Tag: Eric Fisher

The 10 best NFL free agents still available this preseason, from Odell Beckham Jr. to J.C. Tretter

There are a bunch of solid veterans left for some lucky teams to scoop up.

This time of year, with training camps around the NFL in full swing, most rosters are more or less set in stone.

Sure, there might be the occasional camp controversy, positional battle to sort through, or warranted holdout (or “hold-in”). But, for the most part, teams know what kind of shape they’ll enter the 2022 season in.

Now, that said, no one has a perfect roster. In fact, many squads might still have a glaring hole or two that they can fill with a capable veteran. (Ask the Buccaneers and Julio Jones.) The initial wave and frenzy of this year’s NFL free agency is worlds, er, months away now. But plenty of good and capable players remain on the market, especially if any squad wants to fill in the gaps and start this fall on a better foot.

Here are the 10 best free agents still available as the NFL moves toward the 2022 preseason:

Colts’ free agents who remain unsigned after minicamp

These former Colts remain on the market.

The offseason workouts have concluded for the Indianapolis Colts, and their focus now is getting the team ready for training camp at the end of July.

While the majority of the big moves have already been made, the Colts will continue to make small tweaks to the roster. Adding competition to each position is a year-round job for general manager Chris Ballard.

There are still a number of former Colts currently on the market, including some relatively big names.

Here is a look at the Colts’ free agents who remain unsigned following the offseason workout program:

19 former Colts officially hit free agency

These former Colts are now officially on the free agent market.

The new league year arrived on Wednesday and that means 19 former Indianapolis Colts officially became free agents.

While there is a chance the Colts re-sign some of the players that are now on the market, they will be free to test what other teams are offering without Indy being able to do much about it.

The Colts have made some moves in regards to re-signing some of their players. The following players were re-signed before the start of the new league year:

We are tracking all of the moves the Colts are making with free agency officially here. These are the 18 players officially on the market as of Wednesday:

Colts are not expected to re-sign LT Eric Fisher

The Colts are not expected to re-sign LT Eric Fisher before free agency.

The Indianapolis Colts are not expected to re-sign pending free agent offensive tackle Eric Fisher, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Though the Colts have been talking to Fisher’s representation in hopes of coming to an agreed deal before free agency, Schefter is reporting that the veteran is likely to hit the market next week.

The Colts took a chance on Fisher following his torn Achilles with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 playoffs. Fisher never truly looked like himself as he struggled in pass protection. He was a solid run blocker, which is likely why the Colts figured they might be able to run it back with a full offseason.

The Colts have a long list of needs to address this offseason. After trading away quarterback Carson Wentz, that position takes priority. But finding a stable left tackle is on the list as well.

There is always a chance Fisher and the Colts come to an agreement if the former can’t find the money he’s looking for in free agency.

But for now, it appears he will be hitting the market and the Colts will once again search for a left tackle.

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Former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher not expected to re-sign with Colts

A new report says that former #Chiefs LT Eric Fisher will not re-sign with the #Colts and instead head to free agency.

The former No. 1 overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2013 NFL draft is expected to become a free agent again.

According to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher is not expected to re-sign with the Indianapolis Colts. Schefter reports that the two sides have spoken in recent weeks about striking a new deal. The news that Fisher is poised to hit free agency suggests that the two sides weren’t very close on their numbers.

Next to Saints LT Terron Armstead, Fisher could be the best left tackle on the market and he likely knows that. There should be a strong market for his services if he were to hit the open market.

Fisher was released by the Chiefs ahead of the 2021 free agency period and after spending eight seasons with the team, including seven seasons as the starting left tackle. He was a salary cap casualty with the salary cap shortfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That decision was made easier after Fisher ruptured his Achilles tendon in the AFC title game ahead of Super Bowl LV.

Fisher signed a one-year contract with the Colts in May of 2021, joining former Chiefs executive Chris Ballard. He started 15 games at left tackle for Indianapolis last season, but he was clearly still working his way back from the Achilles injury early in the year.

It’s unlikely that a return to the Chiefs would happen given the team’s decision to move forward with Orlando Brown Jr. as their left tackle. One team to look out for is the Chicago Bears, who now have former Chiefs executive Ryan Poles running the show.

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7 free agent OTs the Colts should consider in 2022

Taking a look at seven free agent OTs the Colts should consider in 2022.

The Indianapolis Colts will be heading into free agency with plenty of salary-cap space and a massive need at upgrading their left tackle position.

The new league doesn’t begin until the middle of March, and the Colts still have to settle their Carson Wentz situation before making any moves in free agency. But finding a left tackle is high on the list of priorities.

