The Indianapolis Colts are swimming in cap space this offseason. Here are five players the need to target in the upcoming NFL free agency.
If there is any team poised to make some huge noise this offseason in free agency, it would have to be the Indianapolis Colts. With a solid roster and the second-most cap space in the league at $90.4 million, Indianapolis is in a position where the Colts can take several home-run cuts at landing some marquee free agents to make this team playoff-caliber.
While the Colts made it to the AFC playoffs in Frank Reich‘s first year as their head coach in 2018, Indianapolis finished in third place in the AFC South in 2019. The last time the Colts won the AFC South was in 2014, which was Andrew Luck‘s third season out of Stanford University. This has become the Houston Texans’ division, with the occasional good year from rival teams.
Overall, the Colts won’t be losing a ton in free agency. They have a few players they may want to bring back, including one key piece on their offense in particular. But when the Colts approach free agency, they need to pay premiums for top-tier talent to get them to link up with them. Fortunately, general manager Chris Ballard has plenty of money to work with this year.
So with the second-best salary-cap situation, here are five players the Colts should target in 2020 NFL free agency. The Colts may land a big name or two, but we should expect Ballard to make the right move strategically to give his team the best chance to win, both in 2020 and beyond.
5
Hunter Henry
TE Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have an interesting decision to make. Do they bring back talented, but often-injured tight end, Hunter Henry, on a second contract or do they let him walk in his impending free agency for nothing? When Henry is out there, he’s one of the 10 best tight ends in football. However, he has missed 23 games in his four-year NFL career out of Arkansas.
Los Angeles does have a favorable cap situation, as the Chargers have roughly $51.8 million available to make their team better this spring. Would bringing Henry back into the mix be beneficial to the Chargers? Probably, as he knows the offensive system the Chargers will run, as well as serve as an excellent safety valve for the new quarterback who will replace Philip Rivers.
What makes the Colts an interesting fit here for him is they too will be looking at a new franchise quarterback. Jacoby Brissett has been fine filling in for Luck the last three years, but it doesn’t seem that he’s the long-term fit here in Indianapolis. Then again, maybe 2020 will be a year where Brissett proves us all wrong? What could help him is another talented pass-catcher in Henry.
This is a move that is high-risk and high-reward. Henry has yet to play all 16 games in an NFL season in his career, but when he’s out there on the field for the Chargers, he has been a terrific pass-catching tight end and one the Los Angeles offense has no problem targeting in the red zone. You can never have too many good offensive weapons to help your team win either.