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Despite missing the playoffs by just a few games, the Indianapolis Colts' 2024 campaign could not have gone much worse. General manager Chris Ballard has already admitted that he is eyeing major changes to the Colts' current roster during the 2025 NFL offseason, whether via trade or free agency.
Few teams went through as much turbulence as the Colts did in 2024. Head coach Shane Steichen bailed on Anthony Richardson just eight games into the year, only to give him the job back after two weeks. Considering the instability, it is almost a miracle Indianapolis ended the season just one game below .500.
Ballard and Steichen have already committed to Richardson for at least one more year, but not without stipulations. Ballard admitted that he would bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with Richardson without mentioning any specific names. The Colts will likely pursue that route in free agency but could also hunt an offseason trade.
Quarterback aside, the Colts have more than one other hole to fill in the 2025 NFL offseason. A lot of their immediate success is dependent on Richardson's growth, but Ballard is committed to building the team around him. He will need to make several other moves on both sides of the ball to make that happen.
DE Sam Hubbard
The Colts' defense ranked near the middle of the pack in most areas but particularly struggled to generate pass rush success in 2024. Indianapolis managed just 36 sacks on the year, the eighth-fewest in the NFL. Star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner consistently ranked among the league's best interior defensive linemen, but the team could not get enough production out of defensive ends Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo.
While Paye will return in 2025, Odeyingbo will hit free agency. The former second-round pick has given Ballard no reason to believe he should bring him back, even for a discounted price. Odeyingbo generated just 19 total quarterback pressures in 2024, resulting in three sacks.
With edge rushers among his top priorities, Ballard's options will be much richer in the trade market than free agency. Cincinnati Bengals captain Sam Hubbard, who will enter the final year of his $40 million contract in 2025, should be his top priority.
Hubbard has taken a clear step back to Trey Hendrickson over the past few years, recording just two sacks in 2024. However, while his speed has clearly diminished, he has recorded six or more sacks in all but two of his years with the Bengals.
The Colts would no longer need him to be a game-changing edge rusher but rather a supplementary force alongside Paye and Buckner. His veteran voice in the locker room would go a long way for a team lacking leadership.
LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Aside from the pass rush, the Colts' need for support at linebacker will be their second biggest defensive priority. In 2024, four players — Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Nick Cross and Jaylon Jones — topped 100 tackles, yet Indianapolis still allowed the ninth-most rushing yards in the league. Franklin's 173 stops led the league and earned him recognition as a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
Despite the high tackle count, Indianapolis' linebackers struggled with pursuit and edge containment all season long. The unit needs unequivocal help during the 2025 NFL offseason and cannot expect to return to the same issues in the fall.
It will not need to be a big splash, but Ballard must find the Colts' help in the trade market. Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who ended his third season on injured reserve, is one of the best value options who will be reasonably available.
Despite starting for most of his career, Rodriguez is unlikely to resume that role in 2025. Injuries hit the Lions' defense hard in 2024, at one point removing their entire starting linebacker corps. Detroit managed to sustain itself during that period, in large part due to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn finding hidden gems in Trevor Nowaske and Jack Campbell.
Despite Glenn leaving to become the head coach of the New York Jets, almost every linebacker will return to the Lions in 2025. Nowaske and Campbell, fresh off breakout seasons, will return, along with traditional starters Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes. Detroit will suddenly deal with a surplus of players at the position after struggling to find suitable options a year ago.
Rodriguez, a former sixth-round pick, will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025. He seems most likely to be left as the odd man out, making him a cheap and valuable trade target for the Colts in the 2025 NFL offseason. If Speed does not re-sign in free agency, Rodriguez would be a suitable replacement for first-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to slot in next to Franklin.