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Colts Receive Reasonable Offseason Grade from Bleacher Report

After re-signing a handful of their own guys and going bargain bin shopping on the open market, the Indianapolis Colts received a reasonable passing grade from Bleacher Report for their offseason moves.
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In two weeks the crown jewel of the NFL offseason will commence in Cleveland with the start of the 2021 NFL Draft spread out over three days April 29-May 1.

Knowing that, expect the next two weeks to be relatively quiet across the league, in terms of free agent additions and potential cap casualties.

Sure, some teams will snap up some veterans on the cheap ahead of the draft just to have that insurance policy in place, but for the most part things will settle down until April 29.

With that part of the thought process, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport handed out offseason grades to all 32 teams, grading each team on the additions and subtractions made to their teams. Though Davenport admits in his piece that it's far too early to pass final judgement on all 32 teams, the Bleacher Report analyst was favorable to the Colts in his grading.

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Biggest Additions/Re-Signings: QB Carson Wentz, OT Sam Tevi, WR TY Hilton, CB Xavier Rhodes, RB Marlon Mack, OT Julie'n Davenport, S Sean Davis

Biggest Departures: LB Anthony Walker, DL Denico Autry, QB Jacoby Brissett, S Tavon Wilson, OT Anthony Castonzo

The Indianapolis Colts offseason will be judged by one thing and one thing only—whether or not quarterback Carson Wentz can turn his career around with a change of scenery. The Colts didn't have to surrender an outrageous amount of draft capital to obtain him (a third-round pick in 2021 and a conditional second-rounder in 2022), but taking on Wentz's contract was a significant risk.

Outside that bold move, it was a typically reserved offseason from Colts GM Chris Ballard. The team tried to replace the retired Anthony Castonzo with a couple of fliers in Sam Tevi and Julie'n Davenport, but other than that, the focus was keeping players like wide receiver TY Hilton and cornerback Xavier Rhodes in town.

There were some potentially significant losses though—especially on the defensive side of the ball. Denico Autry is a quality starter capable of playing both end and tackle, and with linebacker Anthony Walker now in Cleveland, Bobby Okereke is going to have to step up opposite standout Darius Leonard.

Grade: B

In a relatively quiet offseason overall for the Colts — at least in terms of free agency — the Colts did a nice job making sure they retained some key veterans such as T.Y. Hilton, Xavier Rhodes, and Marlon Mack after trading for QB Carson Wentz.

While the Colts did enter free agency with one of the largest cap space numbers in the league, spending big on the open market is not General Manager Chris Ballard's modus operandi.

Sure, Colts fans and some media members were a bit disappointed that Ballard and the Colts didn't do more in free agency, but knowing all the guys that are due for extensions in the coming years, Ballard was smart to pinch pennies (for the most part) and not overpay to fill needs.

That said, the Colts enter the 2021 NFL Draft with a big hole at left tackle and pass rusher, failing to adequately replace Anthony Castonzo, who retired in January, and lost Denico Autry in free agency to the division-rival Tennessee Titans.

Overall though, Ballard and the Colts did well to retain guys like Hilton, Rhodes and Mack for a combined $13.77 million in 2021. That alone, knowing how those three guys performed throughout their careers and in 2020, is enough for a solid B grade from Davenport, regardless of the losses of Autry and Anthony Walker in free agency.

Work remains to be done though for the blue and white. We'll see what Ballard can do in the draft to continue to build up this roster.

Have thoughts on Bleacher Report's offseason grade for the Colts? Drop a line in the comments section below!


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