Report: Roy Istvan ‘a top candidate’ for Colts OL coach

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen will begin filling out his coaching staff over the next week, and it seems a top candidate for the offensive line coach has emerged.

One of the biggest coaching roles that the Colts need to get right comes along the offensive line. A unit that used to put fear in their opponents hasn’t held the same fervor over the last two seasons, and Steichen may be targeting a candidate from the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff.

According to Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star, Eagles assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan has emerged as “a top candidate” for the role of offensive line coach.

Expect more of these to trickle out as Shane Steichen gets rolling on hiring his offensive staff. OL coach might be the most important one, and I’m told Eagles assistant Roy Istvan is a top candidate.

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) February 16, 2023

The Colts offensive line struggled mightily during the 2022 season. They regressed at an incredible rate under Chris Strausser.

The offensive line in 2022 allowed the second-most sacks (60) and the seventh-highest pressure rate (24.2%) in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference. While not all of the pressures should be attributed to the offensive line—a portion of them fall on the quarterbacks—it was clear the unit didn’t play nearly close to expectations.

Istvan hasn’t been coaching in the NFL for a long time, but he has a lot of recent experience working with the best unit in the league. He’s been the assistant offensive line coach for the Eagles since 2019.

Before that, he spent 33 years coaching at the collegiate level and got his start with current Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland at Southern Connecticut State in 1990 after playing for Stoutland as an offensive lineman. Stoutland is considered the league’s best offensive line coach.

This seems like an easy choice for the Colts, but we’ll see what happens throughout the process of filling out Steichen’s coaching staff.

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