Fans in Indianapolis won’t like Colts head coach Frank Reich’s latest comments on his plans for the upcoming trade deadline.
The notion that only Super Bowl contenders should look to make splashes ahead of the trade deadline is utter nonsense.
It goes without saying that the Indianapolis Colts fall under that very description as they obviously won’t be competing for a championship this season, but who’s to say that general manager Chris Ballard shouldn’t look to bolster the roster to gear up for next season and beyond, when expectations will be significantly higher, if the right deal presents itself?
Passing on such an opportunity would be franchise malpractice, and unfortunately for Colts fans, head coach Frank Rech’s latest comments on his discussions with Ballard indicate that a trade, let alone a blockbuster deal, is highly unlikely.
With the trade deadline looming, Frank Reich notes that he and GM Chris Ballard discuss the state of the roster every day, including any potential trades that might come along, "even though 99.9% of the time it leads to nothing."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 28, 2020
It’s worth noting that Reich would never come outright and say that Indianapolis is 100% set on orchestrating a deal to fill a position of need, but these comments are incredibly damning for a team that has holes at wide receiver and defensive end, and has next to zero depth on the offensive line.
Surely Reich and Ballard are aware of this, right? The 51-year-old GM is a master of his craft and he clearly has all of the inside information at his disposal, so perhaps the current market for available players at those respective positions isn’t intriguing enough to pull off a deal.
As far as defensive ends are concerned, however, the likes of Everson Griffen and Carlos Dunlap were both dealt in the last 24 hours for minimal return packages by pass-rusher needy teams in Detroit and Seattle. Both of those players would vastly improve the Colts defense, but maybe Ballard is waiting for the right opportunity to strike for a superstar who can offer even more.
Keep an eye on these unexpected deadline targets for the Colts!https://t.co/32cSqueVM1
— Horseshoe Heroes (@HorseshoeHeroes) October 27, 2020
We obviously don’t want Indianapolis to trade for the sake of bringing in some new faces, but it was quite alarming to read Reich’s quote.
Perhaps he and Ballard are trying to throw rivals off the scent of their plans, but at this point fans in Indy are justified in expecting the Colts to remain dormant leading up to what’s shaping up to be a chaotic Nov. 3 deadline.
Colts are about to get a close look at potential future WRs in matchup vs Lions
The Indianapolis Colts are about to get a close look at potential future wide receivers in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones when they take on the Lions.