The NFL trade deadline is November 10, and the Indianapolis Colts shouldn't be afraid of making a move. The team has already pulled off two trades. One or two more wouldn't be too much.
Indy needs to go all-in on a teardown and rebuild. Draft picks are a must in that situation. Going from mediocre on the field to mediocre in a rebuild does no one any good.
While it might not be fun to give up key players, that is the only way to get back premium draft value. The future needs to be brighter, which means the players who follow need to go.
Indianapolis Colts who need to be traded at the November 10 deadline
Anthony Richardson
Keeping Richardson seems rather silly, especially if Indianapolis loses to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. That would push the team to 2-7, with an impossible chance of making the playoffs. Richardson is likely to sign elsewhere in free agency, so the team should get what it can now for the services of the quarterback.
This doesn't mean a second-round pick, either. He is a backup QB who hasn't played meaningful reps in two seasons. If he brings back a fourth- or fifth-round pick, the team needs to do it. Otherwise, Richardson will likely sign elsewhere next year, and the team will be left with nothing.
Jonathan Taylor, RB
The running back could be a pillar of the rebuild for Indianapolis, but the reality is that, as good as he has been, he has also been an example of how running back success doesn't necessarily mean team success. If the Colts overall had been as good as Taylor has been, the team would have won multiple Super Bowls.
Indy's rushing attack could likely succeed with Seth McGowan getting most of the carries. What Indianapolis needs is the multiple draft picks a trade for Taylor might bring back. Forget a first-round choice; if Indianapolis can get a second-rounder and a third-rounder in 2028, that should be good enough.
Grover Stewart, DT
Stewart has been a very good player in Indy, and keeping him around would be nice, but now, in his early 30s, he is closer to the end of his career. If a team is willing to give Indianapolis a fourth-round pick, the team must say goodbye to the fantastic run-stopper.
Plus, doesn't Stewart deserve to go out better than what he is going to do with Indy? He's played too long and too well to go out with a whimper. Trade him to a potential playoff team and get a draft pick back. It's a win for all involved.
Josh Downs, WR
Downs has already requested to be traded, so he clearly doesn't want to be in Indianapolis anymore. He won't be re-signing in free agency, one can safely assume, so why not deal him for any kind of draft capital the team can get? Obviously, don't move him for a seventh-round choice, but a fourth-rounder? Definitely.
The Colts simply need to rebuild at this point. It won't take a year to do that, but a bit of suffering would be worth it if the team can be sustainably good for many years, beginning as soon as 2028. Draft picks are needed, and Downs could bring back at least one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google