Unlike in offseasons past, the Indianapolis Colts have had a loud start to free agency. Conducting trades and reeling in some big names on the market, general manager Chris Ballard is doing everything he can to bounce back from a 7-9 season.
The biggest move came on the first day of the legal tampering period, and it came in the form of trading a first-round pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner—a move that has been met with roaring praise.
They also made a big move bringing in veteran quarterback Philip Rivers on a one-year deal to be the new starter under center. Along with that, there have been some smaller moves made throughout the offseason and during free agency.
Some of these moves might not have an impact at face value for the rest of the NFL, but they will for the Colts. Here’s a quick grade of each move made so far during the offseason for Indy:
Trading for DeForest Buckner
Talk about a shocker. When thinking of bold moves for Chris Ballard, this certainly was not on the docket for the fourth-year general manager. Yet, he was able to pull off this spectacular trade to bring in one of the best young interior pass rushers in the game. The Colts then immediately locked Buckner up to a four-year extension.
Giving up a first-round pick is never easy, especially for Ballard. However, there is so much volatility with the No. 13 pick that moving it for a known All-Pro caliber commodity in Buckner was a no-brainer. Beefing up the interior defensive line was arguably the biggest need for the Colts, and this move should do wonders for the entire defense.
Then when looking at the contract details for the extension, it only favors the Colts even more.
Grade: A