Colts Pick Up Donnie Avery

The Indianapolis Colts are careening toward the 2012 NFL Draft with the first pick in their pocket and a barren talent cupboard.   In other words, the Colts need to plug big holes in almost every part of their team, and one of the biggest gaps has been perceived to be the receiving corps.   Even with the re-signing of Reggie Wayne, Indy was left with Wayne, Austin Collie, and the second string fly catchers for the Carmel Greyhounds.  Well, Andrew Luck may be able to breathe a little easier now, and the Colts may not have to make quite as big of a receiving splash on draft day, because they have made a *gasp* free agent signing.  On Tuesday, the Colts inked Tennessee Titans backup Donnie Avery to a deal that puts him in the driver’s seat to become Luck’s right-side target.

Avery was the first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2008 (33rd overall) and showed blazing speed with nice hands.  He followed up a fine rookie season by tearing his ACL, rehabbing, and then being picked off the crap heap by Tennessee to play in just the last game of last season.  Still, he seems to be healthy, and it looks like the Colts want him to be a featured wideout, which doesn’t seem like a terrible plan, given the state of the organization.   Avery probably comes relatively cheaply.

The thing is, though, that Avery is really old for a fifth-year player.  First of all, he’s, well, old.  He’ll be 28 in June.    Second of all, he’s had a catastrophic knee injury.  I’ll go on the record now and say that Avery won’t be a part of the next really good Colts team, but he might provide some excitement this year and next.   If he can keep that knee limbered up, that is.