Indianapolis Colts: Ranking Remaining Offseason Priorities

Though most of the Indianapolis Colts' transactions for the offseason are complete, the work is not yet done.

The Colts have added more than 30 new players to the roster, and integrating those players into the team will take a large part of the offseason. The team must figure out the roles of each and every player before the Colts' season-opener in Buffalo on September 13.

Alongside the players, their preparation and competition is the preparation from the coaching staff and front office. Both Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson have plenty of work to do in order to finalize a 53-man roster and be ready for the regular season.

With that in mind, today we'll break down the top five priorities for the team this offseason, from the players to the front office.

5. Exploring Roles for Young Secondary Players

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Heading into the offseason, the Colts had a large part of their secondary set in stone, especially with Darius Butler and Mike Adams likely to re-sign. After the two came back on two-year deals, the Colts were ensured continuity in the secondary.

Not only does the team bring back its top three cornerbacks in Vontae Davis, Greg Toler and Butler, but it also has Adams, who was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2014. While the team did have a hole at starting safety next to Adams, the bulk of a secondary that was relatively successful last season is returning to Indianapolis. Last year, the Colts ranked 10th in defensive passing DVOA, per Football Outsiders, despite having no real threat as a pass-rusher.

So while the starting secondary is in good shape, the Colts need to start looking ahead to the future, which is why they drafted CB D'Joun Smith and S Clayton Geathers in the 2015 NFL draft.

Both players could play big roles for the Colts in 2015, Geathers fighting for a starting spot and Smith as a depth cornerback, but their real value will come in years to come. This offseason, the team needs to start experimenting with these players, finding what roles work best for them, both in the context of the 2015 team and in respect to their individual skill sets.

4. Defining Coaching Strategies for Key Games

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Personnel problems were an issue for the Colts during their loss to the New England Patriots in the 2014 AFC Championship Game, but one part of the game that often gets passed over is coaching.

Chuck Pagano and his staff have been outcoached by Bill Belichick and the Patriots in each of the last few meetings, with the 45-7 loss in January being the culmination of that domination.

Offensively, the Colts couldn't get their downfield passing attack going at all, as the Patriots creatively used their secondary pieces to shut T.Y. Hilton and the rest down. Defensively, the Colts continued to run over by the Patriots, despite having a bigger, stronger defensive line.

The Colts got dominated in a few key games last year, including against the Patriots, Steelers and Cowboys. In 2015, if the Colts are to be taken more seriously as Super Bowl contenders, they need to step up in big games. That starts with coaching.

3. Identifying Phillip Dorsett's Role in the Colts Offense

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The Colts shocked a lot of people when they selected WR Phillip Dorsett in the first round of the draft, passing over a defensive playmaker or potential building block on the offensive line. Now, the Colts need to make sure they fully take advantage of this new weapon.

Dorsett will contribute to the team in a variety of ways, including on special teams as a returner and on offense as a deep threat and gadget player on end-arounds. But while the special teams contributions and the gadget plays will be nice, the real reason Dorsett was drafted was to be a vertical threat. The true value of Dorsett will be how he fits in the flow of the Colts' base offense.

With so many offensive weapons, the Colts will have no excuse not to have one of the top five offenses in the league. Last season, the raw numbers would have supported that, but the team was very inefficient, ranking just 13th in Football Outsiders' passing DVOA.

The first step in building that offense is to figure out how the Colts can best utilize Dorsett. This most likely involves both vertical routes and yard-after-catch opportunities, but the vertical offense will be the real kicker if the Colts are to be a truly elite offense. For more on that possibility, check out Mike Tanier's piece here on Bleacher Report from Tuesday.

2. Developing Young Defensive Line Talent

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One of the Colts' biggest issues on defense last season was a lack of star pieces, especially amid the front seven. The team needs core pieces that it can build around, playmakers rather than simply bodies.

The Colts have young players they have expressed optimism in long-term development, including Montori Hughes and Zach Kerr. After adding Henry Anderson and David Parry in the draft, the Colts have plenty of young talent to work with. The key now is fleshing out which of them can become future building blocks.

Anderson is the one with the most potential, being drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft, and receiving first and second-round hype at times during the pre-draft process. Hughes and Parry were both fifth-round picks, while Kerr was an undrafted free agent.

Still, the Colts shouldn't invest just in Anderson at the expense of the others. The team must spend much of the offseason coaching up all of their young defensive linemen, both for the act of coaching them up as well as finding a sensible rotation for 2015.

1. Sorting out the Offensive Line Rotation

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The only weakness that was not addressed with significant resources in the offseason is the Colts' offensive line, which added only Todd Herremans on a small deal and Denzelle Good in the seventh round.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. The offensive line wasn't as bad as some would claim last season, being a rather average group on the whole. The real problem with the offensive line was a lack of consistency, as the Colts had the offensive line with the least amount of continuity throughout the season, according to Football Outsiders.

With Anthony Castonzo and Jack Mewhort holding down the left side, the Colts really just have to find a quality trio from center to right tackle, which is made even simpler if Gosder Cherilus is healthy. But the team also has to prepare for potential injuries by figuring out which lineups can play well together if Cherilus does go down.

Can Mewhort replace him on the right side, with Joe Reitz sliding in at left guard? Can Herremans slide to tackle if need be? Who is the best left guard if all are fully healthy, and which young center will step up? Those are the critical questions for the Colts as they prepare for the 2015 season.