ColtV

If someone offered the Colts a 1st round pick for Smith, even a 2nd, they should absolutely jump on it. I'm just dont see anyone doing that.

And I'm pretty good looking too! I'm getting my number from Spotrac. It's showing he has $6M left in signing bonus, not seeing any other guaranteed money. I welcome any addl contract info out there. He did grade out well last year, no disagreement there. He also missed 7 games and has missed 14 over the last 3 years. If he misses 5 games again next year at a $17M cap hit is that worth it? Trading him is possible, you'd have to have someone with need and the available cap space. Not sure about what compensation the Colts could expect either. To be clear, I've got nothing against Smith. Just putting an idea out there for discussion. I don't believe any player on this roster is untouchable.

LOL I've made those calls before plenty of times before! Trading down could be interesting. We are so, so early in this process that as much as I like Zierlein I'm not putting a lot of stock in this, but the ideal situation for a trade down for the Colts is that there is a qb at 15 that somebody wants. Z has McCarthy at 12 and Penix dropping to the 2nd, not sure if I buy either slotting yet, but that's where the gold mine would be for Indy if the trade down happens.

Not disagreeing about that need, I agree it is paramount. If Nabers were there at 15 absolutely, Bowers maybe(not crazy about tight ends this high) But I think about Ballard's draft style, and if the top 3 receivers and Bowers are gone, he's going offensive/defensive line.

But in this scenario would you take Fashanu, move Raimann to right tackle, and cut Braden Smith? Smith has a $16M+ salary number this year, almost $20M next year. Cutting Smith saves $10M in the cap for the 2024 season.

Too early imo to go there with it but the fact is that draft classes are determined based around the quarterback class, and this one has only had one person starter emerge(Pickett) and more than likely he's on the chopping block going forward. I liked Malik Willis athletically coming out, but he seemingly has struggled to find out how the game of football works so far.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire?! 😀 JK...kinda

I've got a lot of issues with Ballard...but this example is a stretch imo

I think when it is all said and done he will be viewed as better, yes.

I don't want that because I hate the Steelers!

The problem is they waited too long to do the things for Fields. Now he's going to be in his 4th year with salary ratcheting way up for these(if they select the 5th year which i dont think they will) last 2 years. I think I said it in this thread last year, Chicago is a QB graveyard and has been since Sid Luckman! Regardless of what either of us think of Williams, he's going to be #1 overall pick. I don't think you're wrong about his personality, but it's not going to matter. I would love to see Fields end up in Atlanta and see what he can do there.

Fun thing about the Bears they are going to do the EXACT same thing to Caleb Williams that they did to Fields: bring in a new head coach after this rookie year, multiple o-coordinators, let him get killed on every play, then after year 3 draft another qb!

Automatic firing!

They differ on fav bible verse

I think you're spot-on. Unless one of the current top receiving prospects drops to 15(like Odunze or Nabers, and there's no reason now to think they would), and his history shows he won't trade up in the 1st, there wouldn't be a receiver that fits in that slot. Daniel Jeremiah just put up his 1st mock draft and has the Colts taking Bowers at 15, that to me seems unlikely as well. Wild speculation at this point until we get further in the process, but right now it seems like there's a large number of offensive and defensive linemen that could be available at 15(Verse, Latu, Mims, Fuaga, etc). Ballard's history says he takes one of these players at 15 or moves down.

Calvin Ridley is an interesting target. Can/Will Jacksonville make the move to extend him? If they do they have to give up a 2nd round pick to Atlanta, and they have to save cap space for Josh Allen.

My error, I meant to say there are reasons why they would want the Combine, not the Draft. I went to the draft in Cleveland in 2021 and even in post pandemic and bad weather, downtown Cleveland was packed

Maybe its because I'm partial to the draft...but the combine isn't the draft and IMO never will be. Right now it doesnt match the draft when it was just held in the basement of MSG. I'm assuming there are plenty of other monetary reasons why a city would want the combine(mainly team reps, soon to be nfl players and their agents all with money in their pockets ready to spend).

Leighton Vander Esch?

When there was conversation here last year about possibly trading for Fields instead of drafting a qb, I said Chicago is a qb graveyard and you can't hold that against Fields...and wow does this post really illustrate the complete and total disaster of their handling of the qb situation.

This is the big advantage in a year when you're not going to take a qb. Any type of run on qb's helps the Colts out tremendously.

Also known as playoff denial!

Honestly if it was the max they could offer(3 1sts) prior to the draft and Hunter that's a very hard offer to say no to. That is a stunning amount of draft capital to refuse.

Well this was certainly brought up a lot by Chargers fans back then...I think to feel better about losing at home to NE. We will never know the answer of could Indy have beaten SD that year, but the truth is at that time NE completely had the Colts number. To me at the time it was no more of a relief to play at home vs NE than to travel to San Diego.

"his first sack since 2020" That part of the sentence tells you everything tbh