The NFL draft is behind us and the Indianapolis Colts’ 91-man roster is pretty well set, but roster building in the NFL is a 365 day a year job, and GM Chris Ballard will ‘investigate’ free agent options that are still out there.
“Between now and the start of the season – there are still some good players out there,” Ballard said after the draft. “There’s some veterans out there that can still play. We’ll dig and investigate all of them and then make a decision if we think they are the right fit for us as we go along.”
The two most notable position groups that the Colts could still add to are either cornerback or safety. With how the draft played out, the Colts didn’t add to the cornerback position until the fifth round, and the safety they drafted, Jaylon Carlies, is being moved to linebacker.
Last season, the Colts relied heavily on a few inexperienced players. The end result, which, to a degree should have been anticipated with a young group, was inconsistent play, with too many big plays given up and not enough on-ball production.
When meeting with reporters following the draft, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said that both the cornerback and safety spots were ‘wide open.’ Other than Kenny Moore in the slot and Julian Blackmon at strong safety, the two boundary roles and free safety spot are up for grabs this summer.
As Ballard mentioned, there are some good players still available in free agency, particularly at the cornerback and safety positions.
Some of those players include Justin Simmons, Steven Nelson, and Xavien Howard. Click here for a closer look at those three players and seven other free agents from the cornerback and safety position groups.
From a salary cap perspective, with $28.41 million in cap space – the seventh-most in the NFL – the Colts very much have the ability to make an addition. For a closer look at where the Colts stand salary cap-wise following the draft, click here.
With training camp not beginning until late July, the Colts still have plenty of time to make tweaks to their roster.