We're back with another edition of The Colts Show Mailbag, where I'll answer listener questions both on the podcast and here on Colts.com every Thursday.
You can submit your questions to me a few ways: At Colts.com/Mailbag, on social media (like X) and in the YouTube comments for the podcast.
For this week's podcast mailbag question, I answered one from Cody Wilson about the Colts' quarterback competition. For my answer there, check out this week's episode of The Colts Show wherever you get your podcasts, including on:
Let's dive into the rest of this week's batch of questions:
Michael DiGiacomo (Hackensack, N.J.): Looking at this team now, I feel like we have the most talent we had since the last year with Andrew Luck. I'm happy with the secondary signings and like the draft. My main concern is the linebacker position and QB room. What do you think we will do with linebacker, will we add another LB or will we ride with what we have? Also, do you think Anthony will make a jump from last year after working out this offseason with great players like Josh Allen and coaching. I'm hoping since he is young that this year he can improve with accuracy and reading the defense. Can he make that jump and be what we drafted him to be?
JJ Stankevitz: I wouldn't rule out the Colts making a move at linebacker but the team likes 2024 fifth-round pick Jaylon Carlies' upside and potential to earn a role next to Zaire Franklin in Lou Anarumo's defense this year. Carlies had surgery this offseason, so we'll see what his availability looks like during OTAs later this month, but general manager Chris Ballard did say he expects the Mizzou product to be ready for training camp in July.
The Colts on Wednesday signed linebacker Joe Bachie, who was in Cincinnati with Lou Anarumo for the last four years, but he only started two games (both in 2021) and was primarily a special teams contributor.
As for the second part of this question – I mentioned it in last week's mailbag, but Richardson said in April he didn't work out with Josh Allen this offseason, just to clear that up.
But I do think there's something to keep in mind here with Richardson's offseason: He hasn't had a "normal" one up to this point of his NFL career. Plenty of growth can happen for a player between January and April, but Richardson wasn't able to fully take advantage of that window until this year. In 2023, he was training for the NFL Combine, his pro day, private workouts, team facility visits, etc. In 2024, he was rehabbing his throwing shoulder. In 2025, he's been able to have a "smooth rhythm" to his offseason, he said a few weeks ago – which has involved conditioning, treatment and a few specific on-field focuses.
"It's definitely different," Richardson said. "I was thinking about it, like last offseason just trying to get back – I was just trying to make sure my arm was just able to just go so I can just get the ball out. But this year, we're working more like mechanic stuff, kind of like not necessarily redefining my mechanics, but tweaking it a little bit and making sure everything was smooth."
We'll see if this "normal" offseason translates into improvement in things like Richardson's completion percentage (47.7 percent last year) and decision-making (12 interceptions to eight passing touchdowns). I wouldn't discount the impact it can have, though.
Tom Oestreich (Carmel, Ind.): Colts only had 36 sacks last year, T-7th fewest in the league. Ballard has used top draft assets in a 2024 1st Rd pick on Laiatu Latu and a 2025 2nd Rd pick on J.T. Tuimoloau. Do you believe these two players will make a tangible impact in improving that pass rush this year?
JJ Stankevitz: They'll help, certainly, but there's some interesting stuff going on beneath the surface of these sack numbers.
Colts defensive linemen last year had a 28.9 percent pressure rate, 28th in the NFL – so they were neither consistently getting pressure nor bringing quarterbacks to the ground. But here's an underlying that is indicative of the talent across the defensive line: Colts defensive linemen were 12th in the NFL in pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus, at 41.5 percent. This isn't a bottom-10 group in terms of talent.
Colts defensive linemen last year totaled 105 "beaten defender" plays, per Pro Football Focus, behind only the Detroit Lions (5th in pressure rate), Pittsburgh Steelers (14th in pressure rate) and Philadelphia Eagles (8th in pressure rate). Again, the Colts were 28th in pressure rate despite pretty frequently having a defensive lineman beat the offensive lineman across from him.
Diving a little deeper here, on 86 of these 105 "beaten defender" plays, the opposing quarterback threw a pass within 2.5 seconds of getting the snap – the second-highest total in the NFL. And of those 86 plays, only 16 were registered as a contested target by Pro Football Focus. It's hard to generate pressure when you beat the guy in front of you only to have a pass whizz by your ear for a completion.
