- The Falcons, Broncos, Vikings, Lions, Colts, Seahawks, and Jaguars will be making a run at the top three or four guards available in free agency, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. Robinson doesn’t name names, but I consider Kevin Zeitler, T.J. Lang, Ronald Leary, and Larry Warford to be the four best guards on the board. For the Falcons and Seahawks, price will be a factor and neither team will engage in a bidding war (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys, Ravens, Colts, and Eagles are doing homework on backup quarterbacks, Robinson tweets. In the case of the Eagles, they’re probably researching potential replacements for Chase Daniel as he garners trade interest. The Cowboys, of course, are planning for life without Tony Romo.
On Wednesday, we learned that the 2017 salary cap will be set at roughly $167MM. However, every team’s number will be different depending on how much money each team elects to rollover from the previous season.
Courtesy of the NFLPA, we now have the total cap numbers for all 32 clubs. Here they are, listed by division and in descending order:
AFC East
- Dolphins – $175.36MM
- Patriots – $171.29
- Bills – $169.84MM
- Jets – $167.37MM
AFC North
- Browns – $217.12MM
- Bengals – $173.58MM
- Steelers – $170.27MM
- Ravens – $169.55MM
AFC South
- Jaguars – $206.31
- Titans – $191.05MM
- Colts – $173.61MM
- Texans – $171.94MM
AFC West
- Raiders – $175MM
- Broncos – $174.24MM
- Chiefs – $172MM
- Chargers – $167.11MM
NFC East
- Redskins – $182.06MM
- Eagles – $174.93MM
- Cowboys – $169.4MM
- Giants – $168.8MM
NFC North
- Bears – $175.1MM
- Packers – $174.98MM
- Lions – $171.73MM
- Vikings – $167.4MM
NFC South
- Panthers – $180.21MM
- Saints – $172.75MM
- Buccaneers – $172.33MM
- Falcons – $167.93MM
NFC West
- 49ers – $205.71MM
- Cardinals – $171.4MM
- Seahawks – $169.07MM
- Rams – $167.3MM
The Colts lost their top pass-catching tight end from 2015, Coby Fleener, to free agency last March. It now looks as if their No. 1 receiving tight end from 2016, Jack Doyle, will follow in Fleener’s footsteps this year. The Colts have attempted to lock up Doyle, but he’ll hit the open market, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Free agency comes at a fortuitous time for the soon-to-be 27-year-old Doyle, who’s coming off easily the most productive of his four NFL seasons. After hauling in a combined 42 receptions for 209 yards and three touchdowns over his first three years, Doyle amassed 59 catches, 584 yards and five scores in 2016. Doyle also piled up 75 targets, which finished second among Colts. The 6-foot-5, 254-pounder served as an above-average run blocker, too, though his pass blocking was subpar, according to Pro Football Focus.
Along with Doyle, this year’s class of free agent tight ends is set to include Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Vernon Davis, among others (PFR ranks Doyle behind only Bennett and Cook). Speculatively, despite having a lesser track record, Doyle could attempt to parlay both his 2016 output and the rising salary cap into a deal similar to the lucrative pacts Fleener and Colts teammate Dwayne Allen landed a year ago. Fleener inked a five-year, $36MM contract with $14.6MM in guarantees, while Allen secured a four-year, $29MM agreement with $16MM guaranteed.
- The Colts have agreed to sign offensive lineman Fahn Cooper, the club announced today. Cooper, a 2016 sixth-round choice out of Ole Miss, spent his rookie season on the 49ers’ practice squad. The 23-year-old was placed on San Francisco’s taxi squad injured reserve list in November.
- It wouldn’t be a smart idea for the Colts to pursue a top free agent tight end like Martellus Bennett, opines ESPN.com’s Mike Wells. The team already has plenty of depth at the position, and there are more impactful ways the front office can use their available cap space.
[SOURCE LINK]
Back in January, Trent Cole hinted on Instagram that he would continue playing in 2017. Roughly six weeks later, we’re getting some mixed messages. Cole told SiriusXM (Twitter link) that he will retire if he is not offered enough money on his next deal. However, he took to Twitter minutes later to say “no retirement happening here.”
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs: Indianapolis Colts]
The Colts linebacker is scheduled to hit free agency this March. For many years, Cole was a starter for the Eagles, but he has been slowed somewhat by injuries and age since joining Indianapolis. In seven games last year, Cole amassed 17 tackles and two sacks. In the year prior, he totaled 32 tackles and three sacks. His Pro Football Focus scores have been in the 70s over the last two years, framing him as a slightly above-average linebacker rather than the force that he was in his Philly prime.
