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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts Meet With CB Kenneth Acker

April 3rd, 2018 at 4:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Chiefs and 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker visited the Colts on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Acker could help to provide support in what is a very thin positional group.

The Colts re-signed corner Pierre Desir this season, but they watched Rashaan Melvin leave in free agency to join up with the Raiders. Replacing Melvin won’t be easy. The former undrafted free agent started in all ten of his games last season and graded out as a top 20 cornerback, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Acker probably would not profile a starter for Indianapolis, but he could offer depth from the bench. The Seahawks also have some interest in him.

In other Colts news, GM Chris Ballard recently discussed the team’s offseason, which has not been as headline-grabbing as other teams in the AFC.

Colts To Host Roquan Smith

April 3rd, 2018 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Arguably the top linebacker in this draft, Roquan Smith has visits scheduled with the Colts and Bears, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Hill adds the Cowboys are not tabbed to meet with the Georgia linebacker. The Colts and Bears hold picks 6 and 8, respectively, and Smith has been mocked to teams either in that range or shortly after.

Frank Reich Not Looking At 2018 As Rebuilding Season

April 1st, 2018 at 1:15pm CST by Ryan Posner

While Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard might see the team in somewhat of a rebuilding stage, that’s not how newly-hired head coach Frank Reich is going to look at the upcoming season.

The Colts finished at 4-12 last season — their worst finish since 2011 when they were in between the Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck eras — and have missed out on the playoffs the last three years. Luck’s health is certainly a question mark, but the team’s decision to trade back in the first round of the draft should be viewed as a positive sign. Indianapolis has been fairly quiet in the free-agent market, with the additions of defensive end Denico Autry (three years, $17.8MM) and tight end Eric Ebron (two years, $13MM) serving as its biggest splashes.

  • In his latest mock draft, Peter Schrager of NFL Network projects the Bills to trade up for the Colts’ No. 6 pick in the draft and select Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Bills currently hold the 12th and 22nd overall picks in the draft.

Colts HC, GM Discuss Team’s Free Agent Signings

March 31st, 2018 at 11:13am CST by Ben Levine

The Colts have been relatively quiet this offseason. The team did acquire a haul when they traded off the third-overall pick, but they haven’t made many big splashes via free agency.

However, the team has added four notable unrestricted free agents, and head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard talked with Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com about the transactions. We’ve highlighted some of the notable soundbites below:

On wideout Ryan Grant, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the team:

Reich: “I did a little homework on him even after we signed him and talked to a couple coaches who coached him and guys who played with him. I talked to one guy who had definite inside information. He said, ‘This guy will run every inside route at full speed, no matter what. He works his butt off in practice.’ That’s the kind of player we’re looking for.”

On tight end Eric Ebron, who signed a two-year deal after being let go by the Lions:

Reich: “There is a lot of man coverage in this league — the league is going more and more man coverage — so, now you put an elite tight end on the backside, it’s like clearing it out for LeBron (James), or something, in basketball. Just get everybody on one side of the court and get this guy one-on-one. Well, that’s the analogy here. So, in football, get all the receivers on one side, get the back on the other side, and then just put the tight end back here and see what (the defense) does. And some teams will double him. And then (if) you get a linebacker, you get a safety, and if you get a tight end like Ebron — and even when they have a corner on him, you feel like it’s still a winning matchup, because of his size and catch radius.”

On veteran offensive guard Matt Slauson, who signed a one-year, $3MM deal:

Ballard: “We want our fans to know that we’re serious. Signing Matt Slauson was a good one for us. He’s a 32-year old. And his presence and what he’s going to bring to the O-line room, I don’t think you can put a price on. He’s the ultimate pro and he’s going to bring a level of toughness to that room that I think is going to be really good for everybody in it.”

On defensive lineman Denico Autry, who signed a three-year, $17.8MM deal ($6.5MM guaranteed):

Ballard: “I’d seen him (when I worked) in Kansas City. He’s a good player and he’s going to help our front. What you see is the defensive line is going to be one of the engines that drives us going forward. You need seven or eight guys that can get that done. And Autry is a good example. We think we got a good player at a fair market value for the player.”

Colts GM Against McDaniels Rule

March 28th, 2018 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The “Josh McDaniels rule” which would have allowed assistant coaches to sign on as head coaches elsewhere during the playoffs did not pass at this week’s owners’ meetings. Surprisingly, Colts GM Chris Ballard was not among those in support of the rule. “When you’re a playoff team, you’re trying to eliminate all the distractions that you can. And we’re going to be a playoff team and we’re going to have these issues,” Ballard said (via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). “It becomes a slippery slope. We have rules in place for a reason. I think they’re good rules. It gives you a chance to interview and then, after the season, whatever happens, happens. In our case, he changed his mind and we moved on.”

AFC Notes: Gruden, Kaepernick, Texans, Watson

March 27th, 2018 at 2:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders coach Jon Gruden is surprised to see Colin Kaepernick without a job in the NFL, but he’s not necessarily of the belief that he is starting caliber.

