Colts offense ranked abysmally low in post-draft rankings

In a recent ranking of NFL offenses following the 2023 Draft, the Indianapolis Colts are ranked near the bottom, as they try to turn things around.

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a disastrous offensive season. After trading for Matt Ryan last season, Indy entered the 2022 season with high expectations. After having the league’s best rushing attack with Jonathan Taylor in 2021, the belief was that Ryan would help provide some stability in the passing offense. Unfortunately, everything fell apart.

That top rushing offense disappeared as the offensive line mysteriously declined, and Ryan couldn’t do much in the passing game as he was constantly under pressure. In the end, Indy’s 2022 offense was just an unproductive unit that struggled to gain a single yard at times, and frequently turned the ball over.

That's why the Colts made changes this offseason. The two biggest changes were moving on from Frank Reich and Matt Ryan, in order to hire Shane Steichen and draft Anthony Richardson. Now, with some new promising pieces on the offense, where would Indy’s offense rank in the league?

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report answered this in a recent piece ranking all 32 offenses following the draft. For Indianapolis, Ballentine ranked Indy’s offense one spot from the bottom at No. 31.

Colts ranked second-worst offense in the NFL

Unlike Indy’s defense’s low ranking, which was unfair, this ranking for the offense makes a lot of sense. Ballentine admits that with Richardson and Steichen, the future is bright for the Colts offense. However, Ballentine expects year one of this duo to have an unsteady season filled with growing pains.

That seems to be what everyone thinks. There’s no denying Steichen’s offensive prowess and Richardson’s high ceiling, but sometimes, things take time. The good news is, Indy’s offense has its best set of weapons in recent years. With Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, promising third-round receiver Josh Downs, and the deep tight end room, Steichen and Richardson have a lot to work with.

However, everything hinges on the offensive line. The o-line was the offense’s biggest problem last season, and unless the unit improved, the offense will continue to struggle and Anthony Richardson’s development will be stunted. The offensive line is the key to Indy’s offensive ranking improving.

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