Colts reportedly not among trade suitors for Orlando Brown and it feels wrong

The Indianapolis Colts currently have a gaping hole at left tackle after Anthony Castonzo surprisingly announced his retirement at the end of the 2020 regular season.

The news stunned everybody associated with the Colts organization.

After all, the 32-year-old was dominant this past campaign, producing an immaculate 80.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, before going under the knife to repair an ankle injury.

But when you’re done, you’re done.

It remains to be seen how Indy plans to replace Castonzo this offseason, but we can officially cross one potential solution off the board.

According to Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star, the Colts are not among the teams considering a trade for Baltimore Ravens star tackle Orlando Brown, and we’re having serious trouble wrapping our minds around why this is the case.

The Colts reportedly aren’t interested in trading for Orlando Brown, and we’re not sure why.

For those unaware of Brown’s situation, he essentially wants to play the left tackle position and knows his chances of doing so with Baltimore are slim to none once Ronnie Stanley, who was limited to just six games in 2020 after suffering a fractured and dislocated ankle, is fully healthy.

Knowing this, Brown asked for a trade last month to a team willing to deploy him at LT on a full-time basis. It goes without saying that the Colts would be able to do just that, and at just 24 years old and entering the final year of his rookie deal, he could fill that position for the next decade.

Perhaps general manager Chris Ballard is reluctant to give up more draft capital ahead of what projects to be a loaded incoming class for tackles after he unloaded one selection in 2021 to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz from the Eagles.

Drafting a tackle might be the Colts’ most cost-effective option, as it would reset the money at the position, whereas if they completed a trade for Brown, they’d likely have to make him one of the highest-paid tackles in the league either this offseason or next.

Still, however, when you consider that left tackle (other than a star wide receiver) is one of the two missing pieces on the Colts offense, they really have no reason to settle at the position, regardless of how highly they might rate one of the incoming prospects.

It would be wrong to second guess Ballard given everything he’s accomplished in terms of cultivating the roster over the last four years, but we’re admittedly a little shocked that Indy isn’t at least one of the teams in the mix to trade for Brown.

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