge rushers. They’re headlined by the penciled starters Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye. Both are coming off the best season of their careers but can’t assume their spots are safe.
Dayo Odeyingbo is also coming off a career year and has shown he deserves more playing time. Plus there is the 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu. The pair of backups are expected to push the current starters in the preseason through the regular season for snaps and potentially for their starting gigs.
The good thing for Odeyingbo and Latu is they can kick inside and can be used in different packages this season. This also includes Tyquan Lewis who offers the same versatility.
While those five players are locked into the 53-man roster and in the rotation, Isaiah Land and Titus Leo will battle later this summer for a role on this team.
2. Interior Defensive Linemen
The interior defensive line features one of the best one-two punches in DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Their value to the defense can’t be understated. Buckner brings so much as a run-defender and his ability to get after the quarterback. Stewart is one of the best run-stoppers in the NFL but is looking to elevate himself to being viewed as an elite player this season.
In 2023 when Stewart missed six games due to his suspension, the run defense saw a major drop off in performance. To avoid that happening again if he has to miss any time in 2024, Chris Ballard signed Raekwon Davis to help back him up at the one-tech spot.
Adetomiwa Adebawore and Taven Bryan will be battling this summer to backup Buckner at the three-tech spot. Plus Eric Johnson II and Jonah Laulu will also be pushing for a spot on the 53-man roster and a role in the rotation.
There will be tough decisions to be made with the entire defensive line when it comes down to who makes the team and how the playing time is decided.
3. Interior Offensive Linemen
The resurgence of the Indy offensive line was spearheaded by the bounceback seasons in 2023 from Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly. It was just the pair that helped give some stability to the interior of the offensive line but it was also Will Fries who took a big step in his development in his third season.
Fries showed that he can be a starting-caliber guard which was crucial for the Colts. As far as depth, Tanor Bortolini, Danny Pinter, and Wesley French will battle in training camp for the backup center role to Kelly. Each of them offers the versatility to play guard as well.
Josh Sills and Arlington Hambright will be looking to make a case to be one of the backup guards. The good news for Indianapolis is that the depth for the interior of the offensive line is in a better spot than a year ago.
4. Offensive Tackles
The Colts have one of the best bookend tackles in the league in Braden Smith and Bernhard Raimann. When Smith is on the field, he has shown that he can battle with some of the best edge rushers in the league, which makes him one of the most important players for the Indy offense in 2024.
Raimann is on the verge of making a name for himself in his Year 3. He looks like the long-term blindside blocker for Anthony Richardson. Beyond the pair, Blake Freeland will enter the season as the swing tackle. He got valuable experience as a rookie with his nine starts and should see improved performance with a full offseason under Tony Sparano Jr.’s tutelage.
The selection of Matt Goncalves gives the tackles more depth this year. Plus he has the versatility to kick inside as well. There also is 2023 seventh-round pick Jake Witt who will be looking to make the 53-man roster after missing his rookie season due to an injury.
5. Quarterbacks
There is plenty of excitement about what the quarterback room will look like for the Colts in 2024. After a brief stint from Anthony Richardson’s rookie season, there is a vision of the type of player he can develop into and what Shane Steichen’s offense will look like with him in it for all 17 games.
Ideally for Indianapolis, AR will stay on the field this season but if he does miss any time, they have Joe Flacco backing him up. He is coming off a season where he was able to help the Cleveland Browns get to the playoffs and the difference between Flacco and Gardner Minshew is that he has the arm to push the ball down the field so that element of the passing attack won’t be missing.
As far as QB3, Sam Ehlinger will be looking to hold onto that spot on the depth chart but UDFA rookie Kedon Slovis is expected to push him for that role.
6. Specialists
Indianapolis has one of the best specialist trios in the NFL. Matt Gay made an impact in his first season with the franchise. He set an NFL record as the first player ever to hit four 50+ yard field goals in a game, which he did on a game-winner in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens. Gay also did have a career-high with eight 50+ yard field goals made for the season.
In his return from his torn Achilles that caused him to miss the 2023 season, Rigoberto Sanchez set a career-high averaging 48.3 yards per punt in 2024. Then there is the two-time All-Pro long snapper Luke Rhodes who is entering his ninth season in the NFL.
The Colts should feel very comfortable with their specialists heading into the season.
