Indianapolis Colts’ Most Pressing Needs After Matt Ryan Trade

The Indianapolis Colts are on to their fifth starting quarterback in five years after this week acquiring Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

Indianapolis landed Ryan for a third-round pick, Atlanta netting a scant return for a quarterback who, while no longer performing at his MVP standards of 2016, still succeeded in keeping a poor Falcons team in the playoff hunt until late in the 2021 season.

The consensus is that the Colts, with Ryan on board, will now have a significantly better shot of contending in the AFC after missing out on the playoffs last season with a 9-8 record.

Yet the Colts still have several pressing needs to address if the hope of Ryan leading them back to the postseason is to become a reality.

Left Tackle

Ryan inherits a better offensive line than the one he played behind in his final season in Atlanta, where he was pressured on 28 percent of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Reference, the third-highest rate in the NFL.

Yet the Colts, who themselves gave up a pressure rate of 25.7 percent but finished the season 13th by Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Sack Rate, still have a glaring hole at left tackle.

They predictably eschewed the opportunity to spend money on a big-ticket free agent in Terron Armstead despite once again having a substantial amount of cap space to do so.

With Eric Fisher and Sam Tevi both still available for the Colts to re-sign, Indianapolis going the more affordable route seems the most likely outcome. Still, whether it’s a stopgap or a long-term answer in the draft, the Colts must find a solution.

Cornerback

The Colts traded away Rock Ya-Sin in the deal that landed them Yannick Ngakoue from the Las Vegas Raiders, parting with a corner who was coming off the best season of his career.

Ya-Sin allowed only 4.8 yards per target in coverage last year, the second-fewest among corners with at least five starts, per PFR.

Additionally, the Colts have as yet not re-signed Xavier Rhodes, leaving recent signing Brandon Facyson and Isaiah Rodgers as the prospective starters on the outside on the current depth chart.

Rodgers has seen more time as a return man in his two years in the NFL and has just one start at corner to his name in the pros.

There are veteran options still on the market, including former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. The Colts have typically been a pass rush over coverage team, but it would still behove them to add more experience to the secondary.

Wide Receiver

By the end of his Falcons tenure, Ryan was light on weapons beyond Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson and, while he will be delighted for the fresh start in Indianapolis, the situation in terms of offensive firepower isn’t that much better in his new home.

Ryan will, of course, be able to lean on running back sensation Jonathan Taylor, who was only denied Offensive Player of the Year last season because of the astounding exploits of Cooper Kupp. Michael Pittman also gives him a physically imposing ball-winning receiver on the outside coming off a 1,000-yard season.

Yet, with T.Y. Hilton on the downswing of his career and Parris Campbell unable to avoid injury issues, the Colts desperately need a complement to Pittman who can stretch the field and provide Indianapolis with a big-play threat.

The Colts would be wise to take advantage of another deep wide receiver class and address this need with their first pick in the 2022 draft by selecting a wideout 42nd overall.