The Indianapolis Colts appear to be an undervalued club entering the 2024 NFL season. Many NFL fans stopped paying attention to the Colts after Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. However, that did not prevent Indianapolis from enjoying a good season. Without their rookie quarterback, the Colts finished 9-8, just one game behind the AFC South champion Houston Texans. Indianapolis’ 2024 opponents can ignore the Colts at their peril.
The Colts have kept their foot on the throttle this offseason, adding a plethora of talent that might help the team in 2024. To begin, they kept some of their top players. They re-signed Michael Pittman Jr., Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore II, and Grover Stewart to multi-year contracts. Indy certainly wants to retain their core together going ahead.
Indianapolis’ free agency was primarily about retaining their own players. However, this did not prevent them from increasing depth to a few locations. Their greatest signing was quarterback Joe Flacco, who will serve as Anthony Richardson’s mentor and backup. Flacco was a hero in 2023, joining the Cleveland Browns and leading them to the playoffs. He received the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Colts also acquired defensive tackle Raekwon Davis to a one-year contract to add depth up the middle.
The 2024 NFL Draft provided the Colts with even more talent. Indianapolis used their first-round pick on UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. They also added another offensive weapon, second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell from Texas. The rest of their selections were primarily for the offensive line and defense.
These moves put the Colts in a position to compete in the suddenly dangerous AFC South. However, several of their offseason moves are very hazardous. Let’s look at two of the Colts’ riskiest offseason choices and how they could affect the team’s 2024 season.
On one side, Joe Flacco is an excellent mentor for Anthony Richardson. He is an experienced NFL quarterback who demonstrated that he still understands the game in 2023. Flacco should be an important part of Richardson’s growth, acting as another member of the coaching staff during practices, in the film room, and on the sidelines on Sundays. If this succeeds, it has the potential to be extremely effective.
However, this could backfire on Indy. Richardson already has an injury history in the NFL, and he has stated that he will not adjust his playing style due to injury worries. That’s fine if you feel his injuries was a freak accident. However, if you relate the injury, even partially, to his playing style, you should be concerned.
If Richardson is absent for an extended amount of time, Joe Flacco will be forced to step in. Flacco demonstrated his ability to be a quality quarterback in 2023, but it will be a difficult assignment for a 39-year-old in a new system. There is no assurance that Flacco can replicate last year’s performance in Indianapolis.
Laiatu Latu could have an extremely brief NFL career.
Latu was a divisive draft prospect because of his unusual injury history.
He had a neck injury during the 2020 season at Washington and was out the entire season. Latu also missed the whole 2021 season as physicians at UW refused to allow him to play due to a neck issue. In fact, the medical team at UW urged Latu to quit from football due to medical reasons. Latu later revealed that he underwent neck fusion surgery.
That was not good enough for Latu. He transferred from the University of Washington to UCLA and finished his college career with two absolutely monster seasons. Latu received the Lombardi Award as the nation’s best college lineman during his senior year. He also led the FBS in tackles for loss (21.5) and had 13 sacks, two interceptions, and 49 tackles in just 12 games.
Latu’s talent level is comparable to that of T.J. Watt. He is a fantastic athlete and a savvy edge rusher.
However, the elephant in the room is his injury history. His 2020 neck injury almost ruined his football career. It is widely assumed that his NFL career will be shorter than most because another neck injury could force him out of the league permanently.
All of this puts the Colts in an unusual situation. Do you try to manage Latu’s snaps to keep him healthy? Do you overlook his injury history and treat him just like any other player? It’s easy to see how each option has obvious disadvantages.
Ultimately, Colts fans will be unconcerned about Latu’s injury history if he remains healthy and continues to produce monster numbers. It’s simply a matter of how long he can keep it up.
