Experts believe Colts are having a better offseason than they’re given credit for
The Indianapolis Colts are having a relatively good offseason despite not making splashy moves in free agency.
The first week of the new league year had many fans of the Indianapolis Colts worried. Indy had very obvious problems to address but they weren’t aggressively pursuing solutions.
After trading Carson Wentz, the Colts were without a quarterback, but they spent the first few days of free agency re-signing young players like Mo Alie-Cox.
Meanwhile, the rest of the NFL was going all in making signing after signing to improve their teams to a championship level. Indy practiced a more patient approach before ultimately settling on a couple of calculated moves.
First, the Colts acquired Yannick Ngakoue by sending Rock Ya-Sin to Las Vegas. Then, Indy landed its quarterback by sending a third-round pick to the Falcons for Matt Ryan.
While there are still more issues that need addressing in Indianapolis, some experts feel the Colts are still having a relatively good offseason while also implementing patience.
Cody Benjamin, of CBS Sports, gives Indianapolis a B- grade for the offseason moves made so far. He calls Ryan a “Band-Aid at QB” but does admit that the quarterback has something to offer to Indy.
Benjamin also makes the case that Ngakoue could be a steal and has the potential to dominate in Indianapolis for years to come.
Colts receive a B- offseason grade so far
Both are fair points by Benjamin. Ryan is on the backend of his career and can only offer Indianapolis so many more years of good football. Ngakoue, on the other hand, could be right in his prime years.
Both moves were needed for Indy and they should immediately benefit the team. However, the Colts will need other moves to improve on this B- grade.
Aside from the two trades, Indy has only brung in one new player through free agency. That was cornerback Brandon Facyson. While Indianapolis still has the draft, it would benefit the team to make a few more free agency signings.
Indy is rolling with Matt Pryor at left tackle so the team needs to turn its focus to wide receiver and defensive back. If Indy can upgrade and add depth at those two groups, the offseason will be even better and Indianapolis will return a better team to the field next season.