The Indianapolis Colts had an eventful 2022 season.

The Colts fell to 4-12-1 in 2022 despite acquiring quarterback Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, putting them third in the AFC South and 15th in the AFC. Indianapolis hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to be the team's new head coach in February, bringing in a coach who had previous stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and as an offensive quality control coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Though the Colts didn't make the same big-time moves they made in 2022, they still completed some key signings to round out their roster before they started their 2023 campaign. They signed kicker Matt Gay, a former Pro Bowler with the Los Angeles Rams, to a four-year, $22.5 million contract in March. The same month, they signed wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, formerly from the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.

Who is one surprise player who could make or break the Colts' 2023 NFL season?

Ryan Kelly

Kelly, a former first-round pick out of Alabama, has played and started in 97 games for the Colts since the Colts first took him with the 18th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The three-time Pro Bowler played in 100% of the team's snaps on offense in all but two of the 17 games he suited up for in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference.

The Colts hired offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. in February. Sparano had spent time as an assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars in the past.

Sparano highlighted his focus for the line in a Saturday article from Colts.com Writer JJ Stankevitz.

“How do we build the dynamic of our group moving forward and what we're going to be about? That's what the focus has been about,” Sparano said, via Stankevitz. “For me, it's been about bringing the guys together. They were not familiar with me heading into the spring and I wasn't familiar with them – getting to know each other and getting to know coach to player, player to player and player to coach. How can we build that bond and be as strong as we can be with 15 players and two coaches in that room and get the best out of the group? That's what the focus has been on.

“To me, I have been really pleased with the way the guys have worked, the way they have bought into what we are doing as an offense and as an offensive line – the investment they have made into each other of truly trying to bond as a unit. Again, to me the offensive line scheme is really important, technique is really important. If you're not five as one, or playing as a unit and not on the same page as each other, I think the other stuff is irrelevant. That's where it starts and that's where it ends. For me, that is paramount.”

Kelly ended the 2022 regular season with a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 64.8, putting him on par with Houston Texans guard A.J. Cann at about 136th in the NFL among players who played in 300 or more blocking snaps. His 64.3 run block rating put him on pace with Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Andrew Wylie at around 94th. He will re-join a squad that took 23rd in the league with a PFF pass-block rating of 62.9 and 13th in the NFL with a run-block rating of 62.

If Ryan and the other main options on the Colts' offensive line can be the needed anchors for a consistent passing and running game, the Colts can take one step closer to taking their first spot in the NFL playoffs since the 2020 season.