With a new league year set to start on March 18, the Indianapolis Colts as well as everyone else around the league are ready to attach free agency. The goal: to improve and win the Super Bowl. This will be the first of two attempts for the Colts to get better as they look forward to the 2020-21 NFL season.
As I talked about earlier, the 2019 Colts season was a series of ups and downs and left a lot of unknowns moving forward. With the retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts were left scrambling to fill the quarterback roll as it seemed Jacoby Brissett might not be the guy of the future for this franchise. The injury bug that plagued the wide receiver core did not help either. The defense was solid but there is always room for improvement. That is what the organization needs to look at when looking at free agency. General manager Chris Ballard has been known not to spend money in free agency as his goal is to draft and develop his own talent and then reward them. That is not going to work this time around. There are too many glaring needs and one way to solve them is by paying the big bucks.
To me, there are three glaring needs: quarterback, wide receiver, and pass rusher or at least someone who can attack the quarterback. I will list and talk about some of the guys I like and would like to see here and some guys I would not like to see here as well.
Potential Targets:
Chris Jones, defensive tackle: I would really like to see the Colts go after this guy. He is 25 years old and is coming of a dominant post season run that included winning the Super Bowl in Kansas City with the Chiefs. Jones has accumulated 24.5 sacks over the last two season which is why he is very highly valued. He would be a great addition to the Colts defense and help anchor the defensive line which has been very average over that same two-year window. Jones was drafted in 2016 by now Colts GM Chris Ballard which is another benefit in trying to get him. The only trouble with trying to bring Jones in is that the Chiefs have already franchise tagged him. The only way the Colts could get him is in a sign and trade. If I am the Colts, I would do depending on the asking price.
Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end: Similar to my reasoning for Chris Jones, Clowney could anchor the defensive line. The former No. 1 overall pick was traded to Seattle last season after playing his first five with the Houston Texans. He is 27-year-old, so he is still relatively young however Clowney has struggled to stay healthy. However, when he is on the field, he can create problems for the opposing team. I would call signing Clowney option B if you are not able to get Chris Jones
Arik Armstead, defensive line: Signing Armstead would add another boost to the defensive side of the football. He has a monster year in helping the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl. Armstead recorded 54 tackles and 10 sacks last season, both career highs. If the 49ers are to let him hit free agency, Armstead would have plenty of teams interested in his talents. The Colts should be paying attention to him and should try to bring him in. Pairing Armstead with Justin Houston would give the Colts a very nice pass rush combo. Add in All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard and the Colts would have a very strong defense.
Targets to stay away from:
Tom Brady, quarterback: Nothing about bringing in Brady screams good idea. He is 42 and will be 43 when the season kicks off in September. He is coming off arguably his worst season in recent memory (24 TDs, 8 INTS) and Brady has been the mortal enemy of the Indianapolis Colts and its fan base for the last 15 years. The only reason we are even discussing this idea is because he is a 6-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. I do not envision Ballard going after Brady so let’s just stop with the “Brady to Indianapolis” rumors because is not going to happen.
Phillip Rivers, quarterback: Just like Brady, Rivers is getting old. He is 38 and spent his whole career with the with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers is coming off a season in which he threw 23 TDs and 20 INTs (Brissett had 18 TDs and 6 INTs) and He has never missed a game since taking over for Drew Brees in late in the 2005 season. While he might have an iron man mentality, father time remains undefeated and the last thing the Colts want to do is go through another 2017 season. Also, like Brady, Rivers has been a constant thorn in the side of Colts fans. To me, Rivers would make sense short term if the Colts go that direction, but this does not strike me as a Ballard move. I would not go this route either if I were the Colts.
Any wide receiver: While this is a glaring need, it is best to try and address this position in the draft. The only guys that make sense to me are Amari Cooper and potentially Devin Funchess. Cooper has played the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and has accumulated 1900 yards and 14 touchdowns and has become quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite weapon. This option only opens up if Dallas is not able to retain him which they will probably end up doing. The other guy is Devin Funchess who signed here last year and broke his collar bone in Week 1 and was done for the season. Maybe if he agrees to a one-year deal, then bring him back. Otherwise let him hit the market. Everyone else on the wide receiver market is not worth the money. The Colts are better off drafting a wide receiver in next month’s draft. While all these options are just my opinions, I feel that they are reasonable. I, like every other Colts fan will be interested in seeing what the Colts do starting March 18. Hopefully they go all in on defense and address the other needs in the draft, but we will just have to wait and see.
Out of Luck 