Colts Land Pair on PFF's Underrated Free Agent List
NFL free agency is set to open next month. While much of the focus for Indianapolis Colts fans has been on wide receiver Michael Pittman, the Colts have several high-value players set to hit the market.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) created a list of underrated 2024 NFL free agents at every defensive position, and the Colts landed not one, but two players on the five-man list.
The first is interior defensive lineman Grover Stewart.
"Stewart is somewhat one-dimensional, with just one season of earning a 65.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade in his career," wrote Gordon McGuinness on PFF. "He stands out in run defense, though, finishing 2023 with the fifth-best PFF run-defense grade at the position. He has yet to earn a sub-65.0 run-defense grade in a season."
Horseshoe Huddle's Andrew Moore predicts Stewart, coming off a three-year, $30-million contract, could see a significant raise this spring.
The second Colts member of PFF's list is cornerback Kenny Moore II.
"Now 30 years old, Moore is coming off a career year in which he earned a 77.4 PFF grade that ranked 18th among cornerbacks," wrote McGuinness. "Primarily a slot cornerback, he allowed a catch on 79.4% of the passes into his primary coverage, but for an average of just 9.3 yards, in 2023."
Moore started 16 games for the Colts last season and had three interceptions. He turned two of them into scores. An undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State, Moore was originally signed, then cut by the New England Patriots after failing to make the 53-man roster in 2017.
The Colts claimed him, and he played well enough to earn a four-year, $33-million contract in 2019.
Pittman, Stewart, and Moore, three-key players who are set to be free agents in a few weeks. Will the Colts try to keep all-three players?
Can they?
The Colts have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL at over $66 million according to Spotrac. Multi-year deals can be structured to lessen the initial blow of the cap charge.
General manager Chris Ballard has set up the team to not only keep its key players, but be a player in free agency. It takes two to tango, but if the Colts decide they want to re-sign their free agents, and the players want to return to Indianapolis, the Colts have the financial flexibility to make that happen.
