Colts' big offseason thing: Plan to build around Anthony Richardson
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz looks at the one big thing for Indianapolis' offseason - ahead of the curve last season, the Colts need to prioritize the right positions to build around their young quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Video Transcript
JASON FITZ: It's time to take a look at one big thing facing the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. And this is a real test for the NFL as a whole. Hear me out. The devil you know versus the devil you don't. That's the one big thing they're facing. Because they got a gift last year of a very good team without Anthony Richardson being healthy. A tremendous that not most of us expected. But through the process of the year, one of the players that really blossomed, continued to blossom, was Michael Pittman Jr.
Now Pittman Jr. Becomes a free agent. The question is, what do you do? Do you spend the money to sign the person that you know is going to be coveted in the free agent market or do you wait and see what the draft shakes out like, knowing that, yet again, we are talking about a very deep NFL draft for wide receivers, specifically.
This would be an interesting moment for the Colts because they've had to make tough decisions on what to prioritize. The Jonathan Taylor negotiations were tough, right? And then they lost Taylor for much of the year. They've got to figure out exactly what positions they will value, how they will value them, and make sure that they are doing everything they can to build on the momentum. Because as much as I say they're ahead of the curve for winning as much as they did without Anthony Richardson, the one thing AR needed coming into the league was reps. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts need even more of a curve this year, because Anthony Richardson still needs to not only now knock off the rust, but also just get in-game experience.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts take a small step back. And for that reason, I think they need to be aggressive in the offseason, making sure they have every piece around him that can help Anthony Richardson be as comfortable as possible.