View Single Post
  #595  
Old 05-21-2020, 11:34 AM
Colts And Orioles's Avatar
Colts And Orioles Colts And Orioles is offline
Historian
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Brewster, NY
Posts: 6,763
Thanks: 3,950
Thanked 3,247 Times in 1,998 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles View Post
o


4) ) Indianapolis Colts


o
o

What went right: ) Indy upgraded at arguably the two most important positions on its roster. At quarterback, it found a short-term replacement for Andrew Luck by signing Philip Rivers, who will move Jacoby Brissett back into the No. 2 role. The Colts still need to find their quarterback of the future ...... I'm not sure that 4th-round pick Jacob Eason is that guy ...... but Rivers can flourish behind an effective offensive line after spending last season playing behind turnstiles at tackle. They also were able to convince star left tackle Anthony Castonzo to put off retirement for a 2-year, $33 Million deal.

Our Mike Clay pegged the upgrade from Margus Hunt to former 49ers star DeForest Buckner at defensive tackle as the largest any team made at any position this off-season. The trade for Buckner gives the Colts a 2-way superstar in the prime of his career.

What went wrong: ) The Buckner trade was expensive for the Colts, who shipped off the 13th overall pick while handing the former Oregon star a 4-year, $84 Million deal with $56.4 Million due over the next 3 seasons. Sacrificing the surplus value of the 1st-round pick and tacking it onto Buckner's contract means that they realistically paid north of $25 Million or so per season for the interior disrupter. It's still a defensible move, but he has to play like a superstar for this one to work.

I would have liked to see Indy further address its secondary, which shed a pair of starters in Pierre Desir and Clayton Geathers. The team signed journeyman corner T.J. Carrie, and took a flier on Xavier Rhodes ...... but 3rd-round pick Julian Blackmon tore his ACL in December, and isn't likely to make an immediate impact at safety. GM Chris Ballard tried to address the secondary in his first draft, but 2017 first-round pick Malik Hooker has struggled to stay healthy and saw his 5th-year option declined last month, while 2nd-rounder Quincy Wilson was shipped off to the Jets. It's a position that the Colts will have to address next off-season.

What they could have done differently: ) In addition to going after a veteran cornerback, the Colts should have added more offensive line depth. Each of their five starting linemen made it through all 16 games last season, which is difficult to count on. They lost utility lineman Joe Haeg to the Buccaneers, and the only lineman they added to the mix was 5th-round pick Danny Pinter, who was a tight end at Ball State before moving to tackle for his final two years. Le'Raven Clark will be the swing tackle, but the Colts could use a primary backup on the interior.

What's left to do: ) Re-sign Ryan Kelly. Indy's excellent center is approaching free agency, and while injuries have been a concern, this team should keep its offensive line together by locking up the last 1st-round pick of the Ryan Grigson era. Kelly could become the first center in football to top $12 Million per season on a multi-year deal.

o
__________________
BALTIMORE COLTS ))))))))))))))))))) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Bert Jones, Johnny Unitas, Earl Morrall ))))))))).lll) Jim Harbaugh, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Colts And Orioles For This Useful Post:
Racehorse (05-21-2020)