Colts preview: Andrew Luck's supporting cast gets a shakeup
Training camps are still in the distance, but USA TODAY Sports is providing five things you need to know about every team in the NFL to catch you up on the offseason. Today, the Indianapolis Colts ...
1. There's significant turnover throughout the roster
Out with the old, in with the new. First-year general manager Chris Ballard has overhauled more than half of the roster since taking over in January, trading the team’s starting tight end (Dwayne Allen) and boldly revamping an aging, unproductive defense. The Colts will feature as many as 15 new starters in 2017, including two specialists. The defense will look nothing like it did a year ago, and that’s the idea, considering Indianapolis finished 30th in total defense, its worst season statistically since moving to the city from Baltimore in 1984.
2. Andrew Luck’s status is still unclear
The highest-paid player in football ($23.3 million per season) — and the Colts’ most valuable asset — went under the knife in January. Andrew Luck had successful surgery on the labrum in his throwing shoulder, and the team expects its star quarterback to be ready for the Sept. 10 season opener in Los Angeles against the Rams. But Luck will miss the offseason program, and his status for the start of training camp remains in jeopardy.
MORE COVERAGE:
Five things to know about every NFL team in the 2017 offseason
Five things to know about every NFL team in the 2017 offseason
3. Gore is chasing history
Frank Gore defies the stereotypes that surround his position. He is the last of a dying breed, the ageless franchise running back who’s still churning those legs at 34. In 2016, Gore became the first Colts running back in nine years to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a season — and he did so behind one of the league’s most inconsistent offensive lines. This coming season is Gore’s last under contract with the Colts. Gore sits eighth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. Another 1,000-yard campaign would vault him to fifth place.
4. The offensive line might finally be making progress
A headache for this franchise since 2012, the Colts’ porous and inconsistent offensive line finally started to show signs of improvement late in the 2016 season. After yielding 31 sacks in the first eight games, the unit allowed 13 over the final half of the season. The Colts have spent five draft picks on linemen, dating to 2016, including a fourth-rounder this year on Southern California’s Zach Banner, a 6-8, 353-pounder. They’re anticipating the arrival of the payoff soon.
5. The youth movement has begun
The Colts said goodbye to as many as six defensive starters who were 30 or older last season. Ballard spent six of his eight draft picks on defense in the draft. Key among them: first-round pick Malik Hooker, a safety out of Ohio State, and Quincy Wilson, a cornerback from Florida whom the Colts grabbed in the second round. Don’t be shocked if both are starters in Week 1.
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Zak Keefer also writes for the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network
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