The offseason mistakes that led to the Colts 2022 downfall
By Brad Marr
Colts prioritized non-vital positions
Although there were some great acquisitions, retaining minimal production guys over necessary positions has come around to haunt Indianapolis. The tight end position was one of those occurrences, none to the fault of the players of course, but more or less the man behind the contracts.
Fulfilling the position seemed like a priority when Jack Doyle expectingly retired following the 2021 season. Prioritizing a player like Mo Alie-Cox who split playing time with 2021 draftee Kylen Granson, was a mistake. Entering the 2022 NFL draft with a similar mindset of filling the void at tight end made the mistake even worse. In the draft, Indy selected two tight ends.
Andrew Ogletree tore his ACL after an impressive training camp but fellow rookie tight end Jelani Woods has been a monster on the field. Additionally, Kylen Granson has looked more than capable as a starter. Now, the Colts are left with a contract on the books that they did not need whatsoever. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is corrected in the 2023 offseason.
What made matters worse was that in the prioritizing of tight end, the Colts fell thin on the offensive line. This caused players to struggle as the lineup changed practically weekly. Guys are playing out of position, some performing as badly as you can be on the field. I won’t name names, if you’ve been watching you know exactly who has struggled.
Veteran guards Chris Reed and Mark Glowinski, both staples of phenomenal performances in the previous year, both left via free agency. Retaining at least one of those guys should have been a priority over signing a low-caliber vertical threat tight end.