The Indianapolis Colts had two directions to go in firing the first salvo that what Indy has been doing isn’t good enough.
Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon went with the front office first. Chris Ballard was fired earlier this week, sending away the Colts’ GM with just a few weeks until the trade deadline.
That move also meant that, for now, head coach Shane Steichen is safe.
That doesn’t mean Steichen is secure for the long run, though. He still hasn’t made the playoffs in his time leading the Colts. Steichen will have to show something to the ownership group to prove that he deserves more than this, his fourth season at the helm.
Shane Steichen Job Security by ESPN
ESPN’s insiders, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, discussed the Colts and Steichen in a new article on Wednesday.
Both recognize that even though Steichen is still around right now, that doesn’t mean he will be forever.
“The sentiment as of now is that Colts coach Shane Steichen will get more chances to state his case for the job moving forward,” Fowler writes. “But typically, franchises like to synchronize their brain trust on similar timelines, often with a newly appointed general manager spearheading a search for the new coach. That might not bode well for Steichen, whose acumen never has been questioned. He’d be in the mix for head coaching jobs or primo playcaller positions in the 2027 cycle.”
Graziano even notes that Steichen could still be out before the end of the season, too.
“I would agree that while Steichen is well-regarded and well-liked in the building, this is definitely a situation worth monitoring for potential change at the end of the season, if not sooner,” Graziano writes. “Firing a GM in mid-October indicates disappointment from ownership, obviously, but it also signals the possibility of major change on the roster, maybe even in the next few weeks.”
One Complicating Factor
One interesting thing to note is that if the Colts are going to evaluate Steichen for what he does on the field the rest of the season, it could get tougher by the trade deadline.
If Indy doesn’t turn things around in a hurry, the Colts will likely sell off some veterans for future assets. And if that happens, the current team gets worse.
A lesser roster makes it that much trickier to evaluate Steichen’s role in the Colts’ struggles.
Clearly, there’ll be more that goes into the decision on Steichen’s future than just the second half of this season — but it’s going to matter, and it might not be easy.
Colts’ Shane Steichen Job Still in Danger: Insider