INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts offense had to be a resourceful bunch last season.

Only a handful of the key components — Andrew Luck, Eric Ebron, Quenton Nelson, Nyheim Hines, Chester Rogers and Braden Smith — were available for every game, and Smith’s value didn’t become apparent until he joined the starting lineup at right tackle in Game 5. Indianapolis dealt with injuries at running back, wide receiver, tight end and across the offensive line.

By the season’s midpoint, though, Indianapolis had sorted out most of the key roles, and under the leadership of Luck and Frank Reich, turned into a multi-faceted, dangerous unit, capable of beating teams in a bunch of different ways. Indianapolis finished seventh in yards, fifth in scoring and produced four 100-yard rushing days for Marlon Mack, the kind of production no Colts back has had in the Luck era. (Mack's four 100-yard games are more than a Luck running back had in his previous five seasons.)

With the season in the rearview mirror, an analysis of the team’s playing time — both in its entirety and on a game-by-game basis — revealed several trends for an Indianapolis offense that seemed to develop its identity as the season progressed.

IRON MAN: Quenton Nelson

Only one Colt played every single snap on his side of the ball this season, and it was Nelson. He rendered the talk about the value of using a top-10 pick on a guard worthless by turning in an All-Pro rookie year. Nelson played every one of the offense’s 1,265 snaps, a rock for a unit that dealt with injuries at every other spot on the line at one point or the other.

Honorable mention: Andrew Luck. The concerns over Luck’s health seem like a distant memory now, but at the beginning of this season there was plenty of hand-wringing over his ability to play a full season, and the Colts’ franchise quarterback ended up playing all but 17 snaps — sitting out eight apiece at the end of blowouts over Buffalo and Tennessee, plus the infamous Hail Mary against Philadelphia — in his return to football.

EFFICIENCY EXPERT: Eric Ebron

Ebron led all Colts tight ends by playing 715 snaps in 18 games because he was the only player at the position to play in more than 14 games. A closer look at the numbers reveals that Ebron’s ideal role is as the ultimate specialist; he only led Indianapolis tight ends in snaps ten times, often coming in second to Jack Doyle or Mo Alie-Cox.

And although his chances were cut roughly in half when his playing time fell off, Ebron still found a way to make an impact. He caught 24 passes for 305 yards and seven touchdowns in the eight games where he wasn’t the sole leader in playing time among tight ends; Ebron caught 50 passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns in the nine games he led the position group in snaps.

RISING: Mo Alie-Cox

Alie-Cox opened the season on the practice squad, and his role might not have increased so much if Jack Doyle hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury. But the former VCU basketball player led Colts tight ends in snaps twice in the final five games and tied Ebron for the team lead in the season finale against Tennessee. Alie-Cox averaged 21.8 snaps in his first six games, 32.6 in his final five games after returning from a calf injury.

FALLING: Jordan Wilkins

Wilkins lost playing time as the season progressed through little fault of his own; the return of Marlon Mack relegated the rookie to the No. 3 running back role. Wilkins averaged 21.8 snaps in the Colts’ first seven games, but that number dropped to just 5.2 in the final 11.

IN JEOPARDY: Ryan Grant

Grant is an unrestricted free agent after playing on a one-year, $5 million deal last season, and if his playing time and production is any indication, the veteran receiver likely won’t be back with Indianapolis. Initially tabbed as the team’s No. 2 wideout, Grant averaged 56.3 snaps in the first six games, catching 26 passes for 270 yards before missing two games due to injury. When he came back, though, veteran Dontrelle Inman had taken over the No. 2 role, and Grant’s playing time was cut in half. He averaged 27.8 snaps per game in the final eight games, catching nine passes for just 65 yards.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: Chester Rogers

Rogers went through an up-and-down season, and he was never the No. 2 receiving option, but he played a bigger role in this offense than it often seemed. Rogers ended up playing 684 snaps, the second-most of any receiver, and caught 62 passes for 561 yards and two scores.

CLEAR NEED: Wide receiver

No surprise here. Inman’s arrival certainly helped — the veteran caught 17 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts’ final four games, including the playoffs — but in terms of playing time, the picture was muddled. Outside of T.Y. Hilton, who the Colts tried to keep on the field as much as possible given as he dealt with two sprains in the same ankle, Indianapolis often split up the workload fairly evenly among three receivers (usually Inman, Rogers and Zach Pascal) and sometimes even four. A rotation at wide receiver isn’t unusual, and Pascal’s blocking ability made him a force in the running game, but the addition of a clear No. 2 who is on the field in running situations would make play identification that much harder for defenses.