2023 Indianapolis Colts Season Preview – Betting Odds – Predictions
The 2022 season may have been one of the worst for the Indianapolis Colts. They struggled quite a lot throughout and weren’t anywhere making it to the playoffs. They finished the season with a very poor record of 4-12-1 and all that did was get them the fourth pick in the NFL Draft, not so great for the team moving forward.
General Manager Chris Ballard is the one with control over the Colts’ future plans for a while now but with a few new additions, the 2023 offseason was a fresh start for the man.
New Players
The boldest out of all moves this offseason was during the 2023 NFL Draft. They used their first round pick to draft the rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. There are a few concerns when it comes to experience and accuracy but his skill and talent are one of a kind and the Colts are pretty happy with their pick.
There is no doubt that quarterbacks are a huge part of the game and if they wish to improve then taking their chances with Richardson was definitely worth it. He has all the potential to become one of the league’s elite players and his past records vouch for that. Another valuable pick from the draft was wide receiver Josh Downs from Round 3. His route-running ability caught their eye which is why they were quick to draft him.
Lastly, the player that stood out was cornerback Julius Brents. With Isaiah Rodgers suspended for betting on games in the 2022 season, bringing in Brents was a good decision.
The team didn’t spend much in free agency this year which put them in a pretty good position regarding cap space in the future. The most they did spend was to bring in quarterback Gardner Minshew who will hopefully be an influential presence on the team. No other signing was as major but enough to slightly improve the roster including Matt Gay and Samson Ebukam.
The weakest point they have left on the roster is safety. They didn’t do much to improve it this offseason and it may become an issue in the future. Pick from last year Rodney Thomas II is projected to start at free safety but apart from him there isn’t much to go on with. Others like Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross are yet to show what they are capable of and Daniel Scott will be off the field owing to his torn ACL. They must look into signing a veteran to avoid any difficulties.
For the upcoming 2023 season, the team wants to hand over control to Richardson but how soon is too soon. Nevertheless, him being on the field cannot make up for their weak spots at defense as well as the secondary. They need to do better in the future if they want to make it to the playoffs but for now, after a long time, fans have a little hope and that’s all the team needs to keep their spirit high.
2023 Colts Sportsbook Odds
by BetOnline.ag
Division champs +700
Conference Champs +5000
Super Bowl Champs +12500
Total Wins Over Under 6.5
Under -130
Over +100
Analysis: The Colts are in rebuild mode as they will be putting a rookie who didn’t have the most impressive college career on the field. I’d be surprised if they got anywhere near 6 wins.