Who Will The Colts Keep?

The Indianapolis Colts can be widely characterized as a team that over-achieved during the 2018 NFL season, but they have a strong, young nucleus; a fantastic QB; a great coaching staff; and an owner willing to do what it takes to win. After looking hopeless, as little as 365 days ago, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about the Colts and their future. I mentioned a few posts ago, that the Colts had to focus on filling their tight ends and offensive line coaching position - they did that yesterday. Jason Michael, the new tight ends coach, has thirteen years of NFL coaching experience including 2013 on the Chargers staff with head coach Frank Reich who was the Chargers quarterback coach at the time. Chris Strausser, the new offensive line coach, sports thirty years of coaching experience including the past two years with the Denver Broncos. These two coaches bring a large amount of experience as well as some familiarity for coach Reich's staff. These two position groups have a lot of talent and having these coaches in place for the entire off-season should help the Colts further harness this talent.

Now that the coaching staff has been filled out, the Colts have to turn their focus to re-signing their free agents, scouting outside free agents, and scouting college talent. The Colts have already re-signed two 2018 starters who played an instrumental role in their success this past year, the GOAT (kicker, Adam Vinatieri) and right guard, Mark Glowinski. There are several players looking to potentially receive a new contract from the Colts, including several 2018 starters and valuable depth from this past season.

First, we'll take a look at the exclusive rights free agents on the Colts roster this past season. Per the Colts website, an exclusive rights free agents (ERFA's) are players with two or less seasons in the league. The Colts must offer them contracts by 4:00 pm on March 13 or they become unrestricted free agents, able to sign anywhere they choose. The Colts have two ERFA's this offseason.

Long-snapper: Luke Rhodes: had another strong season for the Colts. While doing well at his primary job of delivering the ball to Rigoberto Sanchez, as the holder, for placekicking situations and also Sanchez for punting situations, he also showed off his background as a linebacker by rounding up four special teams stops. Rhodes will be back on the Colts next year as there is no way they change long-snapper on Vinny again. Continuity at long-snapper is very important for the special teams unit because a level of trust must be built and Rhodes has done a good job the past two years.

Wide Receiver: Marcus Johnson: acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks just before the beginning of the regular season he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in week 6 against the Jets. He logged 6 receptions for 102 yards including a 34 yard touchdown. I also look for him to be back as he provides depth at a somewhat weak position for the Colts. He's young and should be cheap.

Next, we'll discuss the Colts' restricted free agents (RFA's). According to Colts.com a RFA is as follows:

A player whose contract has expired and has fewer than four tenured years in the league. He may sign an "Offer Sheet" with any other team, but his original team has seven days to match any offer he receives. If the original team does not match the offer, compensation will be awarded in the form of draft picks from the signing team. The round and quantity of picks are determined by the "Qualifying Offer" made by the player's original team. If a RFA is tendered a minimum qualifying offer the compensation is the equivalent of the round in which that player was originally selected. If that player was originally a rookie free agent, no compensation is awarded.

The Colts have six RFA's this offseason, none of which were starters by the end of this past season, but several did provide valuable depth for the Colts and filled valuable minutes.

Center: Evan Boehm: filled the role of backup center once Ryan Kelly went down with injuries throughout the season. He put up a very solid PFF grade of 70.7 while helping the Colts complete a very good season along the offensive line. I would look for him to be back as he helps provide very valuable depth along the interior offensive line as a center/guard.

Wide Receiver: Chester Rogers: while a lot of Colts fans don't want Rogers back due to his drop issues, which are significant, he had a very good season as the Colts punt returner averaging 9.3 yards per return which ranked 11th in the league according to pro-football-reference.com. I predict he'll be back to provide receiver depth and continue to return punts for the Colts.

Tight end: Ross Travis: suffered a season ending injury in the preseason and never saw the Colts active roster this season. In two years as a reserve tight end with the Colts and Chiefs, he had 10 receptions for 91 yards. Based off the talent and depth in the tight ends group, I think he's re-signed but doesn't make it past the preseason.

Cornerback: Chris Milton: played some defense, but was primarily a special teams contributor for the Colts in 2018. Don't see a reason why he doesn't receive a new contract.

Safety: Matthias Farley: started some games in place of Geathers due to injury. Provided valuable depth, and should be re-signed.

