You have probably seen multiple writers/bloggers give their take on what they think the Colts need to do with their offseason to become true contenders. You have read them and agreed or read them and thought that person was way off base. That’s how I have felt about some of them I have read. However, I tend to agree with a lot of the opinions people have on the subject at hand. The key areas that must be addressed are offensive line, pass rush, and cornerback. Those are the three top needs for this team heading into this offseason.
The offensive line is priority number one. I don’t care what people think about the pass rush or running back positions, if the offensive line isn’t fixed this offseason then we can all kiss another season goodbye. That’s all there is to it. The offensive line got three quarterbacks hurt this past season and the other two that played had fear in their eyes playing behind them. It’s easy to say that the offensive line needs addressed, but what particular positions need addressed? Right tackle, right guard and center have to have better talent playing there for the 2016 season. If those three spots aren’t shored up then you can bet that Luck will be running for his life again next season and Gore will have a good, but not great, season once again. So that means either finding people in free agency or the draft that can make an immediate impact.
Khaled Homles and Jonathan Harrison are capable back-ups, but they just aren’t week in and week out starters. Sorry Grigson, you swung and hit a single on those two guys. Hugh Thornton looks brilliant one minute and like hot garbage the next. He is so inconsistent you can’t trust him to be the starter. Joe Reitz is the only guy that I trust on the offensive line besides Castonzo and Mewhort. Reitz, in my opinion, can be a starter at right tackle or right guard with little problem. He did pretty well handling J.J. Watt when the Colts played the Texans this past season and that is a huge test for anyone. Though I like Reitz at right guard better than right tackle. So if you share my point of view then the Colts really only need to find two guys to fix the offensive line. Guys like Stefen Wisnewski or Andre Smith would be decent pick up via free agency or they could look younger at Nick Martin (C, Notre Dame) or Jack Conklin (OT, Michigan State) through the draft. Either way there are options for the team to make this offensive line better in a hurry.
As far as pass rush goes I don’t think it’s as bad as people say it is. Trent Cole was a busted signing and Werner is a first round bust. Newsome has the potential to be a great pass rusher, but I think he bought into his own hype after a good rookie season and couldn’t get out of his own way as this past season progressed. Mathis is aging quickly and that is who the Colts have relied on to get the pass rush going. That cannot happen next season. Newsome will need to return to form and Mathis will need to guide the young man down the right path. At the end of the day some help is still needed to make it as solid as it needs to be. I prefer to go with free agents when building the pass rush and possibly mixing in one more younger guy to learn and grow. Bruce Irvin, Courtney Upshaw, and Mario Williams could provide some solid depth and boost a pass rush that was 22nd in the league this past season if the price is right.
When I say cornerbacks I should specify that I mean that need for one solid cornerback at this point and time. I feel the safety spot is good to go for at least one more year and Vontae Davis is a perennial pro-bowler. Greg Toler will be gone and D’Joun Smith can’t quite be trusted yet. I feel that Smith could take over the slot corner position from Darius Butler and work his way to the outside, but Butler is far from being good on the outside as we’ve seen in the past. This draft has some great talent at the top end at the cornerback position and I feel that the majority of that talent will be gone by the time the Colts pick in the first round. With Sean Smith, Leon Hall, and Casey Hayward surely to hit the open market the Colts could sign one of these veterans to play along side Davis to have better solidarity than they did when Toler was on the field.
I know that the combine is still to come and some sleepers will creep in and possibly gain some much needed notoriety to ascend up the draft boards of every team, but I do feel that this draft should be used to find a couple of guys that can play immediately and then find those diamonds in the rough that can take over when the older guys finally call it quits. Guys like Clayton Geathers and Jonathan Newsome are the players that I hope to see the Colts targeting in the later rounds unless someone falls and you can’t pass them up. I think by adding some real solid veterans for one more season this team can make the run we all thought they would make this past one. If I’m wrong I will be the first to say I was wrong, but there is plenty of great talent that will hit the free agent market and it will make the Colts draft much easier if they don’t have to worry about filling a spot of need with an unproven player.
