Before signing Pittman to a three-year $70 million deal, the Colts first placed the franchise tag on him–the first such time in over a decade that the Colts used the tag. Pittman has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in two of the past three seasons and totaled 14 touchdowns during that span. The receiver position is still a need for the Colts in the draft as they look to add more playmaking.

The Colts signed Stewart to a three-year deal worth $39 million. When the middle of this defense didn’t have Stewart in the middle of it last season, the Colts struggled mightily to stop the run. However, with him on the field, they were one of the better run-defense units in football.

After missing time during both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Lewis was available for all 17 games in 2023. He totaled a career-high 44 pressures and four sacks. As a pass rush unit, the Colts need to get after the quarterback more consistently in 2024, ranking 23rd in total pressures and 22nd in pressure rate last season. Edge rusher should be on their radar in the draft. Lewis signed a two-year $12 million deal.

The Colts signed Sanchez to a three-year deal worth $7.5 million. After missing 2022 with an Achilles injury, Sanchez averaged 48.3 yards per punt in 2023 and 4.26 seconds of hang time.

The return of Kenny Moore provides some needed stability to the cornerback position. Moore will man the slot and is coming off a bounce-back season where he allowed just 9.3 yards per catch with three interceptions and two pass breakups, along with being a willing run defneder. Moore signed a three-year deal worth $30 million.

Harrison ended up seeing snaps as a starter last season at linebacker, but with his past experience at safety, he provides Gus Bradley with a versatile defender who he can move around and ask to fill different roles, causing some confusion for opposing offenses. Harrison signed a one-year deal for $1.125 million.

Avery would miss all of 2023 with a knee injury. In 2022, he appeared in seven games on defense for Tampa Bay, totaling six pressures and a sack. He is back on a one-year deal worth $1.125 million.

Without Zach Moss, the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be up for grabs this summer. Sermon carried the ball 35 times in 2023 and averaged 4.6 yards per rush. As a pass-catcher, he caught three passes for 13 yards. Along with Sermon, the Colts have Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull, but with this being an inexperienced group, I wouldn’t rule out Ballard adding to that competition by spending a Day 3 pick on a running back. Sermon returns on a one-year deal worth $1.05 million.

Taven Bryan will be in the mix for a back-end rotational role this season. He would total 11 pressures last season and struggled against the run when the Colts were without Grover Stewart. The Colts signed Bryan to a one-year, $2 million deal.

An ankle injury sidelined Pinter in 2023. The previous year, 2022, he started the first four games before becoming an off-the-bench option. He allowed three sacks and nine pressures in 183 pass-blocking snaps. Pinter provides depth at both guard and center. He is also back on a one-year deal worth $1.22 million. The interior offensive line could be a sneaky need for the Colts in the draft, with Pinter, Will Fries, and Ryan Kelly all set to be free agents in 2025.

As free agency passed, bringing Blackmon back felt like a must for the Colts, given the overall outlook of the safety position. Blackmon had a career year in 2023, filling the strong safety role, playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Safety is still a big need for the Colts in the draft, with Blackmon back on just a one-year deal and the potential for an upgrade at free safety, which as of now, the starting spot will likely belong to either Nick Cross or Rodney Thomas.

The most recent move made by the Colts, a two-year extension for Buckner keeps him in Indianapolis through the 2026 season and solidifies the interior defensive line position for the next few seasons. Against both the run and the pass, Buckner has been a steady force in the middle of the Colts defense. His extension also freed up over $14 million in cap space for the 2024 season.

The Colts signed Franklin to a three-year, $31.3 million extension early on in the offseason. Over the last two seasons, Franklin has totaled a whopping 334 total tackles and has been very sound as well with, relatively speaking, few misses. He’s totaled 11 pass breakups during that span as well and was a core special teams player before moving into a starting defensive role.

One of only two outside additions made, the Colts signed Davis to help boost their run defense. As already mentioned, this unit struggled mightily without Stewart, so Davis’ role will be to bolster the Colts’ ability to stop the run on obvious running downs or when Stewart isn’t on the field. Davis signed a two-year contract worth $14 million.

With Gardner Minshew heading to Las Vegas, the only other quarterback on the roster – other than Anthony Richardson – was Sam Ehlinger. Flacco, who won the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, provides a veteran presence who has won at the highest level behind Richardson. Flacco is nearly 40 years old and is signed to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million. With Flacco likely only around for one year and Ehlinger in the final year of his deal, drafting a developmental quarterback on Day 3 who can hopefully grow into a capable backup wouldn’t be a bad idea.

QB Gardner Minshew signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

RB Zach Moss signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

WR Isaiah McKenzie signed with the New York Giants.

Edge rusher Jacob Martin signed with the Chicago Bears.