Potential Trade Targets ( for OLB)

[Dark Superman]

McNary is bigger than Mathis...

He's nowhere as beastly as Mathis..

All of McNary's pressures come from straight up the middle.. And most of the time he's untouched.

[SkyBane]

He's nowhere as beastly as Mathis..

All of McNary's pressures come from straight up the middle.. And most of the time he's untouched.

Blitz stunts with a quick ILB will do that. I honestly think that's where we get our best pressures from here on out, good blitz scheming. As a prototype we saw some of that in Denver, and it did alright against that stud of an Oline they have. As things click for Werner more going forward and we face some of the less dominant O lines, I think the pressure will end up being fine, it just won't be what we're used to seeing, as it will likely come from more of a full on blitz package.

[Dark Superman]

Where's jim Irsay's twitter rants when you need him

[ProblChld32]

Id rather not trade for anyone if possible salvage the picks we have. i say pick up Harrison one year contract. 

[Coffeedrinker]

One of the other bad things about Mathis' injury is, because of his suspension he wasn't on the 53 man roster anyways, so there is no room to bring someone else in without cutting a player.

[akcolt]

Id rather not trade for anyone if possible salvage the picks we have. i say pick up Harrison one year contract. 

Harrison would not make the 53 man roster why would be pick up an old guy who just retired?

[Jason_]

Hello everyone, I have decided I would form a list of potential OLB Ryan Grigson could trade, or atleast look at in regards to replacing Mathis. I know there will be many who will say Next Man Up and TBH, if it was a position like DL, ILB or WR, I would understand that idea. But with OLB, some could argue it is a bit of a weak area anyway and without Mathis makes it worse. Here are a list of people I think Grigson should look at and reasons teams may choose to offload them:

 

Marcus Smith ( back up in Philly)

Brandon Graham ( also Back up)

Quinton Coples ( underachiever for Jets)

Melvin Ingram ( Chargers just draft Attaochu)

Dion Jordan ( rumoured in offseason as trade bait, facing suspension)

Barkevious Mingo ( rotational player in Cleveland or Jabaal Sheard a underrated but less known name)

Aldon Smith ( talented but troubled- facing suspension)

Nick Perry ( Underachiever in GB)

 

Some have mentioned maybe someone like Tamba Hali, although he's a very good pass rusher, he is also 30 and I think we would want someone for a long time alongside Werner as oppose to someone to play for 4-5 years.

 

If you can think of any more let me know and share your thoughts with the names listed above.

 

Of the guys you listed, I think Dion Jordan is the only one that might realistically be available for trade.  I'd take Marcus Smith or Mingo in a second but I don't think either team would have any interest in trading them away, and if they did it would cost at least a 1st round pick.

[fatboy]

One of the other bad things about Mathis' injury is, because of his suspension he wasn't on the 53 man roster anyways, so there is no room to bring someone else in without cutting a player.

while 100% true, we'd have had to do the same thing in three weeks anyway.

[IUfan_Charlie]

Now, If we had kept Jerry Hughes......

gotta love grigson...

[IUfan_Charlie]

Harrison would not make the 53 man roster why would be pick up an old guy who just retired?

Because people don't want to trade picks after the Richardson disaster, and we have no one even close to as good as Mathis at linebacker. 

[ProblChld32]

Harrison would not make the 53 man roster why would be pick up an old guy who just retired?

 

he still has some left in the tank and is familiar with the system. i mean he was just a suggestion to be honest.

[basketballsteve]

I hope we don't trade any draft picks actually. I would rather have a full stable of draft picks than give up a solid pick for another team's backup. 

 

I would really love to see Jon Newsome get some snaps at some point this season. Let's give the guys currently on the roster a chance to show what they can do. 

 

What ever happened to Caeser Rayford? I realize he was a pre-season dynamo last year, but he knows our defense. Maybe he could come in and give us a boost. 

 

Let's go after a guy like Dante Fowler from Florida, Alvin Dupree from Kentucky, or Randy Gregory from Nebraska in the 2015 draft.    

Rayford was among the last cuts by the Cowboys

[akcolt]

Because people don't want to trade picks after the Richardson disaster, and we have no one even close to as good as Mathis at linebacker. 

We would pick up an old player who is retired  and who would not make our 53 man roster because people  don't want to trade because of the Richardson deal?  Harrison is old he is not as good as the players we have IMO. The name just makes you feel better.

 

Grig's makes the calls. If he thinks he can improve the team we all know he will not hesitate. I think he is going to have a tough time. You don't just go out and get a rush LB. I think the smart play is see what we have on D and continue build through the draft.

 

Too bad we didn't draft our future at LB in the first round in the last couple of yrs. Hey wait a minute what is that German guys name Werner? Wasn't he a first rounder well the time is now. Let's see if Grig's was right.

 

That Newsome guy isn't the rookie supposed to help the pass rush? Time to grow up. Cam and Studebaker pitch in we seem to have some LB's.

 

Everyone acts like we are the team with Peyton Manning. We are not if we win the Super Bowl this year that would be fantastic. It should be our goal but not at all cost our franchise is 25 not 39. Continue to build the monster.

 

We have a young O Line coming together. We have some young pieces on D and need some more. For the most part we are a young team. With all that we are right in the middle of any conversation about the AFC.

 

I would not be surprised if we didn't see Mathis again at 33 coming off the PED's. I mean fertility drugs now the Achilles. It is  not the easiest injury to come back from.  Huge hit to the cap I would assume.  

[Stanford Joel]

Where is Caesar Rayford these days?

