Indianapolis Colts hire Eagles OC Shane Steichen as new head coach
The Colts are turning to another Eagles offensive coordinator fresh off a Super Bowl appearance to lead Indianapolis into its next era of football.
Shane Steichen was hired as the next Colts head coach on Tuesday, the team announced.
Steichen succeeds Frank Reich, who was fired midway through his fifth season with the Colts. Reich was hired in 2018 following his two-year stint as Eagles OC, which culminated with a victory in Super Bowl LII.
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Jeff Saturday served as the Colts’ interim coach following Reich’s dismissal and was one of several candidates to receive a second interview for the head coaching job.
Steichen becomes the 22nd head coach in the Colts’ 70-year history.
Indianapolis will tab a rookie head coach to help correct the course of a franchise that has struggled to find a stable replacement for Andrew Luck following the quarterback’s shocking retirement in 2019. The Colts have tallied a 31-34 record with one playoff appearance (no playoff wins) in the post-Luck era.
Steichen, 37, has developed a couple of notable young QBs over the course of his 11-year NFL coaching career.
Before landing in Philadelphia, Steichen was the OC of a Chargers offense that produced Justin Herbert’s historic rookie season in 2020. Herbert’s 31 touchdowns, 396 completions and 289.1 passing yards per game set all-time rookie records.
Steichen then played an integral part in the development of another young QB the following season in Philly, helping guide Jalen Hurts to 3,928 offensive yards (3,144 passing, 784 rushing) and building the league’s No. 1 rushing offense which earned a playoff berth under a first-year starting QB and rookie head coach in 2021.
The Eagles really came into form in 2022 with Hurts at the helm and Steichen calling the plays, averaging 389.1 yards and 28.1 points per game while producing the league’s best regular-season record (14-3). The No. 1-seeded Eagles maintained that dominance into the playoffs, scoring 30-plus points in both wins leading to the franchise’s fourth NFC title.
In Super Bowl LVII, Philadelphia produced 417 total yards and 35 points in its loss.
Steichen will take over a Colts team that is only one year removed from producing the league’s second-best rushing offense in 2021. Most of the Colts offensive line is slated to return and star running back Jonathan Taylor — the league’s rushing champion in 2021 — is expected to be fully healthy following an injury-riddled 2022. Indianapolis also carries over core pieces on defense entering 2023.
Who will be the QB in Steichen’s first season in Indy remains a question. Armed with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts are primed to select a quarterback prospect after hiring who they hope to be one of the next great offensive minds in the NFL.
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