7. Wide Receivers
Each player in Indy’s receiving corps offers their own skill set that can help benefit the passing attack in 2024. The lead dog is Michael Pittman Jr. who is the reliable one in the group as a player Shane Steichen can lean on to make a play. Alec Pierce is looking to break out in Year 3 and could be unleashed as a deep threat with Anthony Richardson back in the lineup.
The Colts are looking for Josh Downs to make a jump in Year 2 as he has the traits to develop into one of the best slot receivers in the league. The addition of Adonai Mitchell can help open up the offense with his route-running ability and the threat he can be in the red zone.
Those four will dominate the snaps from the receiving corps but Ashton Dulin and Anthony Gould will have a role as both will contribute on special teams. Gould has an opportunity to be an X-factor in his rookie season with the new kickoff rule.
The potential is there in the receiving corps to elevate the level of respect they can earn from those outside of Indianapolis.
8. Tight Ends
Similar to the receiving corps, the Colts’ tight ends bring different styles of what they can provide to the offense. There is no clear-cut leader of the pack heading into training camp but all eyes are on Jelani Woods. After missing the 2023 season, the uber-athletic tight end has the potential to be a playmaker in Shane Steichen’s offense if he can stay on the field.
The positive for Indianapolis is they don’t need Woods to deliver this season. They still have quality receiving tight ends in Kylen Granson and Will Mallory. Then there is Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree, who are both plus-blockers and can provide value in the passing attack.
Each player can be a contributor in 2023 but the question is will Chris Ballard elect to keep all five on the 53-man roster or if one will be on the outside looking in by the end of the summer.
9. Running Backs
Indy’s backfield in Jonathan Taylor. With Zack Moss moving on in free agency and the team not electing to sign a veteran or select a running back in the draft, it is clear that he will be dominating the touches in 2024. The concern is, what if JT has to miss any time? As of now, it is a battle between Evan Hull, Trey Sermon, and Tyler Goodson for the RB2 role.
While Zavier Scott and UDFA rookie Trent Pennix will be looking to make a case in training camp. I do like what Hull can bring as a third-down back and what Sermon and Goodson showed when their numbers were called in 2023, there is still a bit of the unknown in the backfield beyond Taylor.
10. Linebackers
Linebacker is another top-heavy position group for Indianapolis that features Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed. The duo form one of the best linebacker tandems in the league but there are question marks for the depth behind them.
Ronnie Harrison Jr. is back in the money-backer role that he played in during the 2023 season. Jaylon Carlies was a college safety who is transitioning to linebacker and has an opportunity to overtake the money-backer role in the preseason.
The battle for the LB3 spot on the depth chart is something to monitor later this summer. Harrison Jr. and Carlies will make their case but the competition does include Segun Olubi who showed some positive things last season.
Special teams ace Grant Stuard along with players like Cameron McGrone and Liam Anderson will get a chance to push for a spot on the 53-man roster.
11. Cornerbacks
If the Colts are going to make a run in 2024 then they will need the cornerback room to go from a weakness to a strength. The group is headlined by one of the best nickel corners in the NFL in Kenny Moore II. His leadership on and off the field can’t be understated for Indy’s young secondary.
The upside for the cornerback room is there. JuJu Brents, Dallis Flowers, and Jaylon Jones all showed good things in 2023 but they need to stay healthy and show some consistency this season to be the players the front office is betting on them to be.
Fifth-round pick Jaylin Simpson will get a chance to compete for a role in the rotation at cornerback. He can play on the boundary or at nickel but also can go back to safety if the defense needs it.
All eyes will be on the competition for the boundary cornerback roles later this summer but players like Chris Lammons and Micah Abraham will be battling for the backup nickel role on the depth chart.
12. Safeties
Cornerback isn’t the only part of the secondary that Indianapolis is leaning young players to take the next step. Julian Blackmon is back in his strong safety role and when he is on the field he can make game-changing plays with his ability to get his hands on the ball. The biggest concern is that he has yet to play a full schedule.
The free safety role is currently going to come down to Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II. Cross flashed some potential at the end of 2023 he has the ability to be a starter but has to put it all together in his Year 3.
This is a group that can get a veteran added at some point this summer but if that doesn’t happen then players like Trevor Denbow, Michael Tutsie, Marcel Dabo, and Kendell Brooks have an open path to make the 53-man roster.
For more Colts coverage, check out Cody Manning's work on Sporting News.
