INDIANAPOLIS – The gang’s all back. In what must be considered an aberration in the ever-shifting NFL, the Indianapolis Colts have all 22 starters – along with their special teams triumvirate – back for 2024. Colts working on draft pick signings; here’s what to expec The Colts have a track record of leaning on top-tier special teams players: George Odum, Zach Pascal, Zaire Franklin, Matt Adams, E.J. Speed, Grant Stuard, Dulin, etc. Dulin should find himself in a difficult battle to earn a spot in the receivers room, although his special teams status is an undeniable advantage. The receivers gr ..read more

Offseason work continues for the Colts, who will welcome the newbies for rookie minicamp this weekend (3:00). Dave Griffiths, Mike Chappell, and Matt Adams discuss that and more in this edition of the Colts Blue Zone Podcast. The NFL will soon unveil its schedule for the 2024 season. The hosts discuss Indy's strength of schedule and look at their opponents for the upcoming season ahead of the schedule announcement (12:05). After that, Zaire Franklin grabs some headlines with his comments about the Colts-Texans rivalry, making sure to set CJ Stroud straight on where things stand between the AFC ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS – Absent first-hand, eyes-on evidence, we’ll defer to the video and teammate observations. And recent video regarding Anthony Richardson is encouraging ..read more

In this episode of the Colts Blue Zone Podcast, Mike Chappell, Dave Griffiths and Matt Adams take a pick-by-pick look at the Indianapolis Colts in the 2024 Draft. Was it again another "Very Chris Ballard Draft?" You bet! Warning: Lots of talk about Relative Athletic Scores. The show starts off with some comments about Kwity Paye before moving on to a discussion about each and every pick in the 2024 draft and where they fit in with the team. Here's the rundown: Round 1 (15th overall): Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA (3:18) Round 2 (52nd overall): Adonai “AD” Mitchell, WR, Texas (14:04) Round 3 (79th ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS – Chris Ballard backed up his words with action. The conviction: You can never have too many pass rushers. The consequence: The Indianapolis Colts on Thursday picked up the fifth-year option on 2021 first-round draft pick Kwity Paye’s rookie contract. The option is worth a guarantee of approximately $13.4 million in 2025. Paye has a $2.52 million base salary this season. “You talk about trust, right? There’s a man that you trust,’’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said prior to the announcement of the team’s decision on Paye. “On the edge, does things right, comes to w ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS – Chris Ballard and his scouting staff do the exhaustive legwork in the months leading into the draft. They find every scrap of video and wear it out. They talk to anyone and everyone associated with a player, especially when it involves one being considered with a top pick. They watch players in practice, in games. They visit with them, whether that’s on campus, at the NFL Scouting Combine, at Pro Days, private workouts or during Top-30 visits. At some point, the head coach/coordinators/position coaches are asked for input. How would this guy fit? Ballard mentioned Steichen walk ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS – Last week, the Indianapolis Colts used the No. 15 overall pick to acquire a player they believed was the best defensive player in the NFL draft. That was UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. But that immediately begged a discussion. Did general manager Chris Ballard find a long-term pressure partner for Kwity Paye? Or did he find Paye’s eventual replacement? NFL Draft: Day 3 picks for the Indianapolis Colts Does that excitement have a one-year shelf life? The decision might be whether to invest further in Paye or Odeyingbo. It probably will be difficult to retain both. If the Colts ch ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2024 version of the Indianapolis Colts is quickly taking shape. Nine draft picks – including edge rusher Laiatu Latu, the first defensive player off the board at No. 15 – were added to a roster that already featured the return of all 22 starters as well as the special teams triumvirate. More developmental talent will come from a handful of undrafted rookies. A few, according to IndyStar, include quarterbacks Kedon Slovis of BYU and Jason Bean of Kansas, Notre Dame kicker Spencer Shrader, tight end Trent Pennix of North Carolina State and running back-turned-wideout Xavier Wh ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS — As is normally the case, Shane Steichen’s eyes brightened. The second-year head coach of the Indianapolis Colts was in a co-starring role Saturday evening with general manager Chris Ballard in a sum-up session following the long and winding experience of the three-day, 257-pick NFL draft. But Steichen's attention was redirected to the makeup of a 2024 offense that features quarterback Anthony Richardson, running back Jonathan Taylor, wideouts Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce and a diverse tight ends room. And let’s not forget, the starting offensive line ret ..read more

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts added six players during Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Saturday's selections started with an offensive lineman and ended with a defensive tackle with tremendous upside. Their last four picks, in fact, went on the defensive side after the team went on a run of four straight offensive players starting with Round 2. The Colts spent the first two days of the NFL Draft improving their pass rush and shoring up their offense. The team used its first-round pick on UCLA's Laiatu Latu, a talented edge rusher with tremendous upside. Their second-round selection went ..read more