Grading the Tennessee Titans 2024 offseason vs the rest of the AFC South so far
Indianapolis Colts
The other three teams in the AFC South have all taken their turns winning division titles the past nine seasons, The Houston Texans lead the way (5), with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee each capturing a pair of AFC South titles over that span.
The last time the Indianapolis Colts owned the top spot in the division was in 2014. They were under the command of head coach Chuck Pagano and with quarterback Andrew Luck at the controls. That team would eventually reach the AFC title game, a lopsided loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots.
This past season, the Colts were a much-improved squad under new head coach Shane Steichen. The club finished with more than twice as many wins (9) as it did in 2022 (4). The team scored 107 more points. Still, the surprising campaign wasn’t good enough for the team’s first postseason appearance since 2000.
All told it’s been a pretty uneventful offseason for general manager Chris Ballard. He re-signed nine of the club’s 13 unrestricted free agents. The losses have been minimal, and the only two veterans the team has added are quarterback Joe Flacco and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis. The Colts franchised wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and re-signed him to a new contract. Ballard has one pick apiece in this month’s draft.
Uneventful could be a good thing for a team, especially if promising quarterback Anthony Richardson stays healthy this upcoming season. The jury remains out on this strategy as the other three teams have been far more aggressive in obtaining veteran talent. However, don’t be surprised if this is a much higher grade after the draft.