Colts' Premier Defense Eyes Glory as Free Agency Approaches
Indianapolis has either traded or allowed five starters to leave in free agency, and the Colts only have an obvious replacement for one spot.
INDIANAPOLIS — The opening week of free agency has left more questions than answers for the Colts . Indianapolis has traded two starters (wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. , middle linebacker Zaire Franklin), allowed three more to leave in free agency (right tackle Braden Smith, defensive end Kwity Paye, strong safety Nick Cross) and one more (weak-side linebacker Germaine Pratt) hasn’t been signed yet.
The Colts only have an obvious replacement for one of those spots. Promising young tackle Jalen Travis is expected to step into Smith’s spot on the offensive line, but holes remain at every other spot, although it’s possible the replacements come from within. “We’ve got some young players defensively that I think are … going to be good football players,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said.
“We’ve got some young guys that we think can ascend. ” None of the departures are all that surprising. But the Colts still must find players to fill those spots, and potentially players who can help Indianapolis get to the next level.
“Everybody’s got a budget; we’ve got cap,” Ballard said at the NFL scouting combine. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily a ‘run it back’ situation. We’re going to try to make the team the best we can.
Continue to the original source for the full article.