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The Colts should try to retain these 8 pending free agents.
The Indianapolis Colts have plenty of decisions to make with the 2024 offseason officially arriving, and that includes what to do with the crop of players set to hit free agency.
Working with roughly $58.9 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, the Colts will have enough money to re-sign a number of pending free agents before they hit the market in the middle of March.
Here’s a look at eight pending free agents the Colts should look to re-sign this offseason:
Taking a look at some nickel CBs the Colts should considering drafting.
Until the Indianapolis Colts go through free agency, there isn’t a clear position that Chris Ballard needs to target in the upcoming NFL draft.
Free agency should help clear up some question marks surrounding the roster and one area on the defense that can end up becoming a big need is if the team doesn’t re-sign Kenny Moore II.
I am in the camp that Moore II has to be brought back in 2024 but even with him on the roster, Ballard should keep nickel cornerbacks on his radar in the draft.
Moore II will be 29 next season and if he is re-signed, it will likely come on a 2-3 year deal so the future has to be considered. As well as that, Moore II has missed six games in the past two years and when he is out of the lineup, it is very apparent that the defense misses him.
Adding depth at nickel can give Gus Bradley an option if Moore II has to miss any time and not be forced to utilize his safeties in that role like he has in the past.
Here are five corners that Ballard can target for the nickel role in the draft:
Plenty of tough decisions await Colts GM Chris Ballard this offseason.
What a difference a year has made for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard.
He went from having to find a new head coach and selecting a franchise quarterback to having to put together a roster that can go on a deep playoff run next season.
Ballard’s key decisions this offseason come mostly on players that were on the roster in 2023.
Here are the five toughest he has to decide on in the coming months:
A pair of Colts were featured in ESPN’s top-50 free agents for 2024.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and cornerback Kenny Moore II were listed among ESPN’s top 50 free agents set to hit the market during the 2024 offseason.
An annual list compiled by Matt Bowen, it’s no surprise Pittman and Moore are two of the top players on the list. They also are likely high on the list of priorities for the Colts over the next month.
In the ranking, Pittman came in at No. 17 overall, which was third among wide receivers behind Tee Higgins (No. 7) and Mike Evans (No. 12).
Here’s what Bowen said about Pittman:
With his physical 6-foot-4 frame and high-end ball skills, Pittman can play on the boundary or create vertical matchups from slot alignments. He has the vision to produce on catch-and-run concepts, with 44.5% of his career-high 1,152 receiving yards coming after the catch this season. Pittman’s 109 receptions in 2023 were also a career best, and he is more than willing to work the dirty areas of the field.
Pittman should be getting a hefty bag from the Colts this offseason. There’s no reason he shouldn’t receive a market-level deal around $22 million annually. Unless he’s looking to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, it’s difficult to see a deal not getting done.
As for Moore, he ranked No. 31 on the list, which was fifth among cornerbacks behind Jaylon Johnson (No. 9), L’Jarius Snead (No. 11), Kendall Fuller (No. 19) and Chidobe Awuzie (No. 29).
Here’s what Bowen said about Moore:
He’s still one of the top slot corners in the league, picking off three passes this season, giving him 17 interceptions for his career. Moore has the profile to play inside, and he’s rugged and aggressive versus the run game. But he also has the awareness to play in space and can match in coverage.
Moore bounced back in a major way after a poor 2022 campaign. The Colts needed it just as badly as he did considering the youth movement in the secondary.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Moore this offseason, but if the Colts can find a way to bring him back, it would mean a lot for a secondary that is continuing its development.
The majority of the top players on this list won’t even hit the market, but Colts fans will be keeping a keen eye on both Pittman and Moore, among others, over the next month.
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PFF was impressed with Kenny Moore II’s bounce-back.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II bounced back in a much-needed way during the 2023 season, returning to form as a Pro-Bowl caliber defender.
After what was an uncharacteristic season in 2022, there were some question marks about Moore’s fit within Gus Bradley’s defense. Those questions were put to bed quickly, though, as Moore regained his form as a premier slot defender.
In fact, Pro Football Focus named Moore as the Colts’ most improved player for 2023.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: CB KENNY MOORE
2022 PFF grade: 55.7
2023 PFF grade: 77.4Moore may be 30 years old, with some believing he is on the downswing of his career, but he responded to any potential critics in style. His 79.3 coverage grade and 78.1 overall grade were both career highs.
