It didn’t take long after a Super Bowl loss for Shane Steichen to finalize his new job. Hours after losing to the Chiefs, former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen signed a contract to become the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Steichen was a key part of Philadelphia’s success, leading the revitalization of its offense in the wake of the 2018 Super Bowl title. He was arguably the biggest force behind the rise of Jalen Hurts and was instrumental in assembling the skill players and offensive line around him.
In 2022, the Eagles’ offense was in the top three of almost every notable category.
The Colts are surely counting on Steichen’s ability to develop quarterbacks, because they will likely draft one with this year’s first-round pick. It remains to be seen exactly where they will be making that selection, however; the Colts are touted as likely to attempt to trade with the Bears to acquire the number one pick.
As things stand, Indy picks fourth, where it will probably have the ability to pick up Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. We’ll get into it in future blogs, but I don’t think those guys are nearly at the same level as Bryce Young or CJ Stroud at the top of the board.
As a result, I fully expect Steichen to be aggressive in his pursuit of the first overall selection. If he can get the guy he wants in the building, it could be huge for the Colts’ chances. I mean, it could be argued that they haven’t had a fully-stable quarterback situation since Peyton Manning left for Denver.
The quarterback situation will surely be priority number one for Steichen, but he will have to rebuild a roster that gave up on not one but two coaches this past season and at times looked like the worst team in the league. Not an easy situation to walk into.
However, it feels like the Colts are always one-or-two steps away from contending no matter the situation they are presently in. I wouldn’t be surprised if this proves true for Steichen as he begins his head coaching career.
Who knows? Bryce Young or CJ Stroud could be good enough to immediately make them at least relevant.
It also wouldn’t surprise me to see Steichen continue to build the offensive skill positions after round one. Michael Pittman has all the look of a legitimate WR1, but having two of those kinds of guys can be deadly for defenses. There’s always an all-pro caliber receiver lingering in the second round.
Finally, I am super intrigued to see how Steichen handles Jonathan Taylor. After an electrifying 2021 campaign, Taylor was disappointing in 2022 to say the least. I expect a bit of a revival for Taylor under Steichen, which is bad news for the AFC.
Overall, I think this is a decent hire, but there might be a bit of recency bias involved given how quickly the Eagles’ offense rose to prominence. Hopefully Steichen isn’t just the next flashy coaching fad (looking at you, Kliff Kingsbury).
I mean, how can you not at least like a guy that looks like a younger version of the cigarette-sickened barback at your local sports bar?
Embers.
