The Indianapolis Colts feel like a team that is being slept on heading into the 2024 NFL season. Many NFL fans stopped paying attention to the Colts after Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending injury early in the year. But that didn't stop Indy from having a successful season. Without their rookie QB, the Colts finished with a 9-8 record and were only one game behind the AFC South champion Houston Texans. Indy's 2024 opponents can overlook the Colts at their own peril.
The Colts have kept their foot on the gas this offseason, adding a ton of talent that could elevate the team in 2024. To start they retained some of their best players. They re-signed Michael Pittman Jr, Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore II, and Grover Stewart to multi-year contract extensions. Indy clearly wants to keep their core intact moving forward.
Indy's free agency was largely about retaining their own players. However, that didn't stop them from adding depth at a few positions. Their biggest signing was QB Joe Flacco, who will become a mentor and backup to Anthony Richardson. Flacco was a hero in 2023, joining the Cleveland Browns and leading them to a playoff berth. He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. The Colts also signed defensive tackle Raekwon Davis to a one-year deal to provide some depth up the middle.
The 2024 NFL Draft brought the Colts even more talent. Indy spent their first-round pick on UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. They also brought in another offensive weapon in second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell from Texas. The rest of their selections mainly targeted the offensive line and defense.
These moves put Indy in a position to compete in a suddenly dangerous AFC South. However, a few of their offseason moves are quite risky. Below, let's explore two of the Colts' riskiest offseason moves and discuss how they could impact the team's 2024 season.
Joe Flacco is a risky backup QB at age 39
On one hand, Joe Flacco is the perfect mentor for Anthony Richardson. He is a veteran NFL QB who proved that he still has a firm grasp on the game in 2023. Flacco should become a valuable part of Richardson's development, essentially serving as another member of the coaching staff during practices, in the film room, and on the sideline on Sundays. If this works, it could really work.
On the other hand, this could blow up in Indy's face. Richardson already has an injury history in the NFL, and he's made it clear that he will not change his play style due to injury concerns. That's fine if you believe that his injury was simple a freak occurrence. However, if you attribute the injury even partially to his play style, then you can start getting concerned.
If Richardson were to miss an extended period of time, Joe Flacco would be thrust into action once more. Flacco proved he can be a competent QB in 2023, but that's a tough task as a 39-year-old in a brand new system. There is absolutely no guarantee that Flacco can repeat last year's magic in Indy.
Laiatu Latu could have an incredibly short NFL career
Latu was a polarizing draft prospect due to his unique injury history.
He suffered a neck injury during the 2020 season at Washington and missed the entire season. Latu missed the entire 2021 season as well, after UW doctors would not clear him to play due to his neck injury. In fact, UW's medical staff advised Latu to medically retire from football. Latu later revealed that he had neck fusion surgery.
That wasn't good enough for Latu. He transferred from UW to UCLA and put up two absolutely monster seasons to end his collegiate career. During his senior season, Latu won the Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation's top college lineman. He also led the FBS with 21.5 tackles for loss and logged 13 sacks, two interceptions, and 49 tackles in just 12 games.
Just looking at talent, Latu compares to T.J. Watt in terms of talent. He is a phenomenal athlete and is a smart edge rusher.
However, the elephant in the room is his injury history. His 2020 neck injury nearly ended his football career. It is widely known that his NFL career may be shorter than most because another neck injury could put him out of the league for good.
All of this puts the Colts in an interesting dilemma. Do you try and manage Latu's snaps to try and preserve his health? Do you ignore the injury history and treat him like any other player? It's easy to see how either choice has clear drawbacks.
Ultimately, Colts fans won't care about Latu's injury history if he stays healthy and continues to put up monster numbers. It's just a question of how long he can keep that up.
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