The Colts have a well-rounded roster, but these position battles will be key to watch.
Heading into the 2020 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts figure to be even more competitive than they were last year. Perhaps the division crown is even more achievable, with the Houston Texans getting worse, and the Tennessee Titans facing pressure to repeat their 2019 success.
When you look at the Colts on paper, honestly, they have an extremely well-balanced roster. However, there are a few starting positions that will be up for grabs when training camp rolls around next week.
Here are the battles fans should be keeping their eyes on over the next month or so.
3. Kicker
Adam Vinatieri is all but officially gone, and the Colts need a new kicker.
For some reason, the door has not been fully closed on Adam Vinatieri, but many Colts fans would agree that should have been the case last year. The 48-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2019 after putting together a career-worst campaign. Perhaps the injury played a significant role, but it’s clear the page is turning.
Indy re-signed Chase McLaughlin and then brought in undrafted free agent Rodrigo Blankenship, who was the best kicker in the nation, out of Georgia. That smells like a fierce kicking competition to us.
McLaughlin went 5-for-6 on field goal attempts and 11-for-11 on XPs with the Colts in four games last year, hitting two 50+ yarders in the process. As for Blankenship, he didn’t miss a single XP throughout his college career and converted field goals at an 82.5% clip (don’t forget the wide hash marks in the NCAA make it harder).
We don’t know who will be kicking for the Colts in 2020, but it probably won’t be Vinatieri.
2. Tight End
Jack Doyle is still in Indy, but the Colts signed Trey Burton this offseason.
We know Frank Reich loves to use two tight ends, as we saw last year with Doyle and Eric Ebron, which explains why they signed Trey Burton after he was released by the Chicago Bears.
But could we have a battle at the position now that Burton is (we think) back to full health? He endured injuries in 2019, which limited him to eight games, but don’t forget about his career year with Mitchell Trubisky as his QB in 2018.
Yes, Doyle is a two-time Pro Bowler, but injuries limited him in 2018,, and despite getting a Pro Bowl nod in 2019, he hasn’t come close to sniffing his career-best numbers from 2016 and 2017. Perhaps the addition of Philip Rivers will help, but Doyle isn’t getting a free pass here just because he recently signed a contract extension.
Doyle has the size advantage, but Burton has the athleticism. Maybe there won’t be a surefire starting tight end in this offense, but it will matter who’s getting more snaps.
1. Wide Receiver No. 2
The Colts drafted Michael Pittman out of USC early in the second round.
TY Hilton will be the top dog in the receiving corps, we know that, but who’s going to come after him? Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal certainly showed potential in 2019, but then the Colts went out and drafted star USC WR Michael Pittman in the second round a few months ago.
Looking at his highlight reel, it’s clear Pittman has the skills to be a starter on Day 1, but he won’t have it easy competing with these guys. Pascal, who played his college ball at Old Dominion, logged over 600 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year. Campbell is a slot guy, so it’s doubtful he’ll be competing directly with Pittman, but reps are reps.
Pascal’s breakout year will make things tougher on Pittman, though the Rivers signing complicates things, as both wideouts will have to establish a relationship with the new quarterback. Still, Pascal figures to have the edge since he faced NFL defenses last year and made his mark, while Pittman, who did dominate, went up against the weak Pac-12.
We’re sure Reich will find plenty of snaps for Pittman throughout the year, but all eyes will be on who takes the WR2 job between now and Week 1.