Colts: Could Indy draft mid-round QB again in 2021?

The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to trade for Carson Wentz at the start of the offseason indicated to fans that they were going to be uncharacteristically aggressive in free agency.

Of course, that wasn’t how things turned out.

Despite having north of $30 million in cap space for the better part of free agency, the Colts largely spectated the first and second waves, during which most of the best players came off the board.

This conservative approach has fans focusing their attention on this month’s draft as the next best hope for the front office to add elite talent to the roster.

While it goes without saying that Indy should emphasize their left tackle position, pass rush and potentially their cornerback arsenal over the first few rounds, it’s worth pondering if general manager Chris Ballard should consider drafting another quarterback in the middle rounds?

Should the Colts draft another mid-round quarterback this year?

You might think that the Colts don’t need to add another QB after they traded for Wentz, who, if everything goes well, will be their starter for the next several years. However, 2020 fourth-rounder Jacob Eason is currently the only other gunslinger under contract for next season.

Entering the offseason, it was theorized that Indianapolis would consider adding a veteran in free agency as insurance for Wentz. After all, the former No. 2 overall pick struggled mightily last year, ranking 34th in both completion percentage (57.5%) and passer rating (72.8).

It remains to be seen if the coaching staff trusts Eason enough to be the backup after he basically red-shirted as a rookie — he barely got any snaps at practice and wasn’t active for a single game — but their lack of urgency on the open market suggests it’s the Washington product’s job to lose.

With that being said, however, the Colts cannot enter training camp (let alone the season) with just two quarterbacks on the roster. Let’s not forget that last season’s backup Jacoby Brissett inked a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason, so he’s no longer around.

Taking all of that into account, Indy could definitely justify drafting another QB in the middle rounds. Whether it be Florida standout Kyle Trask, Georgia transfer Jamie Newman, or underrated Texas A&M starter Kellen Mond, there will be no shortage of options to choose from.

Who knows? Maybe the Colts are just delaying the process of signing a backup in free agency, as there are still some quality options out there (and Alex Smith still feels ticketed for the Indy bench in some capacity).

If they aren’t, however, and they address their other positions of need over the first couple rounds, we’d have zero qualms if Ballard pounced on another quarterback in Round 4 or 5, or potentially later.

That would mean, though, that Eason has earned a leg up in the No. 2 race.

Indianapolis Colts: Frank Reich at Notre Dame could foreshadow draft plan

Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich made comments about the Notre Dame that suggest left tackle Liam Eichenberg could be in play at pick No. 21.