Between now and the end of August, TGS will offer up a quick snapshot of every NFL team heading into the 2016 regular season. Today, the Indianapolis Colts.
2015 in a nutshell: Young stud quarterback Andrew Luck has his season derailed by injuries as the Colts fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Why 2016 could be different: Luck is supposedly healthy, and the Colts drafted a stud center to help protect him.
Major additions: That stud center is named Ryan Kelly, and he was selected 18th overall in April’s draft. He’s been hampered of late by a shoulder injury but is expected to be a Week 1 starter in the middle. They also brought in veteran defensive back Patrick Robinson.
Major losses: Starters Coby Fleener and Jerell Freeman signed elsewhere, but they’re pretty confident Dwayne Allen can blossom as the regular starting tight end and they have plenty of depth at linebacker with Robert Mathis, Sio Moore, D’Qwell Jackson and Erik Walden.
Breakout watch: Kelly’s getting a lot of attention, but look for rookie second-round pick T.J. Green to earning a starting role and bust out immediately. Green might have been a major steal in the middle of the second round.
Position to watch: Old man Frank Gore returns for another year as the “lead back,” but the 32-year-old will have to pace himself. And there’s always a risk he falls off this year, especially with his average dropping from 4.3 in 2013 to 3.7 in 2014. They had one of the worst running games in football last year, and they know that for Luck’s sake they have to do a better job maintaining offensive balance. They brought in Robert Turbin and Jordan Todman in free agency, so we’ll see if either if of those 26-year-old vets can help out.
Prediction: Luck’s passer rating was improving by 10 points per year before everything hit the fan in 2015. I think they go out of their way to keep him healthy this year and he gets back on track with a triple-digit passer rating, leading Indy back to the playoffs with an AFC South title.
