2018 Colts Possible Free Agent Targets: Cornerback E.J. Gaines

The Colts need to acquire some talent at the cornerback position this offseason, and bringing in E.J. Gaines in free agency could be a good fit.

The Colts certainly have enough cap space to offer Rashaan Melvin a huge contract to stay in Indianapolis, but it’s no guarantee that he would agree to re-sign. If Melvin decides to move on in free agency, the Colts will need to have a backup plan at cornerback.

Even if Melvin is back in Indianapolis next season, you can never have too many quality cornerbacks on your roster in today’s NFL.

Luckily, this year’s free agent class of cornerbacks has a ton of talent. We’ve already highlighted Malcolm Butler, Trumaine Johnson, and Kyle Fuller as possible fits, but general manager Chris Ballard should also take a look at E.J. Gaines.

Gaines was traded to Buffalo as a part of the Sammy Watkins trade last preseason, and he balled out with the Bills.

In his third NFL season, Gaines broke up 9 passes and picked off a pass in just 11 games as the success of Buffalo’s pass defense was one of the most surprising storylines of 2017. Gaines had 7 pass breakups in 11 games in 2016, and the best season of his career may have been his rookie year where he broke up 15 passes with 2 interceptions in 2015.

Gaines may not have the respect of being a high-level cornerback around the NFL and he’s had a little trouble staying healthy in his early career, which could allow the Colts to pick him up at a discount in free agency.

Next: Should the Colts Spend a lot of Money in Free Agency?

Here are some other possible free agent targets for the Colts this offseason: