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3 Moves Colts Must Make to Return to Super Bowl Contention

By Sean Facey

The Colts have plenty of needs to address this offseason if they want to contend again.
The Colts have plenty of needs to address this offseason if they want to contend again. / Chris Graythen/Getty Images

To say the 2019 season was tumultuous for the Indianapolis Colts would be a massive understatement. A year that started with the hope that Andrew Luck could guide the team back to glory instead spawned Luck's retirement and a haphazard campaign featuring Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

They finished the year with a modest 7-9 record, well short of preseason expectations. If they want to work their way back into the mix of teams vying for the Super Bowl, then they need to make a handful of key moves.

3. Draft an Edge-Rusher

Justin Houston needs some help getting to the quarterback.
Justin Houston needs some help getting to the quarterback. / Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The Colts ranked towards the bottom of the league in both their blitz rate (22.9%) and pressure rate (21.3%). In a league where the focus is continuously placed on passing, they absolutely need to find a way to get to the quarterback. Having a young star help ease the burden on Justin Houston in 2020 could work wonders for their defense.

2. Sign Devin McCourty

Devin McCourty could transform the Colts' secondary.
Devin McCourty could transform the Colts' secondary. / Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

Just as the Colts' defensive line needs help, so too does the secondary. The talent is there, especially with Malik Hooker, but they need a unifying presence. McCourty can fill that role perfectly. A three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, he's a smart, ball-hawking veteran in the secondary, and alongside Hooker, they could make the Colts' group one of the most terrifying units in football.

1. Sign a Quarterback

Teddy Bridgewater could be the next Colts quarterback.
Teddy Bridgewater could be the next Colts quarterback. / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

This year's free agent quarterback market is one of the strongest in years, and the Colts would be foolish not to capitalize on it. After all, it takes good quarterback play to win the Lombardi Trophy. They could opt for older talent like Philip Rivers or Tom Brady, or they could try their hand with a guy like Teddy Bridgewater. There are plenty of options open to them, and almost all of them would be a necessary improvement over Brissett. With an absurd amount of cap space available this offseason, they have absolutely no good reason to not unload it on a new gunslinger.