There are few ways to view the Indianapolis Colts’ 2024 campaign as anything short of a disappointment. Anthony Richardson failed to convince anybody he is the rightful franchise quarterback, leading waves of inconsistency resulting in an 8-9 year. The Colts have already admitted they will make a host of changes over the 2025 NFL offseason with head coach Shane Steichen’s leash as short as it has ever been.
While Steichen will return, the Colts already made one major personnel change in the offseason. Steichen fired defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and replaced him with Lou Anarumo, who worked in the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 to 2024. Anarumo will be expected to guide the lost unit to an immediate improvement.
The primary focus of the 2025 NFL offseason will still be on the offense, where the Colts will continue to hone in on Richardson’s development. Considering where he currently stands with the organization, 2025 could be his final chance to prove himself worthy of building a team around. Despite taking him with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Indianapolis is already wary of Richardson’s potential after he posted one of the most inefficient passing seasons in NFL history.
General manager Chris Ballard does not have a full rebuild ahead of him but is well aware his own job could be on the line ahead of his eighth season with the team. The Colts enter the 2025 NFL offseason with just over $28 million in cap space, forcing them to potentially begin narrowing a list of cut candidates to give them more flexibility.
OG Braden Smith
No player had a stranger ending to the 2024 season than Braden Smith did. After starting the first 12 games of the year, Smith landed on the non-football injury, NFI, list for undisclosed personal reasons. The true reason behind his absence could be a variety of reasons but regardless, Smith’s standing with the team remains unclear.
When Smith is on the field, he has been one of the most consistent members of the Colts offensive line. However, the $70 million extension he signed in 2021 makes him the second-highest-paid player on the team, behind star guard Quenton Nelson. Ahead of his age-29 season, Smith has been solid, but has yet to make a Pro Bowl roster and is nothing close to the dominant, game-changing force he is being paid to be.
More than anything, Smith’s future will likely depend on the status of his personal issues. But with Will Fries, Wesley French and Antonio Mafi contracted through 2025, the Colts do not have a shortage of young talent at guard. Even re-signing veteran Mark Glowinski to return as the starter in place of Smith would be a reasonable decision that would save nearly $15 million in cap space.
TE Jelani Woods
If there is one surplus the Colts have on their roster, it is at tight end. Indianapolis ended 2024 with four tight ends on its active roster, not including Jelani Woods, who spent the entire year on injured reserve. Woods received surgery for turf toe in August 2024, forcing him to miss his second consecutive season.
The Colts spent a third-round pick on Woods in 2022, but in the three years he has been with the team, he has more missed games than career receptions. He posted a modest 312 receiving yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2022 and has not been on the field since. Even when he is on the field, Woods has not been the answer to the team’s long-standing tight end issue the way they thought he would be.
In 2025, Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson will hit free agency, with both appearing to be finding a new home. Yet, Woods will still be joined by Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory on the roster. If the Colts finally decide to solve their issues at tight end and give Richardson another proven pass-catcher to work with, Woods, the worst blocker of the three, will be the first guy out. Either way, another pre-season injury would all but certainly seal the deal.
DE Samson Ebukam
When the Colts signed veteran defensive end Samson Ebukam in 2023, they were expecting to get a dominant pass-rusher to work with DeForest Buckner and Kwity Paye. Instead, Ebukam’s time in Indianapolis has been full of inconsistency despite being the 11th-highest-paid player on the roster.
Two years into his $24 million contract, Ebukam has just one season under his belt. He missed the entire 2024 season after tearing his Achilles in the preseason. Before the injury, he was the dominant force Indianapolis had hoped for, notching 9.5 sacks in 2023.
Ebukam, who turns 30 in May, is now tasked with returning from one of the most devastating athletic injuries ahead of his ninth professional season. Quality defensive ends can be effective into their thirties, but as a player who has historically relied on speed and explosion, Ebukam has a tough road back to recovery, all while eating a hefty portion of the cap space.
The injury is not even the biggest hurdle of Ebukam’s attempted comeback. In his absence, Indianapolis turned to the largely ineffective Dayo Odeyingbo as the interim starter. However, rookie Laiatu Latu showed enough promise in 2024 for Ballard and Steichen to believe in him as Paye’s running mate moving forward. On paper, Latu is a better fit in Anarumo’s defense with a lot of similar physical traits as Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who just polished off consecutive 17.5-sack seasons.
If the Colts are seeking cut candidates in the 2025 NFL offseason, Ebukam is a name that immediately jumps out.
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