Entering Week 9, is 2023 already a lost season for the Colts?

The Indianapolis Colts are approaching the midpoint of the season and while the 3-5 start is not what the fans were hoping for, it was fairly expected by most analysts and pundits for the Colts to have some choppiness during the season. With several injuries and inconsistencies some fans believe this to already be a lost season.

There are several factors contributing to the belief. Let’s take a look at those factors and see if 2023 is actually a lost season for the Indianapolis Colts.

Promising draft class has underwhelmed

Now let’s preface this by first mentioning that the class has underwhelmed because of lack of playing time and injuries and not from a talent standpoint. An abnormally large 12 player class was drafted by Chris Ballard and staff this offseason. The organization was very aggressive in acquiring draft capital during the draft and turned it into promising players.

Fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Second-round pick JuJu Brents missed some time early in the season but then showed promise once making it onto the field, only to be sidelined again, this time with a quad injury. Third-round pick Josh Downs has shined this season and has become the best player in the draft class.

Day 3 selections have struggled to either see the field or just don’t have the full body of work yet with them. Tackle Blake Freeland and CB Jaylon Jones have seen some playing time and have performed well at times. As for the remainder of the class DT Adetomiwa Adebawore and TE Will Mallory have both played sparingly. RB Evan Hull, S Daniel Scott, DE Titus Leo, and OT Jake Witt are on IR with season ending injuries. Finally, fifth-round pick Darius Rush is no longer with the organization.