On paper, the Indianapolis Colts have all the tools needed to make a deep run in the postseason. With a new quarterback in Carson Wentz, a solid head coach in Frank Reich, and one of the deepest rosters in the league, Indy looks set to exert their will on one of the weaker divisions in football.
However, the Colts have several hoops that they need to jump through before they can officially be considered a contender in the wide-open AFC, as there are some open wounds on this team that are still very much festering despite the fact that Chris Ballard has spent a ton of time patching up the holes.
Given the lack of depth in some areas on defense and all of the moving parts that were brought in during the offensive overhaul, the Colts’ plans for domination of this division could be unstitched if any one of those components in question starts to falter.
If one of these four plans starts to come unglued, the Colts may not achieve their goals of winning the division or advancing further in the playoffs.
These 4 Colts plans could go haywire…quickly.
4. “The Young Colts Pass Rush Will Hit Ground Running”
The Colts decided to continue their youth movement on the defensive side of the ball. While they parted ways with Justin Houston, they chose to replace him by signing Isaac Rochell away from the Chargers and using their first two draft picks on defensive linemen in Michigan’s Kwity Paye and Vanderbilt’s Dayo Odeyingbo.
The Colts are putting a ton of pressure on Paye, as Odeyingbo will miss large chunks of the season as he works his way back from an Achilles injury, and Rochell has never been elite at getting to the quarterback. That may not be the wisest strategy that this team has ever concocted.
Michigan DE Kwity Paye has been selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 21 overall pick in the #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/wPybpMmzly
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 30, 2021
The Colts still need to work on their pass rush.
Paye had a solid career at Michigan, but it is undeniable that the reason he went this high in the draft was his potential, not the on-field product. He’s a great athlete, but expecting a guy who struggled to pile up sacks in the Big Ten to beat elite tackles in the NFL from the jump is a very unusual way of thinking.
Indianapolis has drafted well over the years, but they have struggled with regard to finding pass rushers. If Paye’s play doesn’t warrant snaps early on, he could end up being buried behind fellow young players like Ben Banogu, Kemoko Turay, and Tyquan Lewis. Offensive lines won’t fear that group.