Colts: 3 players Indy can trade during roster crunch
Instead of cutting players loose, the Colts can make some smart trades.
This offseason has been unlike any other, with cuts coming much later in August due to the pandemic. The lack of a preseason has caused the delay in roster crunches simply because coaching staffs can only do so much evaluating in training camp and scrimmages. With cuts right around the corner as teams look to trim down to 53 players, the Indianapolis Colts will have tough decisions to make.
But not all of them have to be of the “release” variety. Trades are possible, people! And with the amount of depth the Colts have, there’s no reason general manager Chris Ballard can’t work some magic.
He did a tremendous job welcoming in a stout rookie class, so if it comes down to it, these three players can be traded in order for the team to acquire some value in return. Might as well get something instead of watching players walk.
3. Jordan Wilkins
The Colts RB could be had for a late-round draft pick.
When Indianapolis drafted Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor in the second round this past April, many started assuming Marlon Mack’s standing as the starter was finished and his time in Indy was pretty much done. Nope! The fact of the matter is you need two capable running backs in today’s NFL.
And guess what? The Colts have three now! Mack, Taylor and Nyheim Hines will all have significant roles in the offense without a double. But what about Jordan Wilkins? The 2018 fifth-round pick out of Ole Miss has averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 30 games the last two seasons. That’s got value on the trade market if the Colts don’t want to keep him.
Wilkins has rushed for 643 yards on 111 carries and hauled in 23 passes for 128 yards since debuting in 2018. He’s a shifty back who’s most dangerous in space, but his 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame also allows him to run with power and shed tackles.
The running back was a gift from the Jets, who traded up with the Colts in 2018 and surrendered a haul in order to draft Sam Darnold. Wilkins was taken later with that fifth-rounder, and now the Colts have the chance to turn him into more draft capital if they don’t feel there’s room for him after the addition of Taylor.