The Colts have to make some tough decisions in the secondary due to free agency. One easy decision should be there though, and it’s what to do with J.J. Wilcox.
J.J. Wilcox was signed in the middle of the year to increase the depth at safety. He was signed as a low-risk high-reward type of guy. He had problems earlier in his career with consistent play, so the Colts took a low-risk gamble on him. It didn’t really pay off.
Wilcox only played in two games this season and recorded four tackles in the regular season. He played in the playoffs against the Chiefs and recorded five tackles.For most of the season, he was inactive as he was trying to catch up and learn the playbook better.
His play against the Chiefs was very poor. He consistently got beat deep and wasn’t locating the football. This is what has plagued him throughout his career. He has been on four different teams now in his career because he couldn’t play consistent football.
That poor play will probably lead him out the door in Indianapolis. He didn’t show much when he was on the field, and wasn’t able to put himself on the field enough to begin with. His potential is starting to run out as he is already 27 and hasn’t found a team to stick with.
The Colts should cut him loose and move on. They already have other safeties that they need to take care of before Wilcox. Wilcox likely won’t find another job in the league. He might get an invite to training camp or get a call midseason again, but his time in the NFL might be over.
That makes it easy for Chris Ballard to move on from him and go elsewhere with his money. Hopefully Wilcox can find another job and can stick around somewhere else.