INDIANAPOLIS – Shane Steichen hit the ground running 13 months ago after being given his first head coaching opportunity by the Indianapolis Colts.
It was, he agreed, a whirlwind.
His “To do’’ list was long and pulled one of the NFL’s youngest head coaches in different directions. He had to settle on a coaching staff, learn the strengths and weaknesses of the roster he was inheriting, decide the proper décor for his office, discover the shortest route from that office to the meeting rooms and the cafeteria, etc.
But Steichen’s initial welcoming message probably had two parts.
Here’s your office.
Help find us a quarterback.
“You hit it on the head,’’ Steichen said last week. “It definitely has slowed down in that capacity.’’
Veteran free agency takes centerstage this week. Teams are allowed to negotiate with players on other teams with expiring contracts Monday through Wednesday in advance of 4 p.m. Wednesday. That’s the start of the new league year and when those agreements and trades can be finalized.
Last year at this time, Steichen still was getting up to speed on his players and began a deep dive into what was considered a deep pool of possible franchise quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft.
As everyone remembers, the Colts absolutely had to exit the draft with their quarterback of the future. The veteran quarterback carousel that preceded Steichen’s arrival and contributed to Frank Reich’s departure had to stop.
It did when general manager Chris Ballard invested the No. 4 overall pick on Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
The Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young No. 1 overall, followed by the Houston Texans hitching their future to C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 pick.
But the Colts insisted they got their guy.
“I always felt Richardson was going to be the guy that we went with early on in the process,’’ owner Jim Irsay said. “If we had the first pick in the draft, we’d probably pick Anthony.’’
No one should underestimate Steichen’s influence on the seismic decision. He was considered something of a quarterback whisperer after working with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia and Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers with the Chargers.
“It has to be Shane’s guy,’’ Irsay said.
Fast-forward to this offseason.
Steichen should be able to look through a wider-angle lens on personnel matters. That’s not to diminish the fingerprints he put on the 2023 roster, but now everything won’t be secondary to acing the quarterback exam.
After directing the Colts to within one victory of winning the AFC South despite Richardson’s shoulder injury, Jonathan Taylor’s ankle rehab/contract issues and other significant injuries, Steichen has a better feel for what moves need to made – what players need to be added at which positions – to enable the franchise to take that next step and win its first AFC South title since 2014.
“We’ve got a lot of good players on this roster and how can we improve it and add more talent to it is what we’re going through,’’ he said. “Obviously, the systems are in place. Last year, it was getting the system installed and meeting on offense and here is how we’re calling things.
“Now, the system is installed and how are we getting better at the things that we were good at, the things that we need to improve on and how are we staying on the cutting edge . . . also diving into our roster and trying to improve on that.’’
Areas of concern include wide receiver, even after using the one-year, $21.8 million franchise tag on Michael Pittman Jr., tight end, cornerback, safety and the offensive and defensive lines.
And for a second straight offseason, there’s another pesky quarterback question.
Not regarding the starter. But the backup.
Gardner Minshew II is one of a dozen Colts whose contract expire Wednesday. Maybe he returns after replacing Richardson over the final 12 games last season, setting a slew of personal bests and coming Oh so close to getting Indy into the postseason.
Minshew followed Steichen from Philly to Indy last offseason, accepting a one-year, $3.5 million deal that maxed out at $5.5 million with incentives. Pro Football Focus projects his next contract to average $8.5 million per year.
“We really think the world of Gardner,’’ Ballard said.
If Minshew finds a better opportunity – and more money – elsewhere, what type of backup should the Colts pursue? And rest assured, they will sign a No. 2 capable of playing at a No. 1 level if necessary.
Should the next backup possess traits – i.e., mobility – in line with Richardson’s? Tyrod Taylor’s name has been thrown around.
“Not necessarily the same skillset,’’ Ballard said, “but a guy that your staff feels like you can win with. That to me is the key.
“Gardner did about as well as you can do coming in. Give Shane and his staff a lot of credit, and give Gardner a lot of credit for coming in and playing winning football. That was not an easy task.’’
Steichen agreed.
“Some people say, ‘Hey, do you want a guy with similar traits to Anthony Richardson? Is that important or not?’’’ he said. “I think that has benefit.’’
The caveat: the backup gets zero reps with the No. 1 offense once the regular season begins, and few during training camp. The No. 2 runs the scout team.
“So, you’ve got to be ready to go in if you have to go in and perform on pretty much no reps but know the game plan,’’ Steichen said. “That’s what Gardner did obviously . . . but he did a great job operating in that role.
“I think it could go either way, it really can. I think as coaches – myself and Jim Bob (Cooter, offensive coordinator) – whatever that role is for that backup whether it is a guy like Anthony or it’s a guy that has different traits than Anthony, you adapt to that player.’’
Regardless the player or position under consideration in personnel meetings, Ballard and Steichen work in unison.
“We all speak our opinions, you know what I mean?’’ Steichen said. “But the thing is we’re going to have a collaborative effort when making final decisions.
“Obviously, Chris is the general manager that makes the final decisions, but we have a great working relationship. We see things similar, which is awesome.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.