According to Pro Football Focus, Moore’s 96.2 passer rating ranked sixth-best among slot defenders with at least 300 coverage snaps from the slot. His 0.93 yards per snap ranked fourth-best while he allowed 5.31 yards after the catch per reception.
Moore is slated to be a free agent this offseason when the new league year rolls around in March, and he’s one of the top priority players the Colts will want to re-sign. Of course, a lot of it will come down to money.
Regardless, Moore proved he can regain his form as one of the best slot defenders in the NFL, which certainly helped his case going into a contract year.
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A quintet of Colts made PFF’s top 100 free agents list for 2024.
The Indianapolis Colts have an interesting offseason coming up starting with a group of players set to hit free agency when the 2024 new league year arrives in March.
Over at Pro Football Focus, a list of the top 100 free agents was put together by Brad Spielgerger and five Colts players wound up making the cut.
The five names won’t come as a shock as they are the five names most talked about in regard to the Colts’ upcoming free-agent class.
Here’s a look at the five Colts players who made the list, along with what Spielberger said and his projected contract:
Taking a look at eight Colts who could receive contract extensions this offseason.
Ever since Chris Ballard took over as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, they have been a team not afraid to hand out contract extensions to players they feel have earned it.
This is a big offseason for a Colts organization that is looking to build a playoff contender after narrowly missing out on the postseason. Re-signing some pending free agents to new deals and handing out some contract extensions to players currently under contract will be two ways of doing so.
We’re taking two schools of thought here as it pertains to contract extensions. The first includes pending free agents we believe could earn a multi-year deal before the new league year arrives in March.
The other includes players going into the final year of their current contract. We’ve seen Ballard hand out extensions in the past when players have one year remaining on current deals before that final season arrives. In theory, these deals would likely get done during the summer after free agency and the 2024 NFL draft have already passed.
Admittedly, we’re casting a pretty wide net here. Not all of the players below will receive a new deal this offseason. In fact, the majority of them probably won’t. But if there’s a slight chance they might, we’re going to make the argument as to why it could happen.
Here are eight Colts currently under contract who could receive a contract extension during the 2024 offseason:
Checking out the Colts’ best and worst PFF grades from 2023.
Following a surprisingly successful but simultaneously disappointing end to the 2023 season for the Indianapolis Colts, it’s time to take a look back at the top grades from the campaign that was.
Courtesy of Pro Football Focus, the Colts’ highest overall grade on either side of the ball belonged to right tackle Braden Smith, who posted an offensive grade of 83.3. On defense, edge rusher Samson Ebukam led the unit with an overall grade of 84.4. This is using 170 snaps played as the minimum requirement.
The worst grade on offense was owned by offensive tackle Blake Freeland, who finished his rookie season with a 44.2 grade. Defensive tackle Eric Johnson II finished the season with a 30.5 overall grade, the lowest of any player meeting the 170-snap threshold.
Now, a look at the best and worst overall PFF grades for the Colts in 2023:
The Colts had no All-Pro selections in 2023, but several players were close.
The Indianapolis Colts were not represented with any selections on the All-Pro First or Second Teams for the 2023 season, but several players were right on the cusp.
While the majority of the time the First-Team selections are what truly stick around, it’s notable when players are voted as Second-Team selections. It’s even noteworthy if a player fails to garner either selection but still receives votes.
The way the system works is the panel of 50 writers vote for each position. If a player is voted on the first team, that vote is worth three points. Second-team votes are worth one point. The players with the most points total get selected.
For the Colts, the following positions received no votes whatsoever for the 2023 AP All-Pro teams:
Now, let’s take a look at the Colts players who did receive votes for the 2023 AP All-Pro teams, courtesy of the Associated Press’ Rob Maadi:
Taking a look at the top needs for the Colts entering the 2024 offseason.
With the 2023 season officially over for the Indianapolis Colts, they are officially in offseason mode.
As 2024 begins, Indianapolis will look to add to its roster and strengthen some perceived weaknesses through free agency, trades and the NFL draft.
With that being said, here are some of the top needs for Indianapolis moving forward:
