12. Indianapolis Colts
Current cap space: $86,162,964
Primary free agents: LT Anthony Castonzo, DL Jabaal Sheard, TE Eric Ebron, S Clayton Geathers
Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement last August left the Colts in a pickle. Expected to compete at a high level with their franchise quarterback guiding a team adeptly constructed by general manager Chris Ballard and expertly coached by Frank Reich and his staff, Indy was left with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who they knew from his 2017 season spelling the injured Luck. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didn’t. Brissett completed 60.9% of his passes for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions — not bad numbers, but the Colts’ passing game was almost completely missing the explosive plays needed to wrestle with the NFL’s best defenses. A 7-9 record isn’t good enough for the Colts, and Brissett may not be, either.
“Jacoby did some good things … but our passing game has to improve, unequivocally,” Ballard said at the end of the season. “The jury is still out.”
Generally speaking, when a GM says the jury is still out on a quarterback, the jury has already come back with a unanimous verdict. So watch for the Colts to take their scads of cap space (only the Dolphins have more going into the 2020 offseason) and address this with certainty. They may have run out of Luck last year, but the Colts are in no way a falling or failing team.