Five Deep Threat Wide Receivers That The Colts Could Target in Free Agency

The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for arguably the most important offseason of the Chris Ballard tenure. After a disappointing 2021 season, and with major questions still at the quarterback position, this front office needs a home run offseason to get back on track.

The first order of business in the offseason is free agency. Ballard mostly sat out of this phase in 2021, as he only signed four players that would make the opening day roster (Isaac Rochell, Eric Fisher, Antwaun Woods, and Julie'n Davenport). Of those four signings, only Fisher saw real action as a starter for a majority of the season.

While this is an offseason that will, hopefully, change Ballard's mindset a little bit when it comes to free agency, I highly doubt that he starts dealing out massive contracts to top free agents. In his five years with the Colts, Ballard has only signed one outside free agent to a contract worth more than 10 million dollars a year (Justin Houston in 2019).

With all that in mind, this new series for the site will try to identify some potential fits for the Colts in free agency without just listing all the 15+ million dollar a year players that Ballard will never look at.

We are starting this series with the wide receiver position. With the Colts needing multiple roles out of this positional group, I broke it into two different categories. Today, let's take a look at some deep threat receivers that make sense for the team:

D.J Chark | Jacksonville Jaguars

If the Colts want to make a little bit of a splash in free agency, they could take a look at Jaguars' WR D.J Chark. While he has been held back by poor quarterback play, and poor coaching, in Jacksonville, he has shown that he can be an asset to a passing offense.

Despite playing for one of the worst franchises in the league, Chark managed to put up 1,714 yards receiving from 2019-2020. His 13.6 yards per catch isn't anything to write home about, but his 4.34 speed at 6'4" absolutely is.

The Colts would likely have to pay up a bit more than Ballard typically likes to in order to sign Chark, but he is a dangerous outside receiver that has yet to reach his full potential in the NFL.

There is some uncertainty with him coming off of season-ending ankle surgery, but I would love for the Colts to take a swing on this extremely talented player.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Green Bay Packers

If the Colts want to go with a true, traditional deep threat in free agency, Marquez Valdes-Scantling certainly fits the Chris Ballard mold. MVS is a dynamic athlete that has carved a nice role for himself in the NFL as a vertical threat.

Has playing with Aaron Rodgers throughout his career helped his numbers? Absolutely, but it is hard to ignore the production. MVS has never had a season in the NFL under 15.3 yards per reception. He finished 5th in the NFL in 2021 with a stellar 16.5 yards per catch.

He has had issues with drops in his career up to this point, but he actually showed great improvement in that department this past year. After having seven drops in 2020, he bounced back with zero in 2021 (according to PFF).

There is certainly some risk in signing a one-trick pony to a decent contract in free agency, but if the Colts feel like this role needs a big-time upgrade, MVS could be the way to go.

Keelan Cole | New York Jets

We are officially entering year two of me advocating for the Colts to sign Keelan Cole. He was available late in free agency this past season, but he ultimately opted to sign with the Jets on a one year, 5.5 million dollar deal.

Cole is far from a flashy player, as the former undrafted free agent doesn't really have the flashy testing numbers as the guys listed above him. Where he does excel is just how well-rounded his game is. He is a silky smooth player that attacks the ball when it is in the air.

He is a player that has filled multiple roles in his career, from vertical threat (18.4 yards per catch as a rookie) to underneath option (55 receptions in 2020). While he wouldn't be a massive upgrade to what the Colts' currently have, he would be a productive, and cheap, addition to a receiver group that simply needs more talent.

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Mack Hollins | Miami Dolphins

Looking at the bottom of the barrel here, the Colts could have some interest in Mack Hollins as a role player. Hollins would likely come very cheap, as his career high in receiving yards in a season is just 235 (which came back in 2017).

The appeal with Hollins is that he is a one trick pony that is very good at his one trick. He has made quite a few big chunk plays in his limited role in his career. Will he produce as anything other than a field stretcher? Probably not, but role players can sometimes be just as valuable as starters.

In Hollins, the Colts would be getting a big-framed player that excels on special teams and can win vertically down the field. He also has a history with Frank Reich, as he was a member of the 2017 Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles as well.

A.J Green | Arizona Cardinals

The last player on this list is veteran wideout A.J Green. While he is far from the superstar that he was earlier in his career, Green enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in 2021 with the Cardinals. He finished the year with 54 receptions for 848 yards and three touchdowns as a role player on a high-powered offense.

Last year showed that Green still has something left in the tank and that he can be a productive role player. With his length and body control, he still has the ability to threaten defenses vertically down the field.

While this wouldn't be a massive signing by any means, Green would add another option to the Colts' receiver group that at least has to be accounted for by defenses. I think he would be a perfect fallback option for the Colts in free agency.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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