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Colts Unlikely to Make a Big Splash in Free Agency

By Kyle Nishida

Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indianapolis Colts can start contacting free agents today. While they are expected to be active, they probably will not pursue the big names on the market.

The Colts have over $50 million in cap space to worth with this offseason. However, it does not mean that they will use it to land a high-profile free agent.

As everyone has repeatedly heard, pursuing big names is not a strategy general manager Chris Ballard relies on. To be fair, he not totally against getting a big name player, but he put a lot of emphasis on players who are the “right fit.”

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If given a choice, Ballard would like to build his team through the draft. Unfortunately, he only has seven draft picks to play with this year so he really cannot completely overhaul the team through the draft. As a result, the Colts will be active in free agency.

In an interview with Colts.com, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared his thoughts on what the Colts will do based on what he knows about Ballard.

"Well, I would not expect the Colts to sit on their hands,” Rapoport said. “If you look at some of the background of Chris Ballard and what they did in Kansas City, they’ve always been active in free agency. I just wouldn’t expect it to be a big splash.”"

Honestly, it might be best for the Colts to avoid paying big money for free agents. The previous general manager Ryan Grigson pursued big names and missed on most of the guys he eventually signed.

Thankfully, there are other ways to attack free agency. One alternative is to focus on signing second or third tier free agents. They may not be as talented as the stars of free agency. However, they could be productive starters if paired up with the right team.

Rapoport felt this strategy would be one Ballard will pursue this offseason.

"“My mind, just judging Ballard what I know and from his background, I would expect more the middle-market free agents, where teams like say the Patriots and Lions and some of the other [teams], the teams that have staying power, that’s usually where they feast and I would expect the Colts to look in the same area.”"

There is also a financial benefit to signing middle-market guys. The cost of one star free agent player equals two middle-market guys or even three players. It is risky to have one player take up a lot of cap space. Teams are able to manage their cap situations better with smaller contracts.

Meanwhile, a team can address more needs by targeting middle-tier players. Rather than addressing one issue by overpaying for a star player, a team can address multiple problems by signing numerous players to team-friendly contracts.

The Colts have at least five roster issues. As a result, targeting multiple middle-market players is more appealing to them than signing one or two big name players.

Next: Colts Met with Edge Rusher Solomon Thomas at NFL Combine

Teams can start signing free agents on March 9th. This is the first important test for Ballard. He obviously has a plan, but it will be important to see how well he can execute it.

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