The short version here is Anarumo's defense – with its disguised, multiple coverages and creative blitz packages – very well could get more out of this defensive line in 2025, because the talent is already there. But let's pull out of the weeds for a second and talk about the upside Latu and Tuimoloau bring.
And starting with Latu, who had four sacks last year, the Colts see plenty of reasons why he could make a significant Year 1 to Year 2 leap in production.
"I thought you could see it as the year went on. Were the sacks coming at the end? No, but the pressures were and I think you'll see him finish more as we go forward here," general manager Chris Ballard said. "I know Latu was getting a little frustrated and I remember DeForest (Buckner) got to him and said 'Look man, it took me two years to really develop to where I really understood how to rush.' I think it'll come on quicker than that but everybody's developmental timetable is different."
As for Tuimoloau, he was productive in college (12.5 sacks in 2024 with Ohio State) but will have to handle the learning curve of facing NFL offensive tackles who are stronger and more athletic than the ones he faced in college. He'll also have to earn his playing time with Latu, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye all returning at defensive end, but the Colts want a deep rotation of pass rushers, and he'll absolutely find his place in that mix.
Jerry Clough (Pasadena, Calif.): I like the D.J. Giddens and J.T. Tuimoloau picks in this year's draft. Do you expect to see some early packages for both of them or maybe just one?
JJ Stankevitz: A little more on Tuimoloau here – Anarumo said this week Tuimoloau could earn some snaps as an interior pass rusher, most likely on some passing down packages. Think along the lines of what Dayo Odeyingbo was for the Colts' defense over the last four years – a bigger defensive end with the flexibility to kick inside on third down.
As for Giddens, it'll be interesting to see if he can carve out a role – he'll compete with Tyler Goodson and veteran Khalil Herbert – when workhorse running back Jonathan Taylor is playing. Taylor was banged up during the Colts' Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then missed Weeks 5-7 last year; outside of those four games, the Colts' backup running back snap counts looked like this:
- Trey Sermon: 113 snaps (8.7 snaps/game)
- Tyler Goodson: 45 snaps (3.5 snaps/game)
- Total: 12 snaps/game
Goodson and Sermon combined for 20 carries in those 13 games in which Taylor was healthy; Taylor last year was one of six running backs with at least 300 carries (he had 303).
As long as Taylor is healthy, it might be tough for Giddens/Herbert/Goodson to get carries – but that's more about Taylor being one of the NFL's best running backs. But if Giddens shows the Colts something during OTAs and training camp as a pass catcher, pass blocker and/or runner, he could certainly find his way on the field at some point.
Harold Miller (Bedford, Ind.): Do you see the offense pick up drastically because Warren will have at least 1 safety and 1 linebacker tied up on every play?
JJ Stankevitz: The point here about Warren's gravitational effect on the Colts' offense is a good one. This is what Ballard laid out prior to the draft about an ideal tight end:
"They have to be able to play on all three downs, but one that can affect the middle of the field," Ballard said. "One of the most under-appreciated players to ever come to this program is Jack Doyle. He is. Guy was great. He was great. I don't think everybody recognized that, but all he did was block the edge consistently, do all the dirty work and catch every ball thrown to him. Like that's all he did, and he gave us a real threat in the middle of the field. Was he a dynamic, going to average 15, 16 yards a catch? No, but he was a damn good player.
"Also, be consistent and actually be a guy that the defense has to account for. The three-down part is big because if that guy – and look, all of them have to be functional enough to block. That's to me, the hard one to find. The second you don't have a guy that can block is the second the coaching staff is griping and saying, 'We've got to have a guy that can block.' But to be able to play on all three downs, to be able to be functional in the run game to where you don't necessarily know it's always a pass when he's in the game, and then to be able to finish and make plays at critical times and have him give the quarterback an option in the middle of the field."
Warren will have to handle the transition from college to the NFL, but – to give a sneak peek into a future podcast – I had a conversation with Penn State head coach James Franklin about this, and he brought up a compelling point: Not many college tight ends were asked to do what Warren did as a blocker with the Nittany Lions during his time there. His experience doing the dirty work as a blocker should help him assimilate to the NFL level, and his feel for space, good hands and after-the-catch ability are all major reasons why the Colts drafted him with the 14th overall pick.
Of course, Warren still has to go out and prove he can do all this, which starts with rookie minicamp this weekend. But if he can, it will benefit quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers – the Colts' offense as a whole.
