Loaded CB Market Could be Double-Edged Sword for Colts

With a rash of cornerbacks being released into free agency this week, teams are going to have plenty of options. That could be both good and bad for the Colts.

This week seems to be the week to let go of your cornerback. Richard Sherman, Jeremy Lane, and most recently Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have all been released by their teams. Sherman is the only one to have signed a deal already.

With such a list of great players becoming available for everyone, teams need to find out how much they can spend on these players. At first glance, this could be seen as a good thing for the Colts. But at closer inspection, it also could be an issue.

The good thing is that there are plenty of good options available for the Colts. Their first priority should be to try to re-sign Rashaan Melvin. If they can’t though, there will be other good options available. But those options might come at a higher price.

And that is what is bad for the Colts. Because there are so many teams that have released corners, there are more teams in the market for a good one. That could mean that prices get driven up for these corners. That would mean the Colts would have to pay a higher price to keep Melvin.

Of the group of corners that are currently on the market Melvin was the highest graded this past season. He had the best season in terms of advanced numbers. So it would stand to reason that he is going to command the highest price of everyone. The Colts do have a lot of cap space, so they could still afford him.

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Even if they aren’t able to re-sign him, they should still have some good options to replace him. But the team will have to way the good with the bad in this loaded cornerback market.