As it currently stands, veteran Eric Fisher is set to be a free agent. He could be re-signed before the new league year arrives or the Colts can wait to test the market.

The list of available free agent offensive tackles isn’t very long. It gets even shorter when realizing the two top options on the market (Terron Armstead and Orlando Brown) won’t be realistic targets for the Colts. They simply can’t invest that much money into the offensive line without it coming at a detriment elsewhere.

As always, we’ll take a look at the available free agents with the mindset of Chris Ballard’s preference for mid-tier options. Here are seven free agents the Colts should consider in 2022:

6 Colts listed among PFF’s top 200 pending free agents

The Colts had six players listed among Pro Football Focus’ top-200 pending free agents for 2022.

In less than a month, NFL free agency will be open for teams to sign new players and the Indianapolis Colts have several names set to hit the market.

Some of the names on the list of pending free agents for the Colts may be re-signed before the market even opens on March 14—the legal tampering period. Others will be free to negotiate with teams as the Colts let them walk.

Pro Football Focus ranked the top 200 pending free agents set to hit the market along with what they project their next contract to be. There were six Colts on that list.

Here’s a look at that from a Colts’ perspective:

PFF projects Eric Fisher to make $16M per year on next contract

Pro Football Focus projects Eric Fisher’s next contract will be worth $16 million per year.

The Indianapolis Colts have a lot of decisions to make this offseason and whether they bring back left tackle Eric Fisher for another run is among them.

They hoped to find value in 2021 when they signed Fisher to a one-year, $8 million deal. Should his price point stay in that range, the Colts would be forced to consider running it back again if the options are bare.

But Pro Football Focus is projecting Fisher’s yearly salary to be double that on his next contract. Here is what they said about Fisher in their free agency rankings, which includes a projected contract:

Fisher suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury in the 2020 AFC Championship and then underwent surgery before returning to football action just seven months later in mid-September. The mere fact Fisher was even ready to play by Week 2 of the 2021 season is remarkable, and he showed improvement as the season wore on while protecting Carson Wentz’s blindside and working his way back to 100% health. Fisher is a former No. 1 overall pick, and while he may not have lived up to those lofty expectations, he’s a very solid NFL left tackle, which every team can always use. His one-year, $8.38 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts even while questions still remained about his recovery illustrates the kind of market he will have this offseason now back in top form — a strong one.

Projected contract: 3 yrs — $16m avg/yr

The Colts cannot go into free agency and pay Fisher $16 million per season. Not only did Fisher show he’s not worth that kind of money right now, but the Colts would be investing far too much money in the offensive line.

Fisher played at a relatively average level in 2021. At times, that would be putting it nicely. His pass protection was shoddy and inconsistent while he did make a strong impact in the run game. That alone is not worth $16 million per year.

If Fisher received that kind of money, it would make him roughly the eighth-highest paid left tackle in the NFL on a per-year basis. He didn’t play at that level during the 2021 season.

The Colts will need to consider re-signing Fisher if his market it closer to the $10 million mark but if it starts creeping up to where Pro Football Focus is projecting it, they should be all the way out.

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Predicting the fate of Colts’ pending free agents in 2022

Who stays and who goes in 2022?

The Indianapolis Colts are one month away from free agency opening and while it’s unlikely they splurge, there are still a number of players set to hit the market in the middle of March.

With roughly 30 total pending free agents this offseason, the Colts have 24 listed as unrestricted (UFA), two as restricted (RFA) and four as exclusive rights free agents (ERFA).

Most of these players will wind up hitting the market. Some of them will be re-signed before the market even opens on March 14 (legal tampering period).

We’ve given our opinion on who the Colts should re-sign this offseason and which players they should let walk when the market opens.

Now, we’re going to predict the fate of every pending free agent for the Colts entering the 2022 offseason:

5 toughest decisions facing Chris Ballard in 2022 offseason

Here are some of the toughest decisions Chris Ballard has to make this offseason.

Though the next month or so may be relatively dead in terms of news, the Indianapolis Colts are preparing for an offseason with several tough decisions.

At the forefront of those decisions will be general manager Chris Ballard. Now entering his sixth offseason with the Colts, his team has dealt with a lot of issues. Losing his franchise quarterback in 2019 got the ball rolling on that end and it’s led to a different starting quarterback in each of the last four seasons.

It’s also been a factor in the Colts winning just one playoff game during his time as general manager. Some of the issues have been out of Ballard’s control. Others have been a direct result of his process.

Every year, he faces tough decisions to make. Let’s take a look at the toughest ones that will be staring at him during the 2022 offseason: