Derek Schultz: The Colts coaching search may be over, but their offseason makeover is just beginning

This column is not going to be about new Colts head coach Shane Steichen.

In today’s constant NFL news cycle, even calling him “new” is a reach, given that Steichen was officially introduced to Indianapolis media and fans 10 days before the publishing of this piece. Most of you have already gorged yourselves on Steichen’s offensive tendencies, coaching philosophies and his random connections to Colts of the past (Austin Collie! Remember him?), so I won’t further flare up your indigestion.

Instead, with the head coaching decision being the end point of a 36-day search, it’s time to finally shift the focus to several other crucial items on the Colts’ menu in their most important offseason in recent memory. It’s important to note that no coach is a wonder drug for an ailing franchise that finished last season as the worst team in football and hasn’t won the league’s worst division in eight years.

Several more boxes still need to be checked before the Colts can shift into drive and move into contention after nearly a decade mostly stuck in neutral. Critical decisions on additions and subtractions loom, and if those decisions fail, it won’t matter if Steichen is the second coming of Vince Lombardi, Nick Saban or John freaking Wooden.

The Colts believe they have their head coach solution. Now, can they give him a roster and quarterback to develop so the team can become more than a perennial NFL also-ran?

Who’s staying?

Outside free agency isn’t a pool the Colts have taken much of a swim in during the Chris Ballard era. Retaining and rewarding their homegrown talent has been the priority of the seventh-year general manager (feels weird to say seventh year, doesn’t it?), so in-house free agency holds far more significance in Indianapolis than it does in other places around the league. While the Colts thankfully don’t have any big name, “OMG YOU HAVE TO KEEP HIM!” guys, they have several key contributors who will no longer be under contract when the new league year begins in a few weeks.

Bobby Okereke’s case is particularly fascinating. Earning under $1 million AAV (average annual value) on his rookie deal signed in 2019, the Colts linebacker is due a hefty pay raise. The Colts already have significant money sunk into Shaquille Leonard, who signed a $98.5 million extension heading into last season, and $10 million more committed to leading tackler Zaire Franklin, who is locked up through 2024. With so much repetition at the position, it’s hard to see the Colts retaining Okereke, unless they’re convinced Leonard’s back is going to deteriorate.

Okereke was a key contributor, but not an irreplaceable one—the same distinction that many on the Colts’ free agency list share. You’d like to see Ballard bring back Parris Campbell coming off a healthy (finally) and productive season, but the soon-to-be 26-year-old receiver likely isn’t ever going to be the game-breaker he was thought to be coming into the league. You’d also like to see kicker Chase McLaughlin, veteran safety Rodney McLeod, and core reserves/special teamers Ashton Dulin and E.J. Speed return, but none of them is worth losing any sleep over.

Who’s going?

After sounding the celebratory trumpets for being The Cap Space Champions of the NFL last offseason, the Colts ended up with little to show for it. They have significantly less wiggle room this spring, at $11 million in space. That figure ranks them only middle of the road (13th) for NFL teams in this market, but the number could increase should the Colts decide to move off a few highly paid veterans.

Matt Ryan is the most obvious candidate in that discussion. Benched twice in 2022, Ryan will turn 38 in a few months and seems to have no future with the team. Ryan has said he still wants to play, and why would he say anything to the contrary? He’s due $29 million next season—$12 million of that is guaranteed, and he’ll get almost $15 million in further guarantees if he’s still on the roster in mid-March. If I’m staring that pile of money in the face, there’s no way I’m making the decision to walk away, either. A release feels most likely because paying that amount for a veteran mentor is a luxury this team can’t afford.

Whenever the dust settles on Ryan, the Colts could decide to move Leonard, Kenny Moore or Ryan Kelly. Leonard might be too difficult to trade given his contract and the uncertainty about his health. Coming off a forgettable 2022 season, Moore has been a popular trade-rumor inclusion in a potential Indy-Chicago draft-pick swap, having flourished in Bears head coach Matt Eberflus’ system when the two were in Indianapolis together. The cornerback is entering the final year of his deal and has no dead money tied to him, so he’s also a potential cut candidate. So is Kelly, who, despite being one of the league’s highest-paid centers, has declined over the last two seasons and would provide $8 million in cap savings if released.

Who’s coming?

There will be position coaches to coax, outside free agents to sign, and other draft selections to make as the Colts roster inevitably undergoes some needed changes over the next two months, but no decision will be as important as the one at quarterback.

The fact that the Colts are drafting a QB with their top selection has become such a non-secret that Jim Irsay openly joked about it in Steichen’s introductory press conference with a “The Alabama guy doesn’t look bad” quip, and the next day on Twitter, when he alluded to his relationship with the Bears, who are potential trade partners as owners of the No. 1 pick.

That “Alabama guy” is Bryce Young, who most draft pundits regard as the top prospect in the class, but he’s followed closely by Ohio State standout C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and the tantalizing-but-raw Anthony Richardson of Florida.

Steichen has worked with very different quarterbacks over the years, scheming around the immobile Philip Rivers, overseeing Justin Herbert’s Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, and aiding in Jalen Hurts’ dramatic accuracy improvement, while crafting effective offenses with both the Chargers and Eagles. With Steichen’s wide-ranging quarterback resume, it’s a challenge to pinpoint who the pick will be—perhaps the Colts don’t even know yet themselves.

Regardless, there’s no way to overstate the importance of the quarterback decision as the Colts have floundered in the post-Andrew Luck era, cycling through four starters in the last four years. Indy’s new head coach has shown he can maximize virtually anyone at the position, but if he’s handed the next Zach Wilson, Josh Rosen or Mitchell Tribusky, then … welp. Good luck! Steichen might end up being a great coach, but no coach is a magician.

The thorough process when selecting a head coach, Indy’s first in a bevy of critical decisions this offseason, might have felt tedious, but with over two months to go before the NFL Draft and six months before training camp commences in Westfield, this process is just getting started.

Colts fans can tolerate more tedium, but they can no longer tolerate mediocrity.•

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From Peyton Manning’s peak with the Colts to the Pacers’ most recent roster makeover, Schultz has talked about it all as a sports personality in Indianapolis for more than 15 years. Besides his written work with IBJ, he’s active in podcasting and show hosting. You can follow him on Twitter, @Schultz975.