The Indianapolis Colts already scored a major win after they were able to take Tyler Warren in the NFL Draft in the first round, without having to trade up or make any concessions. And just moments later, they might have gotten another gift, with the #17 pick from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Before the draft, it was rumored that the Bengals could take Shemar Stewart, which is exactly what happened. And that, hopefully, will open the door to a trade for Trey Hendrickson - something Colts fans have been hoping will happen for months.
It's been clear for some time that Hendrickson is not on good terms with Cincinnati, firing back after Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn publicly said he should be satisfied with the money available. Hendrickson quickly clapped back, with a nuclear attack on the Cincinnati organization.
"Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing, and communication has been poor over the last couple of months," he said in response. "It's been a little bit frustrating, and if they have anything they'd like to discuss, we're definitely willing to listen. When I say that communication has been poor, I mean that it's been here and there. We don't have any desire to be the highest paid, and we've tried to be as patient as possible. Three years ago, I began to ask for a long-term contract with guaranteed money. It was very confusing to read what I read yesterday."
""Through this process, communication, when I say it's been poor... it's been like, here and there. And respect to Ja'Marr and Tee. I don't want to take anything away from all the great things they've accomplished in their careers. They deserve everything that they've gotten, and no doubt in my mind, they're going to excel in the National Football League. I have a tremendous respect for both of them. But when it comes to my situation, it would have been nice to know in some ways, like, 'Hey, we're gonna put you in the queue.' No problem with me. My wife and I try to be as humble as possible, as Christ-loving people. So we don't have any desires of being highest paid or first in line. We try to be as patient as possible when you have things like OTAs coming and guys like Sam Hubbard, who's a tremendous captain for our team last year, that leaves a vacancy for that, and I'm excited to fill that. But how do we reach that before we get there? And those are the things that matter when you're talking about a Super Bowl, it's in the little things. in the little details.""Trey Hendrickson
There's no guarantee that Hendrickson wants to come to Indianapolis specifically, but it is clear that he wants out, and it has been for some time. He was given the go-ahead to look for a trade, but the Bengals have insisted on stonewalling him at every turn.
Now that they have Stewart, will Hendrickson be set free? And if so, could the Colts become an option? It makes sense; he had a great relationship with Lou Anarumo when he was the DC in Cincinnati, and bringing him to Indianapolis would be another great move towards revitalizing the Colts defense.