Stampede Blue
Post-Draft analysis of the Colts’ depth chart, keeping in mind that there are changes coming to it
Even though veteran Daniel Jones was signed in free-agency, this is still Anthony Richardson’s job to lose. Now entering his third season as a pro, it is basically do or die for him as the potential Colts’ franchise quarterback. He has to step up both on the playing field and off of it too, making sure his work ethic and leadership leave nothing to be questioned. He also faces the tall task of not missing any games due to injury. If Anthony Richardson manages to become a consistent starter, then the Colts’ offense will be near unstoppable, but it is somewhat confusing because Richardson’s skillset is much better suited for a gunslinger approach, while this offense seems made for a “game-manager” type of quarterback, but that is an issue for another article. Backup Daniel Jones is really hard to judge, a former 1st round pick that never really developed into a serviceable NFL quarterback, over his past 16 starts Jones has thrown for 2979 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He was released after ten starts last season, before spending some time in the Vikings’ practice squad.
Riley Leonard was drafted to replace Sam Ehlinger as the young third option. It will be very interesting watching Leonard play in preseason, because while he is technically the third quarterback on the depth chart, the guys above him have plenty of history either with injuries or being benched/demoted to scout team’s safety. However, that might not be for the best as Leonard could really use one or two seasons to continue his development.
Comeback season for Jonathan Taylor, who had an amazing second half last year, save for that dropped touchdown against the Broncos that one could argue was perhaps the worst play in recent Colts’ history given the context of the game. Leaving that out, JT hit his stride the final three games of the year, with a combined 520 yards and 6 touchdowns. With him the Colts have their workhorse back and undisputed starter.
Herbert and Giddens are both an improvement over last season’s backup Trey “Yard-per-carry” Sermon, with Goodson serving as the pass-catching specialist (which is ironic because he dropped the ball on the second worst play in Colts’ recent history against the Texans on fourth down). Herbert was a very productive back his first three seasons in the NFL, and if JT misses a game it will be interesting watching Giddens step up. I would have liked another veteran at the position, as once again the Colts will be relying mostly on JT staying healthy.
Warren somehow fell all the way to the Colts at #14, as Ballard managed to not only fill the...