Safety: Corey Moore: same as Milton, played some d and was valuable on special teams. Re-sign him.

Finally, we'll discuss the bulk of the Colts' free agents - the unrestricted free agents. An unrestricted free agent is a player whose contract has expired and has four or more years in the league. The Colts have 13 unrestricted free agents.

Tackle: J'Marcus Webb: started week one against Cincinnati but got injured in that contest. He's gone.

Guard: Matt Slauson: Basically a player coach for the Colts this past season. He suffered a season ending back injury that could have paralyzed him against the Patriots. He'll be 33 in February, but I believe that if he wants to continue playing he'll be back because his leadership is so valuable.

*Update: Slauson announced his retirement today, February 6th, via his personal Instagram page.*

Wide Receiver: Ryan Grant: signed to be the second fiddle to TY, largely disappointed. He's gone.

Wide Receiver: Dontrelle Inman: midseason pickup and was very clutch throughout the second half of the season. Should be re-signed and will likely begin the preseason no lower than number 3 on the depth chart.

Tight End: Ryan Hewitt: provided valuable blocking attributes and was signed after final cuts this past season. He filled the role of a fullback/tight end. He proved highly valuable especially once Jack Doyle went down. With a healthy Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox going into next season, I don't know if he makes it to the regular season, but I believe he is re-signed.

Defensive End: Geneo Grissom: young defensive end who played sparingly in 2018. He fits the mold of being a depth guy in this Colts defense and I think he is re-signed to compete for a roster spot.

Defensive End/Defensive Tackle: Margus Hunt: was dominant for stretches in 2018. He began the season as a defensive end then eventually made the transition to nose tackle where he played admirably. He doesn't fit the mold of a nose tackle in the NFL, but he commands a double team and is stout against the run. I see Hunt continuing in this role for the short term as Grover Stewart, a more traditional nose continues to refine his game. He'll be back, likely on a short term deal.

Defensive Tackle: Al Woods: not a great scheme fit, but was a team captain in 2018. I think he played his last snaps as a Colt against the Dallas Cowboys before he went down with a foot injury.

Linebacker: Najee Goode: signed to play a major role last year and to help ease the transition to a 4-3 defense. He also played some special teams. I see the Colts transitioning to their younger guys in the strongside (SAM) linebacker role. Zaire Franklin, Skai Moore, and Matthew Adams showed promise this last year and should fill the role as well as or better than Goode did this past year. He's gone.

Cornerback: Pierre Desir: turned in a career year for the Colts in 2018. He seems to be a scheme fit and has a larger frame to match-up well with the larger receivers of today's game. Cornerbacks typically cost a hefty sum, but if the money is right he should be back.

Safety: Clayton Geathers: Starting safety who plays well when healthy. He is also well-respected by his teammates and coaches. Health has been the biggest question for Geathers, but I think he's back as long as the money is right.

Safety: Mike Mitchell: mid-season pickup who really helped change the defensiveback group. He's a great leader and played well in the handful of games he played, but he is creeping up on age 32 and due to the amount of depth, leadership, and talent in the safety group, I think he is gone.

Safety: J.J. Wilcox: depth guy picked up midseason to ensure the Colts had enough safeties. Didn't really pop at any point. I think he's gone.

Top priority: I consider cornerback Pierre Desir to be the most important potential resigning the Colts should do as he and Kenny Moore have the potential to form a very formidable cornerback tandem for years to come. Desir has great length and athleticism and is a great scheme fit for the Colts. He definitely deserves more than the one year contract he received last off-season.

Image courtesy of the Indy Star.

Based off my projections, the Colts will go into unrestricted free agency with 77 players on their roster. The only player I see the Colts potentially keeping that I said was gone is Mike Mitchell. I wouldn't be surprised if they let a few guys walk who I said they would keep. Ross Travis, Matt Slauson, Geneo Grissom, and Clayton Geathers or Matthias Farley could all be prime candidates to be allowed to walk. Slauson could even retire. Then I don't know if they will be able to afford to keep both Geathers and Farley especially since they could both be starters for most teams in the NFL. Several of these guys helped form the foundation for the Colts' locker room in 2018 and resigning several of them could help the Colts further establish a strong locker room while also retaining their own talent.