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NFL.com: Colts have League’s Most Improved Receiving Corps

By Luke Schultheis

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According to NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, the Indianapolis Colts have the league’s most improved receiving corps heading into this season:

"1) Indianapolis ColtsIt is hard to imagine how the NFL’s top-ranked passing offense could significantly improve, but the Colts have added a number of weapons to the receiving corps that should make the aerial attack nearly impossible to defend in 2015. From adding a classic WR1 (Andre Johnson) to inserting another dynamic playmaker on the perimeter (Phillip Dorsett), general manager Ryan Grigson has surrounded Andrew Luck with enough weapons to allow the young gunslinger to throw the ball all over the yard.Johnson, a 13th-year pro with seven 1,000-yard seasons and 64 career touchdown grabs, gives Luck a big-bodied receiver to target in key situations. Although he is no longer a top-five wideout at this stage of his career, Johnson remains a tough guard on the perimeter due to his combination of size, strength and route-running ability. He still has the capacity to overpower defensive backs with his physicality, yet exhibits soft hands and exceptional ball skills in big spots. If opponents elect to focus their efforts on slowing down T.Y. Hilton with double-coverage, Johnson gives Luck a reliable option to target on the back side.Dorsett was a surprising first-round selection for the Colts, given their wealth of talent in the pass-catching department, but his explosiveness adds another element to Indy’s passing attack. The speedster will blow the top off coverages, creating huge windows for Hilton and Johnson running intermediate routes underneath him. If Luck can routinely hook up with Dorsett on vertical routes, the Colts will force opponents to back off their aggressive coverage tactics, allowing Indianapolis to take advantage of open windows available in conservative schemes.The continued development of Donte Moncrief could create additional headaches for opponents. The second-year pro is a big-bodied playmaker with explosive speed, quickness and burst. With Moncrief having flashed big-play ability (three receptions of 40-plus yards) in limited action last season, the Colts can attack the most favorable one-on-one matchup in spread formations.Considering the bold moves to upgrade the personnel around a blossoming top-tier receiver (Hilton), it is hard to dispute that the Colts have the most improved receiving corps heading into the season."

With the additions of proven veteran Andre Johnson and rookie burner Phillip Dorsett, the Colts have clearly made significant improvements to their receiving corps from last season, where departed veterans like Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks were routinely ineffective.

By pairing the aforementioned duo with star wideout T.Y. Hilton, as well as emerging 2nd-year pro Donte Moncrief, the Colts have seemingly stacked the deck at wideout in anticipation of this season.

Not to mention, former CFL standout Duron Carter, who Brooks somewhat suprisingly omitted, has also been shining in training camp practices and could also be in the mix during 3 or 4-wide receiver sets.

Either way, the Colts are loaded at wideout for their superstar quarterback Andrew Luck and have made significant improvements from last season. It’s worth noting that the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks also made the Top 5 from worst to best behind the Colts respectively.

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