“I think there’s a lot of intrigue there. His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape,” Gruden said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “I think, Robert Griffin III, a rookie of the year, surprised he’s out there. Tim Tebow, takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there. Back to Kaepernick, you know he got beat out by (Blaine Gabbert), to start the (2016) season. I think that says something. (But) I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterback Deshaun Watson is ahead of schedule in ACL rehab and could be on the field throwing for OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s unlikely that he’ll participate in team periods, but he has a chance at doing some individual workouts.
  • The Browns‘ two-year deal with Drew Stanton is worth $6.5MM, a source tells Rapoport (Twitter link). The deal includes $4.15MM fully guaranteed and carries a maximum value of $11.3MM.
  • With Tyrod Taylor, Stanton, and a quarterback to be drafted later, the Browns are expected to shop Cody Kessler, Rapoport tweets. Kessler started eight games for Cleveland in 2016, but didn’t necessarily shine. Given Kessler’s performance and the fact that the Browns probably do not have him in their plans, I wouldn’t expect much of a trade market for him.
  • The Colts moved down from No. 3 to No. 6, but they do seem inclined to trade down any further unless the expected run on quarterbacks fails to materialize, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. The Colts believe that at least two of this year’s top four quarterbacks (Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield) will go in the top five, leaving them to choose some of this year’s very best overall talents. If that’s the case, they’re content to stay put. “If it’s beneficial for us, and we think we have a deal that works long term, we’ll make the deal,” GM Chris Ballard said recently. “But (No. 6) is a good spot for us.”

Colts Reject Trade Offers For Jacoby Brissett

March 27th, 2018 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have received two trade offers quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to Stephen Holder of the Indy Star. The identities of those teams and the strength of those offers are not known, but the Colts declined those overtures with the idea that they will retain him this season. 

Given Andrew Luck‘s health issues, it’s no surprise that the Colts are putting a great emphasis on the backup quarterback role. Brissett is not a world beater, but he is a capable QB who can fill in if needed. He’s also significantly cheaper than other signal callers at his level. The former third round pick is slated to earn just $735K this year and $890 in 2019.

Brissett, who is still just 24, threw 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the Colts last season. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked quarterback out of 39 qualified players.

Patriots’ Josh McDaniels Discusses Colts Flip Flop

March 26th, 2018 at 7:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Josh McDaniels turned down his second chance to become an NFL head coach this year when he left the Colts at the altar. Nearly two months later, the Patriots offensive coordinator opened up about what took place and the circumstances that led him to staying put in New England. Here’s a look at the highlights of his chat with Jim McBride of the Boston Globe:

On why he remained with the Patriots:

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what the future was. I just hadn’t had any clarity on that. So, where did I fit in? Where there any plans? I just didn’t have much clarity on what my role was here moving forward. Once I heard from Robert and Bill on that Tuesday, it just gave me reason to pause and consider this whole situation. The opportunity to stay here and work for who I think is the greatest owner in sports and the best head football coach in the history of our game, to work with the best quarterback that has ever played . . . Look, I’m privileged to have the opportunity to do that and when they kind of crystallized that — ‘Hey, here’s what we see going forward and here’s how we would like you to fit into it’ — it gave me a reason to stop and say, ‘all right, what’s the best decision for me?’ And certainly it was difficult. But I made the decision on my own, nobody pushed me into it.”

On Colts GM Chris Ballard:

“Chris was tremendous the whole entire time. He’s an incredible human being. He’s great at what he does. He’s going to be successful. It was difficult. I had a friendship with him — I still do . . . He’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for and admiration for. He was a big reason why I was interested in that job in the first place. It was as difficult a decision as I’ve ever made professionally. He handled it extremely well, he was a complete professional about it.

On his would-be Indy assistants:

“I spoke to all of them that night right away, shortly after I talked to Chris. They were professionals. Like I said, it wasn’t easy for anybody. I apologized to them if it put them in an awkward position. They’re all there [in Indianapolis], which I’m very happy about. They have great opportunities, they’re great coaches, they’re great people, and I’m happy that it worked out for them in that regard. Again, it was never my intention to go into this and put anybody in an awkward position or do any harm to anybody or do anything to hurt anybody’s career. That certainly wasn’t a part of my thought process. I just felt like, once I knew the whole picture and I had the opportunity to make a decision, it was tough but I feel like I made the right one.’’

On speculation that his family persuaded him not to relocate:

“My family was ready to go to Indianapolis because at that point that was the decision I had made. So, this isn’t a thing where I’m telling you, ‘I couldn’t move and all that’ — that’s not the case. If that were the case I wouldn’t interview. They’re very supportive. My wife’s incredible, my kids are great. Do they love New England? Absolutely . . . And have we been blessed to be part of this organization? No doubt. But I’d say in the long run, this coaching profession is kind of crazy. And they know that. And at some point, if I have to move or if we end up moving, they understand that’s part of the situation and they were ready to do that.’’

Dolphins To Sign RB Frank Gore

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have agreed to sign running back Frank Gore, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran. 

Gore, a potential future Hall of Famer, now has the opportunity to finish his career where it all began. Gore was born in Coral Gables, Florida and made his name at the University of Miami. After ten seasons in San Francisco and three seasons in Indianapolis, he gets to ply his craft in Miami once again.

The Dolphins project to start Kenyan Drake at running back, but the opportunity is there for Gore to split carries with him. The remainder of the Dolphins’ running back depth chart is decidedly less accomplished than Gore as Senorise Perry, De’Veon Smith, and Brandon Radcliff are all former undrafted free agents with minimal live action on their resume.

Gore, 35 in May, has 14,000+ career rushing yards to his credit, as well as five Pro Bowl selections. He nearly turned in a tenth 1,000 yard season in 2017, but he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Gore is no longer the star that he was with the 49ers, but he can still be a useful piece in Miami’s backfield. From the Dolphins perspective, it’s a low-risk proposition that they can bail on, if necessary, without any real financial penalty.

[RELATED: Dolphins Depth Chart]

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