Colts move on from Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly
Let’s face it, this might be one of the best draft picks Ryan Grigson made (not named Andrew Luck) in his career with the Colts. In fact, Kelly is just one of three Pro Bowlers that Grigson drafted.
While Kelly is really talented at center, Indy has depth at the position. Last season for Indianapolis, second-year lineman Danny Pinter played in 16 games and stepped in at times as a backup center.
Pinter showed a spark for the position and was able to hold his own. Some of his best play was in the Arizona game on Christmas night where the entire offensive line seemed to have injuries or be on the Covid-19 list.
I'd prefer the Colts trade no core players at all--and no one should be off the table for a franchise QB.
— Luke Schultheis (@LuckAtLuke) March 1, 2022
However, I'd much rather see the Colts trade say Ryan Kelly than Quenton Nelson--especially with Danny Pinter's impressive play last season at starting center.
Kelly will bring great trade value to his new team. He has been a dominant focal piece that is often overshadowed by his left guard.
Expect Kelly to make a major contribution to any team that he is traded to. I’d expect a team that has a poor offensive line to make a move to get someone of his caliber on their team.
Ryan should garner first-round talent from NFL teams. With the Cincinnati Bengals being so close to winning the Super Bowl, the Colts could look at getting the 31st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by shipping Kelly down I-74.
Kelly’s dead cap money is sitting at $10.75 million. If he is traded before June 1st, the Colts will pay $6.76 million of that. If he is traded after that, Indy would not only pay $2.25 million this year but would pay Kelly $4.5 million in 2023.