In August of 2012, the Indianapolis Colts made a trade that would become one of the best training camp moves of the last decade.
Towards the end of every summer, NFL teams return for training camp and assess the roster they’ve spent the offseason building. Some teams are thrilled with the results and move forward to the season. But, there are also a few teams that realize they’re a few pieces away and try to make the necessary moves before the season starts.
Those are the trades that are made during training camp, typically a couple of weeks before the season starts. Often, these trades are monumental and end up making a big difference for the teams involved.
10 years ago, the Indianapolis Colts were involved in a training camp trade that ended up being one of the best of the past decade. In 2012, Indy sent a second- and fourth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for defensive back Vontae Davis. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently named that trade the top training camp trade of 2012 and one of the best in the last 10 years.
Colts trade for Vontae Davis is still being praised
Davis was putting together a solid career in Miami in his three seasons before the trade, but he took things to another level when he came to Indianapolis. He played six years with the Colts starting all 76 games he played in. In those games, he recorded 13 interceptions and made it to two Pro Bowls.
He helped lead a defense, and team, during a prominent era of Colts football. Davis’ time in Indy overlapped with Andrew Luck’s, and as everyone knows, when the full squad was together and healthy, Indianapolis was a dangerous team.
After being injured in his final season, the Colts released Vontae Davis in November of the 2017 season. He would sign with the Buffalo Bills for the 2018 season before ultimately retiring during halftime of Buffalo’s Week 1 game. His departure from the game is viewed as one of the most hilarious moments in NFL history.
Fortunately, the Colts were lucky enough to make a training camp trade for Davis in his prime.
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