Here’s the one move Chris Ballard should have made at trade deadline
By Jerry Trotta
Let’s be honest — the Colts should have just traded TY Hilton.
The NFL trade deadline didn’t come close to living up to the 2019 sweepstakes, which saw a number of blockbuster deals transpire. While supporters of contending teams generally love nothing more than their front offices orchestrating big trades to gear up for a potential deep playoff run, fans in Indianapolis should no doubt be satisfied with GM Chris Ballard for opting against pulling the trigger on any acquisition.
Letting the second half of the campaign play out will give Ballard the requisite time to both evaluate young talent and assess the biggest holes on the roster, especially as players return from injury. That, in turn, will set him up perfectly for next offseason, when Indy will be flush with salary cap space and trade assets to make upgrades.
With that being said, however, if there was one deadline move we would’ve liked to see Ballard orchestrate — and this won’t sit well with Colts fans — it would have been unloading veteran wide receiver TY Hilton, who has fallen off the proverbial cliff this season in terms of his production.
Colts veteran TY Hilton: "Feeling good, doing a lot better actually. We'll see."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 5, 2020
Working through the groin injury. Hopeful to play Sunday vs. Baltimore.
Hilton was removed from Sunday’s win over Detroit with a groin injury and his status for Week 9 against Baltimore is in serious question. We obviously have nothing but respect for the three-time Pro Bowler considering everything he’s given to the franchise over the last nine years, but it’s become increasingly evident that his time in Indianapolis is drawing to a close.
Entering this season with an expiring contract, Hilton has unfortunately done everything to prove that he doesn’t deserve an extension. Through seven games, the former third-round pick has registered just 22 receptions for 251 yards and zero touchdowns. To put his struggles into perspective, he’s had four games with fewer than 30 receiving yards and two with fewer than 15.
Could that startling nosedive in production be a result of a lack of chemistry with quarterback Philip Rivers? Maybe, but not even Hilton would use that as an excuse. After all, he performed just fine with Jacoby Brissett under center last season after Andrew Luck retired during the preseason, racking up 45 catches for 501 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games.
Colts coach Frank Reich starting his Monday update....
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 2, 2020
Ashton Dulin and T.Y. Hilton both will be under observation as the week proceeds. No firm details there. Rock Ya-Sin was checked for a concussion but was cleared. He's good.
That last point brings up another issue with Hilton: injuries. Assuming the 30-year-old is forced to miss at least one game with that groin injury, it would mark three seasons since he’s played a full 16-game slate. Even his biggest fans would admit that’s a concerning track record for an aging receiver who relies so heavily on his speed and shiftiness to create separation from defenders.
We know Hilton’s trade value is at an all-time low, but Ballard definitely should have pushed harder to move him ahead of the deadline. Even if he went for nothing more than a mid or late-round draft pick, getting something in return for him before he presumably walks for nothing in free agency come March would’ve been ideal.
That’s probably asking a lot considering the lackluster WR market, but we demand perfection from an executive of Ballard’s prestige! In all seriousness, if Hilton does end up leaving in the offseason, it isn’t the worst thing in the world that he has the opportunity to redeem himself and end his Colts career on a high note after an admittedly putrid first half of the season.