Cole, 35 in October, has two Pro Bowl nods and eight playoff appearances on his resume.
- If Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram hits the open market, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells believes he’d be an intriguing option for the Colts. Indy was tied for 19th in sacks last season, while Ingram has compiled 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
[SOURCE LINK]
- While Colts general manager Chris Ballard would prefer to build his team through the draft, Mike Chappell of CBS4Indy.com believes the front office may need to pursue some veteran free agents to help shore up their defense. The Colts ranked toward the bottom of the league in multiple defensive statistics, and the organization is staring at more than $55MM in cap space. Chappell cites the success of the previous regime, as several buy-low free agents ultimately helped the team.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Although Chris Ballard left Kansas City to become the Colts‘ new general manager, Chiefs GM John Dorsey doesn’t expect Ballard to poach any KC staffers “right now,” tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Typically, an executive will try to bring at least a few low-level front office employees along to a new job, but it sounds like Ballard will be starting from scratch, and rolling with the incumbent Indianapolis staff for the time being.
In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Indianapolis Colts, who have now followed up three straight playoff seasons with back-to-back 8-8 slates. The Colts fired GM Ryan Grigson and hired Chris Ballard, and Jim Irsay will retain Chuck Pagano. But Indianapolis must address some on-the-field needs as well.
Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)
Pending Free Agents:
- Mike Adams, S
- Quan Bray, WR (ERFA)
- Darius Butler, CB
- Chris Carter, LB
- Trent Cole, LB
- Jack Doyle, TE
- Jonotthan Harrison, C (RFA)
- Zach Kerr, DE (RFA)
- Josh McNary, LB
- Erik Swoope, TE (RFA)
- Hugh Thornton, G
- Jordan Todman, RB
- Robert Turbin, RB
- Erik Walden, LB
Top Cap Hits for 2017:
- Andrew Luck, QB: $19,400,000
- Anthony Castonzo, T: $12,800,000
- Vontae Davis, CB: $10,250,000
- T.Y. Hilton, WR: $10,000,000
- Arthur Jones, DE: $7,350,000
- Dwayne Allen, TE: $5,937,500
- Patrick Robinson, CB: $4,500,000
- Kendall Langford, DE: $4.250,000
- Frank Gore, RB: $3,500,000
- Adam Vinatieri, K: $2,750,000
Other:
- Projected cap space (via OverTheCap): $55,371,812
- Fourteenth or 15th pick in draft (will be determined by coin flip between Colts and Eagles)
Three Needs:
1.) Locate linebackers: Both parts of the Colts’ linebacking corps need help, now even more so after Thursday’s D’Qwell Jackson release leaves the team without much at any of the spots on the second level. But the pass-rushing stable is hurting the most. Robert Mathis‘ retirement signals the end of a special era for Indianapolis pass-rushers, with both he and Dwight Freeney ranking as two of the best players in franchise history. Almost every relevant pass-rusher on last year’s roster either plans to retire or will be a free agent. The Colts finished as a middle-of-the-pack team with 33 sacks last season (19th), but more than half of those came from players no longer attached to the roster. Erik Walden registered a team-high 11 despite recording 12 in his three prior Colts campaigns, and entering his age-32 season, his best football could well be behind him.
The franchise hired Chris Ballard, who’s respected for his draft acumen, having helped the Bears and Chiefs land many gems. He’ll be tasked with making this crucial repair. The potential exodus here is somewhat staggering given what the Colts have on their roster.
The Colts do not have an outside pass-rusher on their roster who recorded a sack in 2016. Entering free agency, Indianapolis employs Akeem Ayers and a host of UDFAs. The Ryan Grigson-era Colts were not shy about throwing money around in March, and the John Dorsey-led Chiefs haven’t been either. Although, the Chiefs’ buys have benefited the team more. The Colts need outside help here. Walden could be retained, but that’s a risky proposition after he nearly doubled his single-season sack best in a contract year. As for the UFA market, there are options. It’s unclear, however, if the impact players will make it to the market.
Chandler Jones and Melvin Ingram headline this class of 3-4 pass-rushers, while Jason Pierre-Paul and Nick Perry profile as other high-end performers. The Cardinals are reportedly willing to apply the franchise tag (projected at $14.754MM for linebackers) to keep Jones after his third double-digit-sack season. PFR’s No. 2 overall free agent, Jones joins Calais Campbell and Tony Jefferson as Arizona UFAs, so the Cardinals have some tough decisions to make. The former Patriot will likely be the Cards’ top priority.
