5 questions facing the Colts in training camp

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Having made some blockbuster offseason additions to bolster an already strong offense, the Indianapolis Colts will again be expected to take the next step after advancing one stage further into the playoffs in each of the past three years.

Though Indianapolis could very well make an appearance on football's biggest stage this year, there are still a number of uncertainties surrounding the way in which the team will come together going forward.

Here are five questions the Colts face heading into training camp.

Will each receiver be able to find a role?

Declining an ideal opportunity to address one of many needs elsewhere on the roster, the Colts opted to spend this year's first-round pick on Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

While Dorsett's game-breaking speed and athletic ability could certainly be put to use in any offense, let alone one that's already among the league's most explosive passing attacks, it remains to be seen whether there will be enough snaps to go around.

With Dorsett joining a strong group of receivers in Andre Johnson, T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, as well as a formidable tight end duo of Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, several players could find themselves in less substantial roles than their talent requires.

The Colts will try to make the most of every receiver's unique skill set, but at least one of the pass catchers could conceivably get lost in the shuffle early on.

Can the offensive line protect the franchise?

Opting to spend both free-agent money and draft selections in bolstering other areas of the roster, the offensive line is one of several position groups the Colts surprisingly did little to address this offseason.

With a franchise-caliber signal-caller in Andrew Luck under center - the key to Indianapolis's success for the foreseeable future - not doing more to field a strong unit in front of him is a curious decision from the front office staff.

The Colts could very well be pleased with the state of their offensive front, anticipating the development of several young players heading into the 2015 season, but it's still a risky move when considering the options the team had in potentially landing upgrades elsewhere.

If the Colts end up falling short of the Super Bowl expectations now thrust upon them, a problematic situation on the offensive line could very well be the primary factor.

Who will step up on the defensive front?

With a clear need on the defensive front, the Colts were in position to address the unit in a number of different ways this offseason. Similar to the relatively concerning situation on the offensive line, however, this is a unit that remains largely unchanged heading into the 2015 campaign.

If Indianapolis is to improve upon a run defense that has long been one of the team's most glaring weaknesses, while also upgrading the interior pass rush to better complement a capable secondary, the defensive line will need to exceed expectations.

The Colts' skill-position talent quite easily rivals that of any other team in the NFL, but strong play in the trenches is the more suitable way to win on a consistent basis.

Can Gore still be a feature back?

Landing Frank Gore in free agency was one of the Colts' most notable offseason moves, as the five-time Pro Bowler finally gives the team a capable runner to balance out what has become an increasingly pass-heavy attack of late.

Though he has long proven to be one of the NFL's most consistent ball-carriers, and hasn't yet shown signs of slowing down, it may only be a matter of time before his production drops off similar to many other talented running backs who find themselves on the wrong side of 30.

If Gore has the impact the Colts are hoping for, a considerable amount of pressure would be taken off Luck and the rest of the offense. While that's the ideal scenario for the upcoming year, a sudden decline would leave the unit with many of the same issues it struggled with in 2014.

Does Luck's presence hide all other issues?

Despite widely being considered a Super Bowl contender, and even a favorite in the eyes of some, the Colts clearly have issues to solve at a number of key positions throughout the roster.

With Luck continuing his ascent in becoming one of the league's best quarterbacks, however, many of those issues may not impact the team's overall fortunes as much as they otherwise would.

Luck is coming off the best season of his young career thus far, where throwing for 4,761 yards and 40 touchdowns easily could have seen him named the NFL's MVP were it not for Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt.

Though the Colts shouldn't be relying on Luck to put the team entirely on his back, the historic rate at which he's developed over the course of his first three seasons would suggest that he's more than capable of doing so regardless.