3 Colts Who Must Improve the Most in 2024

The Indianapolis Colts finished just outside the playoff picture at 9-8 after falling in Week 18 to the Houston Texans. This finish was better than nearly anyone covering the NFL expected. In his first season as the Indy frontman, Shane Steichen put up a Coach of the Year type of performance.

Other names made big strides in 2023, such as linebacker E.J. Speed, defensive ends Dayo Odeyingbo and Samson Ebukam, as well as guard Will Fries all made positive jumps from the previous campaign.

However, 53 players make up an active roster, meaning there will always be room for improvement. With that in mind, here are the three Colts players who must step up the most in 2024. 

Kwity Paye | Defensive End

It may seem harsh to put Kwity Paye, the former first-round pick from Michigan, on this list; especially after he set a career-high in sacks (8.5), tackles (52), and fumbles forced (2). Paye also defended against the run well, posting a solid 78.1 grade per Pro Football Focus.

Where this area of criticism lies and puts him on this list is the consistency of getting to the quarterback.

Paye was second on the team in sacks behind Ebukam (9.5) but was often not involved with getting pressure on the opposing field general.

He collected 28 pressures on the QB for the season while playing 410 pass-rushing snaps. It may seem like a solid margin but considering that rotational and backup end Tyquan Lewis put up 44 pressures on just 259 pass-rushing snaps, it shows that Paye must improve to warrant that first-round pick status.

General manager Chris Ballard had this to say when asked about Paye’s first three seasons with Indy at his end-of-the-year press conference:

“Good, better. Excellent versus the run. I think he had his high sack total this year. He’s got some stuff he’s got to work on, rushing the passer, but good – he’s a good football player. I thought our front played really well. I thought our d-line played pretty good football.”

Paye’s fifth-year option will be open for the Colts to take or pass on in 2024, so we’ll see how that pans out for him as his offseason gets moving. 

Rodney Thomas II | Free Safety

Free safety Rodney Thomas II took the Colts by storm in his 2022 rookie campaign, leading the squad in interceptions (4) and adding 52 tackles and 6 passes defended. This was far beyond Thomas’ seventh-round status (239th overall), exceeding expectations when he was drafted out of Yale.

Fast-forward to 2023 and things changed in the worst way, as Thomas became a massive liability for Gus Bradley’s scheme. Thomas posted an abysmal 40.1 tackle grade, per PFF, tallying 10 missed tackles. This is amplified because Thomas is the last line of defense as the free safety and should prevent the big plays from happening.

Along with the poor tackling, Thomas didn’t fare much better in coverage, falling to several huge plays allowed that shaped the Colts’ season. This was the most glaring in Week 18 against the Texans when Thomas made an incorrect read, leading to an easy touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to fullback Andrew Beck in the second quarter.

Given that fellow safety Nick Cross had a resurgent 2023, Thomas has to be better in the upcoming year or else Cross will supplant him at free safety. This is even more pressing if the Colts retain strong safety Julian Blackmon, which may indicate plans to have Cross as the starting free safety going forward. 

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Alec Pierce | Wide Receiver

Second-year pass-catcher Alec Pierce is on this list primarily due to not having cannon-armed Anthony Richardson at the helm for most of the 2023 season.

The immediate thought was that Pierce was going to flourish in his first year under Steichen’s offense, potentially pushing 800-plus receiving yards with his deep-ball ability and Richardson’s strong arm. However, once Richardson went down-and-out with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder for the rest of the season, Pierce was paired with QB Gardner Minshew.

While Minshew is a veteran and understands Steichen’s offense, he doesn’t have the same style as Richardson. Instead, Minshew is a safer passer who likes the shorter throws more than the downfield shots. This doomed Pierce’s strength as a pass-catcher.

He concluded 2023 with 32 catches for 514 yards and 2 scores. Outside of the touchdowns, Pierce took a step back from his rookie campaign (41 catches for 593 yards). He also only caught 49.2% of his 65 targets in his second season with Indy.

While Pierce is a fantastic blocker at wideout, the NFL doesn’t pay receivers to block primarily but to make consistent catches instead. Pierce wasn’t able to get going at any point in 2023 and couldn’t string together much momentum to help his case.

It’s also true that in just two seasons of Pierces’ short career, he’s already had five QBs throw him a pass and three head coaches in charge. With another offseason under Steichen’s offense and a full year with Richardson, perhaps the Cincinnati product can break out and push away his detractors. 

Ballard trusts Pierce's attitude and drive, as he indicated when asked about what he thinks of the two years he's played for Indy. 

“Alec and I had a long talk. The things he does really well, and really why we drafted him, is getting down the field. That’s what he’s really good at. I think when we were able to use him in those situations, he was successful. I think we’ve got to continue to work on ways to let him do what he does well and that’s stretch the field. Still a young player, solid year, thought we probably could have – he’s so unselfish, you’re never going to hear him gripe or complain. He’s going to do whatever the team requires him to do but I do think there’s more in there.”

We'll see what Pierce has in store as he approaches year three with the Colts. 

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