Not much has surfaced on Ingram’s status in Los Angeles, but he’s the Chargers’ top outside rusher and is now free of his five-year rookie contract. The Bolts are also moving to a 4-3 set under Gus Bradley, potentially leaving Ingram without a natural position. That’s not a deal-breaker by any means, but Ingram could be a more realistic target for the Colts as a result of that philosophical change. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap notes Ingram could ask for Ryan Kerrigan money (five years, $57.5MM) but could also be franchised and placed at defensive end in Bradley’s 4-3.
Pierre-Paul wants to match or top Olivier Vernon‘s contract. He’s a tougher sell due to the injury history, position change, and the demands he’s making. Perry has played exclusively in the Packers’ 3-4 and would be an obvious fit. He’s a similar contract-year story to Walden, recording 11 sacks last year after a nondescript statistical history previously, but he differs in being set for just his age-27 season in 2017. Perry did not receive abundant interest as a UFA last year but will after his 2016 emergence. The Packers like to retain their own but have talents like Jared Cook and T.J. Lang residing as impending UFAs as well, complicating their equation.
Venturing off the top tier, the Colts could target DeMarcus Ware or Julius Peppers on a short-term deal, but having employed three 30-somethings outside in ’16, Indy could be in the market for a reboot. That said, the Colts are a perennial contender in the AFC South because of Andrew Luck, so veterans can’t be considered off the table. Another 30-something who would be interesting is Lorenzo Alexander, a strange belated breakout who surpassed his previous career sack total last season, accruing 12.5 for the Bills. Expressing a desire to test the waters in what could be his only chance for a reasonable NFL payday, Alexander will be 34 in May. He qualifies as a short-term answer as a result. As for younger talent, Jabaal Sheard, Alex Okafor (eight sacks in 2014, but two biceps tears in his career) and suspension risk Armonty Bryant stand as cheaper choices than the edge players who run the risk of being tagged. Regardless, the Colts will need to address this position via veterans or rookies.
Since choosing Freeney in 2002, the Colts have not had much luck identifying pass-rushers in the first round. Jerry Hughes (2010) did not blossom in Indianapolis, and Bjoern Werner (2013) has already retired. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. (Insider link) has the Colts selecting UCLA outside linebacker Takkarist McKinley, who recorded 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last season. The Colts are not going to be able to select Myles Garrett without a major trade, and the likes of Solomon Thomas (Stanford) and Derek Barnett (Tennessee) are viewed as top-12 picks, per Chad Reuter of NFL.com. Todd McShay of ESPN.com has Michigan’s Taco Charleton (10 sacks in ’16) in that realm as well, viewing the ex-Wolverines edge man as an option for a 4-3 or 3-4 team. The Colts are likely to have edge-rushing options picking 14th or 15th, but it may come down to choosing whichever one of these talents remains on the board by the time they pick.
Their need at inside linebacker isn’t as glaring, if only because this position does not require the same kind of investment to upgrade. But Jackson’s release, following an inconsistent tenure and some off-the-field trouble, leaves the team without much experience. Cutting the 33-year-old veteran saves more than $5.5MM, helping the team potentially pursue younger free agents. But beyond Jackson and aside from safety/hybrid ‘backer Clayton Geathers, Indianapolis houses a fourth-round pick and UDFA — each possessing one year of NFL seasoning.
In their initial full-season stays in Indiana, Edwin Jackson and Antonio Morrison excelled in disparate fashion, according to Pro Football Focus. While neither linebacker graded particularly well, Edwin Jackson showed promise in coverage while Morrison fared better as a run defender. These two now representing the Colts’ top inside incumbents, each will be given another chance to make an impact.
Without much money tied up in the linebacker position (as of now), the Colts could target a free agent as they did D’Qwell Jackson. The likes of Lawrence Timmons, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter and Perry Riley stand to be available as UFAs. Dont’a Hightower is no lock to be franchised given the Patriots’ ways of operation, but he will cost eight figures per year. That’s not the best way to allocate funds at linebacker if no pass-rushing threats are on the roster. So, this could be an auxiliary need that could see more attention in April than March. The Colts’ first-round window doesn’t lend itself to inside-linebacking help, at least not the way this draft class breaks down so far, but by the time Round 2 rolls around, Indianapolis could be in the market for help here. That is, if the Colts don’t see a running back they covet.
