Early January 2021. The Indianapolis Colts are 9-6 with two games remaining until the Playoffs. Two teams left in the way. One win to secure a Playoff berth. Now most NFL fans would argue that these last two opponents weren’t too much of a challenge. The Las Vegas Raiders were fighting for a spot themselves so a loss was more acceptable. However, when the Colts blew it against the lowly 2-14 Jaguars it was an eye-opener. Most of the blame fell immediately to Wentz, which was justified, although the Colts defense did allow Trevor Lawrence to have his best game of the season. Indianapolis did its best to address their defensive issues this offseason, but was it enough? Mike Garafolo of Good Morning Football has chosen the Colts as his prediction for 2022’s Most Dominant Defense. It begs the question, were the Colts’ moves this offseason enough to justify that?
New Faces
The Colts made three key additions to their defense this Spring. Their first task was finding a new Defensive Coordinator after Matt Eberflus left to coach the Chicago Bears. In February the Colts decided on veteran coordinator Gus Bradley, who most recently coached Las Vegas Raiders. Bradley’s claim to fame was the ‘Legion of Boom’ which once was THE most dominant defense in the NFL, carrying the Seahawks to two Superbowls in three years. Since then Bradley has orchestrated efficient defenses, but not one quite like in Seattle. Some say he needs a dominant roster to pull it off again. Does Indy’s star-studded defense qualify?
The following month the Colts made another big move in trading away cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in exchange for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue already has an edge having recently played in Bradley’s defensive scheme. Alongside second year breakout candidate Kwity Paye and All-Pro DeForest Buckner, this defensive line could outright bully opposing offenses.
Related: How Buckner may reestablish himself among the league’s elite in 2022
Then, in April, the Colts made another splash move by signing 2019 DPOY Stephon Gilmore. Indy filled the cornerback hole left by Ya-Sin with a four-time Pro-Bowler, which is often better than teams could hope for. If Gilmore can continue to play at an elite level, even at the age of 31, then the Colts have significantly upgraded their cornerback room.
Returning Defense
In 2021 the Indianapolis Colts boasted an undoubtedly scary, yet sometimes inconsistent defense. They finished second in the league in takeaways with 33, just behind the Dallas Cowboys. However, this was the same unit that lost to the Jaguars once, and nearly twice. There’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this defense heading into 2022 with the new upgrades, though there’s also reason for concern.
All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard underwent back surgery in June, which he says will ultimately solve the ankle issue he couldn’t shake for the majority of last season. If he can have 14 turnover-causing plays with that injury hanging over him, just imagine what he could do fully healthy. Then there’s cornerback Kenny Moore II coming off a Pro-Bowl season, but there’s a potential for training camp holdout if his contract dispute isn’t solved. Julian Blackmon is looking good coming back from an ACL tear last October, yet the other starting safety (Khari Willis) recently retired to pursue a career in the clergy, making the option to trade up in the third round of the 2022 draft to get safety Nick Cross look better every day.
If Bradley can find a way to effectively incorporate these new exciting pieces into his defense then there’s reason to believe this unit could be among 2022’s most dominant.