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 Instagram) and in the YouTube comments for the podcast.
For this week's podcast mailbag question, I answered one from the YouTube comments about the Colts' tight end depth behind Tyler Warren. For the answer, 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:
Joshua Solomon (Suitland, Md.): With camp starting what's the overall feel of the team and what's the real feel on AR5 starting week 1 of the regular season?
JJ Stankevitz: Vibes are good here at Grand Park, and I think the starting point there is the Colts began practicing with a close-to-clean bill of health (Zaire Franklin, who wasn't put on PUP yesterday, was the only player to miss practice Wednesday).
The impression I get from this team is, across the roster, they're confident in what they can do individually, as a unit (defensive backs, tight ends, etc.) and as a team. Zooming out a bit, general manager Chris Ballard acknowledged what the Colts have got right with their roster over the last few years won't come together unless they figure out the most important position on an NFL team.
"We have to get the quarterback settled," Ballard said. "That position carries such an importance to just almost the state of your team when you when you've got it, when you've got that position solidified. He's one of 53, and it's not all about him, but he's an important piece."
As for who the Week 1 starting quarterback will be, it's too early to tell – both Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones will get an equal shot to win it. That might not be a satisfying answer right now, but training camp just started, so it'll have to do here in late July.
Tom Oestreich (Carmel, Ind.): JT has only played in every game in 1 of his 5 seasons. How do you anticipate the RB carries to be split up this year to protect him? Do you foresee Giddens pushing Herbert/Goodson for RB2?
JJ Stankevitz: Running back depth was an area the Colts wanted to focus on this offseason, and the additions of Khalil Herbert in free agency and D.J. Giddens in the fifth round of the NFL Draft were the product of those efforts.
In those games Taylor missed last year, the Colts primarily used Trey Sermon (2.8 yards/attempt on 54 carries) with Tyler Goodson mixed in (4.8 yards/attempt on 32 carries). Taylor was out Weeks 5-7, and in those three games the Colts averaged 3.9 yards per rushing attempt; when Taylor played, the Colts averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. That with-Taylor-playing average would've been sixth in the NFL last season.
Taylor still carried the ball 303 times last year and set a career high with 21.6 rushing attempts per game (even higher than the 19.5 attempts/game he had in his All-Pro 2021 season). Taylor and Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro Saquon Barkley tied for the NFL lead at 21.6 rushing attempts per game in 2024; Taylor, Barkley and the Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry were the only three players last season to average over 100 rushing yards per game.
The point here is Taylor is still a singularly great running back, one who might not need a ton of breathers during a game. But what's important for the Colts is to keep their running game strong if Taylor does miss any time – which is why the Goodson/Giddens/Herbert competition will be sneakily important to follow during training camp.
The Colts liked Giddens a lot coming out of Kansas State, and he certainly could push for RB2 duties against Goodson and Herbert, both of whom have at times shown burst and efficiency in their NFL careers.
Joseph Lucas (Indiana): Why have the Colts not spent any money on trying to get an additional wide receiver for the deep ball to help open up the middle of the field?
JJ Stankevitz: The short answer is because Alec Pierce led the NFL in yards per reception (22.3) last year and is one of the better deep ball wide receivers in the NFL.
Also, the Colts believe Adonai Mitchell can continue to grow in Year 2 after spending a second-round pick on him in 2024. And, lastly, the Colts' wide receiver depth chart is as talented and deep as it's been in years – from Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr. and Downs at the top to Mitchell competing for a role to Ashton Dulin's speed and do-it-all flexibility, this is a good, stable group.
It's sometimes a little easy to say "Team X should trade for Player Z" but player acquisition doesn't cost just money and draft picks – it can cut off a path to developing a younger player through practice reps and playing time.
