The Indianapolis Colts somehow managed to win nine games in 2023 despite being forced to start Gardner Minshew for 13 games, so expectations were reasonably high in 2024 *if* Anthony Richardson could boom in Year 2.

Unfortunately, that scenario didn't exactly play out the way the organization hoped, leading to plenty of Joe Flacco and an inconsistent overall offensive experience. The Colts couldn't build off a 4-3 start and wound up limping to an 8-9 finish.

The time for a true leap is now for Richardson and Head Coach Shane Steichen alike. Both leaders' seats are firmly en fuego ahead of their third year together. And as we know: Owner Jim Irsay isn't one to express much patience with his football team.

Today we'll recap some of the good and bad of 2024 before getting into potential offseason injuries to monitor as well as team needs ahead of the 2025 offseason.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 2024 RECAP

  • Record: 8-9 (7.5 preseason win total)
  • Points per game: 22.2 (17th)
  • EPA per dropback: -0.025 (24th)
  • EPA per rush: -0.071 (16th)
  • Points per game allowed: 25.1 (24th)
  • Leading passer: Anthony Richardson (1,814 pass yards, 8 TD, 12 INT)
  • Leading rusher: Jonathan Taylor (303 carries, 1,431 yards, 11 TD)
  • Leading receiver: Alec Pierce (37 receptions, 824 yards, 7 TD)

Biggest surprise: WR Alec Pierce

70 million dollar man Michael Pittman was expected to be the Colts' No. 1 WR in 2024. Or maybe second-year slot Josh Downs would take over. Hell, perhaps second rounder Adonai Mitchell was actually the best WR in the room.

In reality? None other than Alec Pierce wound up leading the 2024 Colts in receiving yards. The third-year field-stretching savant led the NFL in yards per reception (22.3) and yards per target (11.9) alike during his breakout campaign—and he looked good doing it!

Pierce will probably never be the sort of clear-cut No. 1 WR who pushes for 120-plus targets in a season; just realize his combination of deep speed and solid contested-catch ability makes for one helluva complementary option on the outside.

Biggest disappointment: QB Anthony Richardson

Richardson capped off his second drive of the season with maybe the single-best throw of 2024. Comeback victories over the Jets and Patriots later in the year showed off the clutch gene and the 22-year-old's ability to be an absolute bulldozer along the goal line.

And yet, the highs were unfortunately complemented by far too many lows, with the down point of the season being Richardson pulling himself off the field following a scramble because he was tired.

There was also the whole "easily the least accurate QB in the league" part of the equation.

 

Richardson's career 50.6% completion percentage is the fifth-lowest mark among 210 QBs with 300-plus pass attempts since 2000. This is NOT good company.

Now, Richardson has just 17 NFL starts to his name; maybe the best is still to come. Still, his performance through two seasons has hardly been good enough for the Colts to fully believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's the franchise's long-term answer under center.

Key injuries

The main fantasy-relevant injury to worry about this offseason concerns WR Michael Pittman, who played through a fractured back for quite a bit of 2024. Talk about one tough dude, and good news: It seems like he's going to be just fine. An early-January report noted that another scan was scheduled to determine if Pittman would need surgery, but GM Chris Ballard would later note that no surgery is needed. Yay!

What Are The Biggest Needs of the Colts Ahead Of 2025?

Team Need No. 1: Tight End

Indy has utilized a TE by committee system for quite some time, but suddenly key contributors Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson are hitting free agency. Throw in former third-rounder Jelani Woods' inability to stay healthy in recent years, and it's worth wondering if it's time for the franchise to make a real investment at the position.

Fantasy Life draft analysts Thor Nystrom and Matthew Freedman agree with this sentiment and both have the Colts selecting Penn State TE Tyler Warren. Thor's explanation from his latest mock draft:

"Let’s get Anthony Richardson more help. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder is a do-everything tight end. He’s a matchup nightmare in the slot, and he’s a decent blocker when deployed inline. Warren has 98 catches and only three drops this season.

Specialized usage is indicative of smart offensive staffs working overtime to scheme touches for special playmakers. During Brock Bowers’ three-year career at Georgia, he had 193 rushing yards and five TDs on 10.3 YPC. This season, Warren has 197 rushing yards and four TDs on 8.3 YPC. Earlier this fall, Warren even caught a TD pass on a trick play where he began as the center (with everyone else on the line aligned to his right)."

A beastly inline TE with the ability to work out of the slot. Sign me up!

Team Need No. 2: Secondary

Starting FS Julian Blackmon is hitting free agency, but honestly some upgrades are simply needed here all around. This was a bottom-10 defense in both EPA per dropback and explosive pass play rate allowed in 2024.

 

Overall, the Colts have the league's sixth fewest 2025 dollars devoted to their cornerback and safety rooms. They've only used one pick inside the first two rounds on a defensive back across the last five drafts combined; it's time to devote some extra resources to a defense that has allowed the third-most points in the league over the past three seasons.

Team Need No. 3: Pass Rush

This one is less of a financial problem: The Colts have the league's third-most 2025 dollars allotted to their defensive line at the moment.

Still, last year's performance simply wasn't good enough.

 

Overall, the Colts achieved the league's fifth-lowest pressure rate (29.1%) and had the eighth-longest average time to pressure. Now, the Colts did blitz at the seventh-lowest rate in the league, so perhaps new DC Lou Anarumo will be able to dial up some better pressure-friendly schemes in 2025 even if the Jim's and Joe's involved don't change much.