While the 2023 Indianapolis Colts season can be deemed disappointing, it should also already be regarded as an overwhelming success.
Anthony Richardson is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but proved he belonged before going down, looking like a franchise quarterback as a rookie. Richardson ranks 14th in EPA per play among quarterbacks. Only Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, CJ Stroud, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Hurts, Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garappolo rank ahead of Richardson in that statistic. He was a legitimately solid starting quarterback when healthy.
Richardson still has a lot of work to do, however, which makes him being out for the season such a blow. Richardson ranks last among quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation. He wasn't the most polished passer at Florida before entering the NFL and now won't have the game reps to improve. But the Colts know he's good, and that's all the franchise and its fans could've asked before kickoff of 2023.
Of course, now the pressure is on Indianapolis to build a winner while Richardson is on a rookie deal. The Colts could go in any direction at the trade deadline as a result. They could look to buy and bolster their roster or sell and get extra picks. Luckily for Indianapolis, there are candidates for either pathway as the 2023 NFL trade deadline fast approaches.
Jerry Jeudy
The Denver Broncos seem to be over the Jerry Jeudy experience. Now that a new coaching staff helmed by Sean Payton is in town, the Broncos are looking to start over. That could include moving on from Jeudy, who has been in trade rumors and is there once again after a 1-5 start to the season by Denver. One of the teams the Broncos have contacted? The Colts.
That's one report. Another from ESPN's Stephen Holder states that the Broncos were the ones who contacted the Colts regarding Jeudy, not the other way around. Mike Klis, a Broncos beat writer, reported that there is ”nothing to' rumors of Jeudy getting traded to Indianapolis.
Perhaps that will be the case, but there is smoke here. The Colts are pretty solid at wide receiver at the moment with Michael Pittman Jr. balling out as their X receiver and Josh Downs stepping into the NFL and succeeding out of the slot. But they haven't gotten much of anything from Alec Pierce after using a second-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL Draft. Jeudy would be a huge upgrade there and fit perfectly next to Pittman Jr. and Downs. Keep an eye on this situation, because the fit makes a lot of sense.
Zack Moss
Zack Moss' counting stats look like the poster child for why teams should not pay a star running back big money. Moss is currently averaging 4.85 yards per carry. Only Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne Jr. have more rushing yards this season than Moss. He's playing really well!
And yet, Indianapolis still has the seventh-worst rush EPA in the NFL. Moss has been productive, but he is no Jonathan Taylor, who is one of the best running backs in the NFL when he's healthy. The Colts have eased him back into the lineup, but his workload got amped up last week, with Taylor playing 42% of Indianapolis' snaps compared to Moss' 50%. The week prior, it was 80% Moss and 12% Taylor.
It's nice to have a capable backup, but the Colts don't need Moss now that Taylor is back in the fold. Moss is also on the last year of his rookie deal. There are plenty of teams that could use a running back, inclding the Buffalo Bills (how ironic), Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers. Moss might be the best back those teams could bring in at the deadline.
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