Defense isn't a perceived strength of the Indianapolis Colts heading into the 2024 NFL season, at least according to Bleacher Report, who recently included the Colts in a ranking of the league's five worst defenses.
The Colts were ranked as having the fourth-worst defense in the NFL, on paper, entering the new season. The Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers were the three teams ranked ahead of Indianapolis.
Questions about the secondary
When it comes to the Colts, the secondary remains a major question mark, as noted by Bleacher Report:
"The Indianapolis Colts surrendered the fifth-most points per game (24.4) last year and didn't do much to improve the unit during the offseason. . . Indianapolis used most of its cap space in free agency to re-sign a few in-house players, including linebacker Zaire Franklin and nickel corner Kenny Moore II. While that is a couple of good moves to avoid creating more holes on the roster, the front office didn't address the team's needs in the secondary.
". . . That leaves JuJu Brents as the Colts' presumptive No. 1 corner heading into the fall, which is putting a lot of faith into a guy with only nine games of experience. Also, the team has a big question mark on the other side, and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley hasn't had a top-20 unit in points per game since 2019."
The Colts defense will have an excellent opportunity to prove doubters (like the people at Bleacher Report) wrong in 2024. Just beacuse an area doesn't seem to be a strength on paper doesn't mean that's how it will actually play out on the field.
Young players like JuJu Brents will get a chance to step up for the Colts next season, and if they're able to excel, the defense could be better than expected.