Insider: 50 questions for Chris Ballard at his State of the Colts address Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS — A Colts season that surprised just about everybody by coming up a few plays short of the playoffs sets the table for heightened expectations heading into head coach Shane Steichen’s second year in Indianapolis.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard is scheduled to meet with local media at 12:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon for his annual State of the Colts press conference, the interview that wraps up the 2023 season and sets the table for 2024.

Unlike last season, when the Colts were at rock bottom, needed a head coach and every possibility appeared to be on the table, Indianapolis has built a clear foundation under Steichen and Ballard, and the question that dominated so many postseason press conferences in Ballard’s tenure — How will you find a quarterback of the future? — has an answer in Anthony Richardson.

But the step Indianapolis is trying to take now, from a surprising team battling for a playoff berth to a perennial playoff contender battling for Super Bowls, has proven to be the hardest step for the Colts in the post-Peyton Manning era, and that means there are plenty of questions for Ballard to open this offseason.

Overall

1. Now that you’ve worked with Shane Steichen for a full season, what have you learned about your head coach, and what’s it like working with him?

2. From your perspective, how has Steichen changed the culture of your team?

3. Steichen emphasized continuity on the coaching staff in his postseason press conference Monday. Are all of your coaches under contract for 2024, and do you expect any changes?

4. When the season began, you made it clear that coming off a four-win season in 2022, you wanted to take the 2023 season to see how the pieces fit together before making any major moves. Were you surprised your team was this competitive right away, particularly in light of the injuries you faced?

5. In light of how close you came to a division title, do you wish you’d approached last offseason differently?

6. Expectations will be much higher for this franchise heading into the 2024 season. Knowing how close you came to a playoff berth, will the team be more aggressive in free agency?

7. A handful of Colts could be highly coveted on the market; how do you feel about the team’s salary cap position going forward?

8. Eight Colts were either suspended or placed on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt list for a variety of infractions. You have always emphasized character. Are you concerned that the team had so many off-the-field incidents?

Offense

9. When do you expect Anthony Richardson to be fully recovered from shoulder surgery?

10. Is the team confident in Richardson’s ability to stay healthy long-term, and does he need to change his playing style, given how dynamic his running ability can be?

11. What did you learn about Richardson during training camp and the games he played? Did he surpass your expectations for a rookie quarterback?

12. Are there any lingering concerns about Richardson’s skill set from the games he played?

13. Gardner Minshew will be a free agent; would you like to have him back? If he doesn’t return, would you like to get a backup whose skill set is closer to Richardson’s, given how much the offense had to change after the rookie’s injury?

14. How do Sam Ehlinger and Kellen Mond fit into the team’s future plans at quarterback?

15. Ultimately, what led to your decision to change course in October and sign Jonathan Taylor to a three-year, $42 million extension?

16. Taylor has now missed 13 games in the last two seasons. Is the team concerned about his long-term health and availability?

17. Zack Moss was invaluable to the team, given his ability to step into the lineup when Taylor was injured. That being said, Moss is a free agent now, and it might be difficult to re-sign him. How do you plan to handle the depth behind Taylor?

18. Would you like to find a pass-catching running back for the offense?

19. From the sounds of it, Michael Pittman Jr. would like to see what’s available on the open market. Would you use the franchise tag to keep Pittman from getting there if you’re not able to reach a long-term extension by the time free agency begins?

20. How pleased were you with the production from receiver Josh Downs as a rookie, and do you see him as a foundational player going forward?

21. What’s your evaluation of receiver Alec Pierce after two seasons?

22. Beyond the top three, the production at the receiver position was inconsistent. How do you see the wide receiver position as a whole, and how important is it to Richardson’s overall development?

23. Tight end Jelani Woods flashed at times as a rookie, but he missed the entire season with hamstring injuries. How does the organization view Woods after a season lost to injury?

24. Outside of Woods, the tight end position was hit or miss at times this season in terms of production. How do you evaluate the group?

25. How does the team plan to handle the Drew Ogletree situation?

26. You were confident this offseason that the right move was to rely on young players on the offensive line, and led by Bernhard Raimann and Will Fries, they largely lived up to the team’s expectations. With young, developmental depth lined up behind the starting five, do you expect any major moves at that position?

27. Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly bounced back this season. What was your takeaway from the seasons they had?

28. Braden Smith has been through a lot physically this season. Are there any concerns about his long-term health and availability, given his contract?

Defense

29. What is your evaluation of Gus Bradley through two seasons?

30. If Bradley remains the defensive coordinator, does he need to be more aggressive, employ more blitzes? What did you see from the defense after Bradley shifted his approach to use more split-safety coverages in the second half of the season?

31. You emphasized depth on the defensive line last season, intent on building a unit that could produce pressure from every spot, and the defensive line responded with 51 sacks — a record for the franchise in the Indianapolis era — and four defenders with eight sacks or more. What’s your evaluation of the way the defensive line played, given that there were also games that teams game-planned around the pass rush?

32. Do you still need to identify and acquire a premier edge rusher?

33. What is your evaluation of Kwity Paye? Does the team plan to pick up his fifth-year option?

34. Do you plan to re-sign Grover Stewart? Does his suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs affect the team’s desire to bring him back?

35. You convinced DeForest Buckner to stay the course with the franchise last offseason, and although he remains at the top of his game, he’s headed into the final year of his contract in 2024. Are there any plans to try to extend him before next season?

36. Dayo Odeyingbo emerged as a consistent playmaker this season, and he’ll be heading into the final year of his rookie contract next season. Would the team like to try to sign him to an extension now?

37. Why did you release Shaquille Leonard in the middle of the season, rather than keep him on the roster with reduced playing time?

38. Has Leonard’s injury affected your view of long-term contract extensions?

39. How do you evaluate Zaire Franklin’s season, and considering that he’s two years into a three-year, $10 million extension, does his contract need to be addressed?

40. E.J. Speed finally got a chance to be a full-time starter after Leonard’s release; what do you think about his long-term prospects as a starter in the NFL?

41. You have always done a good job drafting and developing linebackers, but Leonard’s release leaves the team light on obvious options if something happens to Franklin or Speed next season. Do you see linebacker as a position of need this offseason?

42. Kenny Moore II bounced back, and the defensive staff appears to have a better idea how to get him around the ball. Is re-signing Moore a priority?

43. Is cornerback a position of need heading into this offseason, regardless of whether or not the team brings Moore back?

44. You chose to go young at the cornerback position this season, knowing there would be growing pains, and the lack of depth and experience at cornerback limited the defense at times this season. Do you need to add a veteran presence to a young group?

45. How do you evaluate the rookie seasons of JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones? Do you see them both as long-term starters?

46. Julian Blackmon emerged as a key starter at safety this season, but he’s had trouble with injuries in the NFL. Is he a priority to bring back in the offseason, and how do you evaluate his time with the Colts so far?

47. Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II ended up splitting time at free safety, with mixed results. How do you see the development of those two players so far, and do you need to add at the safety position?

Special teams

48. After the team made a significant investment at kicker last offseason, Matt Gay got off to a strong start, then struggled in the second half of the season, making just 80.5% of his field goals this season, the second-worst mark of his career. Are you concerned about those struggles?

49. Is it a priority to bring back Rigoberto Sanchez after the way he finished the season?

50. Outside of a big game at Tennessee, the Indianapolis special teams units struggled this season. What’s your evaluation of the unit, and how much of those problems can be attributed to key personnel losses early in the season?

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: 50 questions for Chris Ballard at his State of the team address