Rounding Up Indianapolis Colts' Offseason Buzz, Post-Minicamps

The Indianapolis Colts' mandatory minicamp finished a little over a week ago, but there have been lingering bits of news leaking out of Indianapolis.

There shouldn't be much more news for the rest of this offseason until training camp begins. If there is, it most likely won't be good. Last offseason, the Colts had a rash of offseason incidents that the team certainly doesn't want to see again. No news is good news, as far this period goes.

But before we get too deep into the doldrums of late June and July, we do have a few bits and pieces to wrap up. This could be the most important news we get in weeks, so don't take it for granted!

Hugh Thornton Could Be Key for Offensive Line

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, Mike Wells of ESPN.com spoke to third-year guard Hugh Thornton about the upcoming season, and one of the most interesting bits from the interview was how much health has impacted his development over the last two seasons.

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Every year is huge. I’ve got to earn a spot on this roster. Ultimately I want to earn a spot playing. I’m a team guy. Whatever they need me to play, want me to play, I’ll play it to the best of my ability. Obviously injures are a huge part of the game. We’ve got some depth at offensive line now where we have a bunch of starters battling for one spot.

It’s frustrating. My goal last year, and anybody’s goal, is to play consistent, but when you’re physically unable it hinders your consistency on a week-to-week basis. The biggest thing is to stay healthy and focus on the fundamentals and do my job to the best of my abilities.

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Thornton only started eight games last year, as he struggled with ankle, knee and shoulder injuries. He started 12 as a rookie in 2013, suffering shoulder, calf and neck injuries during that season. He also was held out of portions of both years' training camps with injuries.

At this point, attitudes tend to be pretty negative toward Thornton. He's been below average in each of the last two seasons, and he's currently battling with a post-surgery, older career backup in Lance Louis. But to his credit, Thornton has shown flashes, especially in run-blocking, where he has more power than anyone else on the line.

If Thornton can put together a healthy year, he can get his career back on track and help solidify the Colts offensive line in the process.

AFC South to Become More Competitive?

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In it's 13-year history, the AFC South has been won by a team other than Indianapolis exactly four times.

The Tennessee Titans won in 2002 and in 2008, while the Houston Texans won in both 2011 and 2012. But for the most part, if Indy's quarterback (first Peyton Manning and now Andrew Luck) has been healthy, the division crown has gone to the Colts.

Is this the year that the rest of the division catches up? While the rest of the teams in the division seem to be improving, the lack of an established quarterback elsewhere in the AFC South is keeping a fair amount of distance between the Colts and the rest of the division.

Tania Ganguli, ESPN's staff writer for the Houston Texans, recently asked the same question to ESPN's NFL Nation reporters for the AFC South, and there wasn't much debate in the answers. The division is Indianapolis' for the foreseeable future. All hope lies in the three other teams' young quarterbacks, as Mike DiRocco, the Jaguars reporter, put it:

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The Jaguars believe they have found their franchise quarterback in Bortles, and Tennessee just drafted Mariota with the second overall pick. However, Houston is relying on Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. If those quarterbacks develop into solid starters—not even Pro Bowl players, just average NFL quarterbacks—the division becomes tougher.

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Will that happen in 2015? It seems unlikely. Rookie quarterbacks rarely produce exceptional win-loss records, unless they are on strong teams. Bortles didn't show anything close to average starting quarterback play last year, although he does have the physical tools. Meanwhile, Hoyer and Mallett are career backups at this point.

Which Rookie Has the Best Chance of Starting?

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Based on talent, you'd have to say that first-round pick Phillip Dorsett has the best chance of starting in 2015. Dorsett was the Colts' first pick of the draft, and they had him graded as one of the top 20 players in the draft due to his speed and complementary skill set, per Wells of ESPN.com.

While T.Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson have the two starting positions locked down, an injury or an increase in three-receiver sets could result in Dorsett starting or having a starter-like impact.

But a dark-horse rookie to start in 2015 is fourth-round pick Clayton Geathers, a safety out of Central Florida. Mike Wells recently discussed the possibility because of Geathers' impressive offseason workouts, which drew the praise of head coach Chuck Pagano:

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He’s going to be one of those guys that in today’s football you can play inside as a dime (linebacker) and get faster, get more speed on the field and matchup with the tight ends that we’ve got to cover now, the backs out of the backfield and things like that. He’s going to contribute, not only on defense, but he should be an outstanding special teamer as well.

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Pagano's comments make it seem like Geathers won't overtake veteran safety Dwight Lowery right away, but instead be limited to special teams and special sub-packages on defense.

But the potential seems to be there, and Lowery is not locked into a starting spot by any means. The team hopes that he can produce a career year like Mike Adams did last season after being signed in free-agency, but Adams was a more established player, albeit an older one.

If Lowery struggles, Geathers might see a starting spot earlier than expected.

T.Y. Hilton Showing Ominous Signs?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Jim Irsay caught the eye of a few people earlier this offseason when he mentioned T.Y. Hilton's potential extension, expressing a desire to keep Hilton around long-term.

Then Ryan Grigson came out and clarified that there wasn't much going on in that department.

Now, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star says the lack of an extension and some of Hilton's comments this offseason spell trouble brewing.

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If you were so inclined, you could easily see it this way: Hilton is entering the final year of his 2012 rookie contract—and with extension discussions going nowhere, the Colts drafted his replacement.

That appears to be how Hilton sees it, which gets me back to the two reasons to believe this could be his last season here—the same two reasons, oddly, to believe he stays: his words, and his quarterback.

Hilton seemed stunned by the drafting of Dorsett, his final sentence not quite soothing over the first two when he made his first post-draft comments: "There's nothing I can do about that (selection of Dorsett). That's who they picked. That's cool with me."

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Doyel laid out a number of reasons why Hilton could be leaving next year, but none of them particularly grab me as compelling. Hilton has been an exceptional teammate and participant in all aspects of the offseason this year and has given no indication of being upset, unless you want to start applying your own assumptions to specific lines of interviews.

Does that mean Hilton is definitely staying in Indianapolis for a while? Who knows. The Colts have a lot of people to pay in the next two years. But Hilton is a fan favorite and a favorite of Irsay's, which goes a long way. The Colts don't need to be in a hurry to get an extension done, especially since Hilton's performance this season could help determine his cost.

Starting to worry seems a little premature at this point.

Nate Irving to Push Jackson, Freeman If Healthy

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Last week, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star took on the subject of Nate Irving, the Colts' free-agent signing from Denver. Irving started eight games at linebacker for the Broncos last year before torn ligaments (yes, plural) in his knee ended his season.

Irving was impressive in those eight games, especially against the run, and he has a lot of potential at just 26 years old. There is certainly an impression that he can make an impact in Indianapolis, at least according to Holder:

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The injury will clearly put limitations on what kind of immediate impact Irving can have. So, too, will the fact that the Colts have a pair of starting inside linebackers returning in D'Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman.

But don't make any future assumptions about either returning player. Among the Colts' intentions in acquiring Irving was creating competition at a position that's critical to stopping opponents' running games.

Irving, 26, is younger and arguably has more upside than either Jackson or Freeman.

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But there is still that knee injury.

If Irving heals well, the impression is that he can push Jackson and Freeman for a starting spot at some point. If that's the case, the Colts would benefit tremendously. The inconsistencies from the two starting linebackers was a big reason why the Colts defense as a whole was inconsistent last season, especially against the Patriots.

But ACL and MCL tears do not equal certain recoveries, no matter what Adrian Peterson did a few years ago. How Irving recovers and how quickly he can join training camp will be key points to watch as the summer progresses.