Between now and the start of the new league year in March, TGS is providing brief summaries looking ahead at the offseason from the perspective of each NFL team. In this edition, we look at the Indianapolis Colts.
2016 record: 8-8 — 3rd place, AFC South
What’s new? Goodbye, Ryan Grigson. Chris Ballard is the general manager now.
Projected salary cap space: $54 million — The eighth-highest total in the NFL.
Key in-house free agents: TE Jack Doyle, S Mike Adams, CB Darius Butler, LB D’Qwell Jackson, LB Robert Mathis, LB Eric Walden
They can afford to lose most of those five defenders, as all are rather old and ineffective. Adams had a solid 2016 season, but he’ll be 36 this spring. Doyle has to be re-signed. He’s an underrated presence, and one of the most reliable pass-catching tight ends in the league.
Key needs: Offensive tackle, guard, linebacker, cornerback
Time to get serious about supporting Andrew Luck.
Draft breakdown: They’ll select 14th or 15th in Round 1 (to be determined by a coin flip) and they don’t have a seventh-round pick.
Other potential priorities: Spruce up the pass rush. Walden and Mathis are old and hitting free agency, and nobody else had more than three sacks last season.
Outlook: They still have the best quarterback in the division, but they need to spend some cash on that defense and the offensive line. There’s no bite in either spot. But they do have plenty of money to spend and are in a decent draft situation.
