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3 New Year’s resolutions the Colts should be working on in 2023

By Justin Bauerle

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 28: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts reacts after a first down in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 28: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts reacts after a first down in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Colts, Jonathan Taylor
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 28: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts walks off the field after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

1. Do what’s best for the organization, even if it’s not the popular move

This is going to be a wild hot take that many are not going to agree with, so prepare yourself, but hear me out. The Indianapolis Colts should consider and take calls for some of their key players before the draft including, but not limited to, Jonathan Taylor, Shaquille Leonard, Braden Smith, Ryan Kelly, and Grover Stewart.

Now hear me out on where I am going with this. Taylor is expected to be made one of the highest-paid running backs in the league very soon. But what does paying a player that has the shortest shelf life in the league do to a franchise? Ezekiel Elliot is currently the highest-paid running back but it plagued his success in the short term and he is just now finally starting to gain it back after a few years of being an average running back. Even Tony Pollard has played better over the last few seasons and may end up on a new team this offseason.

Other players like Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Saquon Barkley hurt their teams in the short term with the amount they were receiving upfront. Teams could not immediately pay for other players with a smaller cap space which hurt teams like the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and New York Giants.

Will Taylor continue to be a top-three running back in the league for five or six more seasons? If the answer is no, don’t pay top dollar and get a plethora of picks.

The same notion goes for the other four players, even if most of them have already earned a payday. It wouldn’t hurt to get some value out of those players and see a return on your investment in the short term with a young roster that can compete in a weak division.

The rest of the AFC South gets younger each year. The Jacksonville Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence, the Houston Texans will have the quarterback of their choice, and the Tennessee Titans may or may not have Malik Willis. The jury is out on the Titans actually.

Be a smart organization and trade away some highly valuable players for a plethora of picks, talent, and future cap space.

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