If one is to assess Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen on his record, he has to be the epitome of mediocrity. He is one game under .500 in three seasons, though some of the other numbers are far worse. Still, his recent ranking of No. 15 among NFL head coaches seems right.
That is where NBC Sports' Patrick Daugherty (also known as RotoPat) has Steichen listed among league head coaches. No. 1 is the Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay, which makes sense, and last among veteran (non-first-year) head coaches is Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets at No. 22.
Steichen easily could have been ranked lower. He is 7-22 in his tenure against teams with winning records at the time Indy played them. That is, clearly, awful.
Indianapolis Colts' Shane Steichen is not the reason the team is struggling
But in Daugherty's written opinion, he states, in part, "Talk inevitably turns to things beyond Steichen’s control. Were GM Chris Ballard’s 'lost years' more about late owner Jim Irsay than himself? Will new owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon run a more traditional operation, giving Steichen more stability and leeway? The early returns on both of those questions are 'no'..."
To be sure, what Daugherty means by "lost years" is unknown. He's held the job of general manager since 2017, six years before Steichen was hired. He had plenty of time to right the ship before the latest head coach was hired.
As far as ownership giving Steichen more "leeway," that is also unclear. This is the same article, after all, where Mike Macdonald is cited for his decision to start Sam Darnold, when that decision was made by general manager John Schneider, and the Miami Dolphins "recycling" Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett, for the record, works for the Arizona Cardinals, not Miami.
Still, Daugherty does bring up the real issues with Shane Steichen's run as head coach since 2023. The coach has no real control over his own team. Lou Anarumo is the defensive coordinator and is completely in charge of that side of the ball. Chris Ballard makes the roster decisions, and Steichen just has to do his best with Ballard's work.
That all leads to the obvious: Would Steichen appear to be a better head coach under a new general manager? Maybe. The Indianapolis Colts could have let Ballard go this offseason and kept Steichen, but it wouldn't be surprising if Indy misses the playoffs yet again in 2026, the head coach leaves, and, maddeningly, the general manager is still around.
While Shane Steichen is far from an elite head coach, the problems with the team are not his doing. They are the doing of Chris Ballard. If Steichen is let go and Ballard stays, the next head coach will have the same problems.