Colts: 3 trades Indy can make before deadline to further playoff push
By Jerry Trotta
1. Trade for Anthony Harris
The Colts shouldn’t think twice about further bolstering their elite defense.
Indianapolis choosing to decline safety Malik Hooker’s fifth-year option made it clear they were still on the fence about his future with the franchise. That decision signaled that the former first-round pick needed to prove that he was worthy of a contract extension.
Unfortunately for Hooker, he never got that chance, as he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2, which really only magnified his concerning injury history. While rookie Julian Blackmon looks like a stud in the making, that shouldn’t necessarily stop the Colts from making their secondary an absolute juggernaut, much like Seattle’s famed “Legion of Boom” of yesteryear.
A surefire way to do just that would be to trade for Vikings safety Anthony Harris, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason before Minnesota ultimately decided to hit him with the franchise tag. Both sides were reportedly nowhere near close to reaching an agreement on a potential extension, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change before the end of the year.
Not only is Indy equipped with the assets to seduce the Vikings, but they have the necessary cap space to sign Harris (who received a ridiculously good 90.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2019) to an extension if they wanted. This trade is obviously dependent on Minnesota’s season continuing to go off the rails, so keep a close eye on how the team performs over the next two weeks.
