ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked the skill position units of each NFL team heading into the 2025 season. So, where do the Indianapolis Colts’ AFC South foes land on this list?
When it comes to the Colts‘ own wide receiver, tight end, and running back units, Barnwell is quite bullish on these groups, with Indianapolis coming in at No. 16, and it sounds like they could be higher if there was more certainty at quarterback.
On the other side of the ball, defending the Texans, Jaguars, and Titans’ skill position players will be a new-look Colts’ defense under Lou Anarumo.
This will be a more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme than what we’ve seen in the past from Indianapolis. This can help better position the secondary to make plays on the football, while the varying of coverages can hopefully cause some confusion and chaos for opposing offenses, which not only benefits the cornerbacks and safeties, but the defensive line as well, with potentially additional time to get home.
“Really the aggressive mindset,” Cam Bynum said of Anarumo’s defense when asked how it compares to Brian Flores’ defense. “That’s one thing that they share and they have in common, and that’s the mindset that I love to have on defense.
“That we’re going to send pressure, that we’re going to mix things up, variations of everything, but at the end of the day we want to go down with our best guys being aggressive and that’s the mindset I like to have. I don’t want to sit back and just let things happen in front of us, I want to be able to command the offense to be able to do what we want them to do.”
Personnel-wise on this Colts’ defense, GM Chris Ballard revamped the secondary by signing Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum, along with drafting Justin Walley and Hunter Wohler.
The defensive line continues to be a unit that the Colts invest heavily in, both in terms of cap space and draft capital–although, as we discussed recently, more production is needed from this unit.
Tennessee Titans ranking: 32nd
What Barnwell had to say: “No. 1 pick Cam Ward‘s group of receivers are … well-seasoned. Tyler Lockett, 32, was a cap casualty in Seattle whose numbers were way down during his final year with the Seahawks. He joins to link up with 30-year-old Calvin Ridley, who was better moving around the formation in Tennessee after being trapped on the outside in Jacksonville, but he dropped seven passes and wasn’t always the reliable target a struggling group of quarterbacks needed.”
Key players to know: RB Tony Pollard, RB Tyjae Spears, WR Tyler Lockett, WR Calvin Ridley, WR Van Jefferson, WR Elic Ayomanor
Jacksonville Jaguars ranking: 18th
What Barnwell had to say: “After those two (Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter)? Let’s hope Coen can do as much with the ancillary players in Jacksonville as he did in Tampa Bay. Receiver Dyami Brown was an afterthought for four years in Washington before a hot postseason run. Tight end Brenton Strange inherits the starting role from Evan Engram after averaging a respectable 1.6 yards per route run a year ago.
Key players to know: WR Brian Thomas Jr., WR Travis Hunter, WR Dyami Brown, TE Brenton Strange, RB Travis Etienne, RB Tank Bigsby, RB Bhayshul Tuten
Houston Texans ranking: 14th
What Barnwell had to say: “Mixon suffered behind the dismal offensive line play in Houston; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a back pull a rabbit out of his hat more often in beating unblocked or marginally blocked rushers in the backfield on third-and-short before picking up first downs. He should benefit from a better offensive scheme, and it’s tough to imagine the line play being worse.”
Key players to know: WR Nico Collins, WR Christian Kirk, WR Jayden Higgins, WR Jaylin Noel, RB Joe Mixon, RB Nick Chubb, TE Dalton Schultz
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: How Colts’ WR, TE, RB units compare to rest of AFC South foes