Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has had an average first two seasons in charge. The former Eagles offensive coordinator holds a 17-17 regular season record and, despite getting close, is yet to make the playoffs.
Still, Steichen still has the respect of many as one of the league’s top playcallers. Ted Nguyen of The Athletic spoke to several defensive coaches, who named Steichen in the top ten of playcallers in the NFL.
Listed at No. 10, Nguyen wrote that Steichen is one of the most creative offensive minds in the game.
“From a play design standpoint, he’s one of the more creative coaches in the league, and some coaches believe the Colts offense would be one of the best if he had just good quarterback play,” Nguyen wrote.
Nguyen cites Steichen’s previous work with some of the league’s premier passers, like Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert, for some of his success. While Anthony Richardson Sr. hasn’t provided the same level of offensive gain, Nguyen praised Steichen for going with a more experienced Daniel Jones in 2025.
“It’s understandable why he went with Daniel Jones if he believes he can ‘play the game through Jones’ similarly to how McVay did with Goff in his early years with the Rams.”
Steichen still intimidates some of his defensive counterparts, too.
“I think he’s caused more panic timeouts by defenses and opposing head coaches than almost anybody. He’s stolen more plays than a lot of people have,” an AFC defensive coach told Nguyen.
The playcalling creativity and intimidation factor are great. But the bottom line is that Steichen needs to start winning more games, otherwise his elite skillset would be rendered useless.