Colts: 3 Chris Ballard moves that will be under a microscope in 2021

2. Re-signing TY Hilton

In a move that resonated with fans, the Colts re-signed TY Hilton to a one-year deal this offseason. For as much negative feedback as that signing received, the idea of Hilton catching passes from a more dynamic QB in Carson Wentz was enough to quell concerns in the interim.

At the same time, however, there’s still a chance this move blows up in Indy’s face. For starters, Hilton will turn 32 in the middle of next season and he’s nowhere near the same player he was during his prime. The nine-year pro also has a lengthy injury history — a catalog consists almost entirely of lower leg and soft tissue injuries.

Throw in the fact that Hilton was a non-factor for the first dozen games of last season and you better believe this is very much a risk. To put the former second-round pick’s struggles into perspective, he logged seven (!) games with 40 or fewer receiving yards and 10 such games with fewer than 61 receiving yards.

For Chris Ballard’s sake, TY Hilton better perform next season.

Taking that into account, we really can’t help but wonder if signing Hilton (for $8 million) over proven deep threats like Will Fuller and Sammy Watkins was the smart move. It’s easy to say in hindsight, but wouldn’t the Colts be better positioned to trade for Julio Jones if they had an extra $8.75 million in cap space lying around? You bet.

That’s an unfair way of looking at it, but some Colts fans will undoubtedly look at it through that lens if Hilton’s struggles linger into next season.