Indianapolis Colts Best Free Agent Move

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Free Agency for the Indianapolis Colts is not over. There are still players out there to be signed. The most exciting moves have probably all been made. The Colts organization knew what holes needed to be filled and they knew if they wanted to try to fill them with free agents or with draft picks. Ryan Grigson didn’t waste any time making the moves that he felt were necessary.

Probably the biggest need the Colts had coming into this offseason was their offensive line. Andrew Luck was pressured way to much during this past season. If it weren’t for the pure force of Donald Brown, there may have been virtually no running game. The offensive line was very weak, but stars like Andrew Luck and T. Y. Hilton made that hard to see that sometimes.

The Colts began addressing this need by releasing Samsom Satele who was less than stellar in the 2013-14 season. They picked up Phil Costa who had been released from the Dallas Cowboys, but no one is for sure if the Colts intend for Costa to be the answer at center. They may still be looking to sign a player like Alex Mack from the Cleveland Browns. They may also be looking to the draft for a long term option.

Many fans have been asking why the Colts haven’t already singed Mack. The problem with Mack is that he falls into the “Transitional Tag” category. That simply means that if another team offers him a contract and Cleveland matches it, then he has to stay with Cleveland. The Colts would have to offer him more money than the Browns could pay or wanted to pay for him. The question that the Colts would have to answer would be, is he worth that amount of money?

So who is the best addition to the Colts so far?

Most people are going to say Hakeem Nicks. That’s the sexiest pick. Offense drives excitement and interest. No one really cares about the center, even though the center is an extremely important part of the offense. Nicks is a great pickup, but I don’t think he’s the best or the most important pickup so far.

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I would say the best pickup so far for the Indianapolis Colts is Arthur Jones from the Baltimore Ravens. Why Jones over Nicks? Because Nicks can be a great addition to an offense and a heavy producer. Let’s be honest about it. Nicks is more of an insurance policy. If Wayne is healthy and can play close to where he was when he got injured than there’s no need to add a receiver like Nicks. Wayne and Hilton with the addition of Da’Rick Rogers or LeVon Brazill makes a solid receiving corps. If Wayne cant’ play at a high enough level or if he or Hilton get injured, then you need someone like Nicks.

Arthur Jones fills a void. He isn’t insurance. The Colts singed him to a five year deal. That deal only has $10 million guaranteed. That’s a long term deal with only short term risk. Also Jones is younger. He’ll be entering his fourth year in the NFL. Seasoned enough to play strong, but young enough to improve and to contribute over a long period of time.

Arthur Jones wasn’t the sexiest move, but he has what the Colts need and what they want. There may be other additions later, but for now that’s my opinion.