5 In-House Free Agents the Colts Must Bring Back Before Start of New League Year

The new league year is rapidly approaching for the Indianapolis Colts and with it, free agency. The Colts are set to enter this phase of the offseason with nearly 70 million dollars in cap space, which is almost 12 million dollars more than the next closest team.

While all of the talk and buzz will be about which free agents the Colts should bring in, the first order of business is figuring out which players should return before the start of the new league year.

The Colts currently have 24 unrestricted free agents set to hit the market, with another five restricted free agents (the restricted free agents will likely return). While the Colts don't have any big-time in-house free agents that they have to sign prior to the new league year, there are a few that they absolutely should bring back.

Here is my list of five players that the Colts shouldn't let hit free agency next week:

1.) Matt Pryor, Left Tackle

The most important free agent for the Colts to lock up prior to free agency is offensive tackle Matt Pryor. Pryor, 27, was acquired by the Colts for a 2022 sixth round pick prior to the regular season this past year. He ended up playing 438 snaps for the team and started games at left tackle, right guard, and right tackle on the season.

With the announcement today that it is unlikely the Colts bring back left tackle Eric Fisher, re-signing Pryor became much more paramount. He put out some good film this past season and showed that he could be a solid starter at the very important position.

The Colts have to make sure that he doesn't hit the market once the new league starts.

2.) Tyquan Lewis, Defensive End

Right after Pryor, in the pecking order of Colts' free agents, is defensive end Tyquan Lewis. Lewis is a former second round pick that was in the midst of a breakout season for the team before tearing his ACL in week eight against the Tennessee Titans.

It was reported today by Joel Erickson of The IndyStar that the Colts have been in communication with Lewis' reps about bringing him back. At worst, he would provide suitable depth to the strong side of the defensive line and stabilize a position that the Colts still need a lot of help at.

3.) Zaire Franklin, Linebacker

The Colts would be hard pressed to let one of their team leaders hit free agency next week. Zaire Franklin has traditionally been a special teamer for the Colts in his career, but he did see some time on defense in 2021. His 201 defensive snaps were the most he had seen in a season in his career.

With Franklin, the Colts have a core four special teamer that is beloved in the locker room. There is absolutely no reason not to bring back this team captain prior to the start of free agency.

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

4.) Taylor Stallworth, Defensive Tackle

One of the unsung heroes of this past season was defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth. He enjoyed a nice breakout campaign in 2021, as he had more sacks this past season than he had accumulated in the previous three years of his career.

While Stallworth is nothing more than a key depth player, he is really good at what he does. He showed more potential this past season than I, or really anybody else, thought he could in the NFL. A player like that is absolutely someone that the team should bring back.

5.) Chris Reed, Interior Offensive Line

Did you all really think that I could go an entire article without talking about Chris Reed? Reed was phenomenal last season for the Colts, playing 522 snaps and starting seven games as a reserve offensive lineman. He more than outperformed his contract for the Colts and earned a shot at competing for the right guard spot in 2022.

With Reed, the Colts are getting a reliable offensive lineman that can do it all on the interior. That is an asset that the team should absolutely not let hit free agency. With the looming vacancy at right guard this next season, bringing back Chris Reed makes too much sense.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Pre-Order Our Indy Draft Guide! Full Guide Drops on April 11th. Only $8.99 with the code "draft"