In an ongoing offseason series, experts from The 33rd Team offer three things each team can do to improve in 2023.
AFC: BAL | BUF | CIN | CLE | HOU | JAX | KC | LAC | LV | MIA | NE | NYJ | PIT | TEN
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Here are my three ways to improve the Indianapolis Colts moving forward for the 2023 NFL season.
3 Ways to Fix Colts
1. Solve the Riddle at Quarterback
The Colts have been on the quarterback carousel for the last four or five years. They have to go out and draft one of the quarterbacks in the 2023 draft. Which one? They’ll do their evaluations and due diligence during that process to pick somebody. They have to have somebody who can be the face of the franchise for the next decade.
>> READ: Who Should Colts Pick: Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?
2. Give That Rookie QB Weapons, Blockers
The Colts also have to put some weapons around whoever their new quarterback is and fix their offensive line. It’s no mystery they really struggled with the line last year in protecting the quarterback, with 60 sacks given up, which led to a ton of turnovers. They were last in turnover differential in the NFL last season at -13.
They do have some good young receivers in Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and free agents Parris Campbell and Ashton Dulin. I think you should add a veteran guy, maybe a legit No. 1, although Pittman is trending in that direction, but get another wide receiver and some weapons to surround this new quarterback with.
3. Solidify Special Teams After Losing Ventrone
Bubba Ventrone was a key coach. He was hired there in 2018, and since then they have ranked in the top 10 of [longtime sports writer] Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings all but one year, and finished as high as No. 2 during that span. He’s an excellent coach who is now with the Cleveland Browns.
This hire on special teams, whoever they bring in to replace him, is going to be huge so they can maintain that consistency they had under Ventrone.
Chuck Pagano is a former NFL head coach and assistant. He is best known for his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts where he won two straight AFC North titles.
