Stock Up
Daniel Jones
Miss me with the game-manager tag, Daniel Jones is a legit franchise quarterback. He does everything within the Colts’ offense so well, hitting all parts of the field, and this time was finally accurate in the redzone, delivering a floater above a defensive linemen to MPJ to convert on 4th and 2, scoring the touchdown, and also putting a ball right on the money for Tyler Warren in the back of the endzone. What inspires me the most is that he is doing this with a preseason and training camp where he was new to the city and fighting for the starting quarterback position. Imagine his ceiling as he gets used to the city and the scheme.
Tanor Bortolini / Matt Goncalves
Both Goncalves and Bartolini struggled against the Cardinals last week, but they bounced back in a big way on Sunday against the Chargers, not allowing a single pressure throughout the afternoon and opening up running lanes that were more like highways. Center and right guard were considered question marks for the Colts before the season started, but Bortolini and Goncalves have established themselves as the long term starters for the team, and a big reason for the offensive success.
Alec Pierce
Pierce led the team in targets for the first time this season, and showed he is more than just a deep threat catching passes in the short & intermediate parts of the field. I did not expect him to be this good this year as I thought that he benefitted from Richardson playing quarterback last year, and that he would regress with Daniel Jones, but he continues improving and is now a must re-sign for the Colts this offseason.
Zaire Franklin
I have been very critic of Zaire, both in the past and this season too. He played an amazing game against the Chargers, including what was an amazing pass-defense on a ball thrown down the middle against Ladd McConkey. Franklin has played better this season, and while I still think that the Colts could use an upgrade at the linebacker position, I am happy that #44 is playing some good ball.
Shane Steichen
I was wrong, I was really wrong, and Steichen was right. When Daniel Jones was named the starter I was ready to give up on the team. I just did not see the upside, I did not see the vision. This offense looks unstoppable. It is the definition of efficiency, driving down the field with ease, you just never know which way they are going to go. Situational play-calling, gamemanship, challenges, getting his offensive linemen in space, his use of Tyler Warren… I could go on and on, but there is a reason why Steichen is the leading candidate for COTY.
Stock Down
Backup cornerbacks
This is not because they struggled, which is understandable against an elite quarterback like Herbert and against a good receiving group, but because neither Johnathan Edwards nor Mekhi Blackmon were able to show anything to make the Colts think of them higher. Cornerback is a massive hole for the Colts. Having Moore back helps, but if Jaylon Jones and Charvarius Ward do not recover from their injuries at least after the bye-week, then the team needs to make some moves at the position, because this right now is not working.
Michael Badgley
Badgley missed the extra-point attempt after the Colts’ first touchdown of the game. Both the Packers and the Bills should be releasing their kickers in the short-term after their starters return, and both of Lucas Havrisik and Matt Prater seem like better options than Badgley at the moment. We will see what happens, but when you are kicking for your job, any miss might mean your release.
Samson Ebukam
Ebukam is entrenched in a battle with Kwity Paye and now rookie J.T. Tuimoloau for the other edge rusher spot alongside Latu, and while both Paye and JTT took advantage of the easy matchup on their hands, Ebukam struggled against the run and generated just a single hurry in pass-rushing while also suffering a minor injury. Edge rusher snap counts are worth monitoring in the upcoming weeks.
Adonai Mitchell
The tough season continues for Mitchell, as even with Downs and Dulin out for the game he was not a part of the Colts’ offense. He finished the game with just one catch for 8 yards, and played just five snaps on the afternoon. With both Downs and Dulin probably back next week, there is just no path for Mitchell to see the field much, and his future with the Colts is up in the air.
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