[BOTT]

I would vary from player to player but rather than give a pick straight up, I would offer something like a conditional pick. For example, say we traded for someone like Marcus Smith, if he gets less than say 5 sacks with his time with us- he give up a 3rd, if he reaches 5 sacks or over- we give up a second and if he becomes a probowler by the end of the year, we give the Eagles a first. something similar to that, it sounds wishy washy but it would be something to consider.

Philly isn't going to trade away a player they just drafted in the first round one week into the season

[Coffeedrinker]

while 100% true, we'd have had to do the same thing in three weeks anyway.

Good point.  I figured then, if Bradshaw stayed healthy it would be Tipton.  Now it will probably still be Tipton and the Colts will just have to hope Bradshaw stays healthy.

[Coffeedrinker]

Philly isn't going to trade away a player they just drafted in the first round one week into the season

What?!?!?!  Why not?  I'm sure Smith would welcome a trade to a perennial SB contender like the Colts.  And Philly would win because they could possibly get a second round pick for him.

[Hoosiernsavga]

I hate to sound like a smart you know what... But maybe we could trade T.Rich to Buf for J.Hughes. Obviously Im joking but jokes aside it would be a pretty even trade.

[BOTT]

I hate to sound like a smart you know what... But maybe we could trade T.Rich to Buf for J.Hughes. Obviously Im joking but jokes aside it would be a pretty even trade.

Bills would hang up and laugh

[The Peytonator]

I would be totally down for trading a 5th for Brandon Graham. Based on things that I've read about him, he is extremely underrated and when he gets on the field he makes plays. Unfortunately for him, the Eagles coaching staff must not be all that high on him as he's on the field less than half the snaps. I don't know what they would take for him, but I can't imagine it would be too much. He's a FA next year, and likely not in their plans going forward.

[Smash Mouth]

Grigson would have to over pay for anyone he'd trade for at this point and under these circumstances.  I suppose he can poke and prod a few GMs to see if anyone will be reasonable.  You can't keep mortgaging the future or he'll never build roster depth.

[austriancolt]

I like the idea of getting John Simon from the Baltimore practice squad! As I mentioned before I'm not a huge fan of a trade involving a draft picks. Quick Shot trades didn't work out and there are some good young pass rushers in next years draft we should target as Mathis successor! 

[Drew1023]

I think the best the organization can do at this point is to readjust expectations and not do anything that will hurt the team's future.  There is literally no one that can replace a beast like Mathis and trying to is only going to lead to disappointment.  Just need to accept that this year's season and defense are completely hopeless this year and try to make the best of it.  Maybe the team can get some decent draft picks, however unlikely with Grigson, and the team can be successful next year.  Does anyone know how many more years this team has before Hilton's, Allen's, Fleener's and Luck's rookie contracts are up because that is about how much time the team has to win a Superbowl before it completely regresses and doesn't have the cap space to but a contender together?

[SteelCityColt]

gotta love grigson...

 

For moving on a player who has practically 0 value as a Colt. Dude hated being here and didn't produce. See his parting shots post trade and at Irsay, he really doesn't love the Colts. 

[SteelCityColt]

I think the best the organization can do at this point is to readjust expectations and not do anything that will hurt the team's future.  There is literally no one that can replace a beast like Mathis and trying to is only going to lead to disappointment.  Just need to accept that this year's season and defense are completely hopeless this year and try to make the best of it.

One game played and already doom saying? Come off it, at least give it 5 games odd before judging the season is over. It's very likely we'll still take the division. 

 

 

  Maybe the team can get some decent draft picks, however unlikely with Grigson, and the team can be successful next year.

  Does anyone know how many more years this team has before Hilton's, Allen's, Fleener's and Luck's rookie contracts are up because that is about how much time the team has to win a Superbowl before it completely regresses and doesn't have the cap space to but a contender together?

Again unsubstantiated opinion presented as fact, the cap is going up, and guess what Grigson, he who you like to bemoan, has actually done a pretty good job of managing our cap space so I'm not too worried at this stage. 

 

You wonder why you catch so much heat, yet you almost revel in the negativity you can bring to the party. 

[esmort]

I think the best the organization can do at this point is to readjust expectations and not do anything that will hurt the team's future.  There is literally no one that can replace a beast like Mathis and trying to is only going to lead to disappointment.  Just need to accept that this year's season and defense are completely hopeless this year and try to make the best of it.  Maybe the team can get some decent draft picks, however unlikely with Grigson, and the team can be successful next year.  Does anyone know how many more years this team has before Hilton's, Allen's, Fleener's and Luck's rookie contracts are up because that is about how much time the team has to win a Superbowl before it completely regresses and doesn't have the cap space to but a contender together?

 

Where is the underlined even coming from? By this logic the only teams that will win the Super Bowl are teams with rookie Qbs on first contract ... that's completely ridiculous.  Yes, Luck will get a big contract, but not that much bigger than many of the top QBs ... TY will get a decent contract ... Allen and Fleener's contracts are still up in the air, I don't see them getting blockbuster contracts.  We also will have big contracts coming off the books in the next few years, the salary cap will be going up, and Grigson has done a good job preparing so the upcoming bigger contracts won't cripple us.  You don't think other teams are playing under the same constraints, plenty of teams are paying some players large contracts ... I think you need to check out some other teams cap situations and get some perspective.

[ztboiler]

I think they drafted Werner to be Mathis' replacement.  It may be happening a year sooner than expected but, IMO, roll with who is on the roster.  If Cam is going to miss extensive time then maybe look at someone to that they could activate but the Colts still have pretty good depth at the position with Werner/Walden as the starters and Studebaker, Newsome, Johnson.  They could also look at moving McNary to OLB and bringing A. Jackson up from the PS.

Completely agree - with the exception of moving McNary.  He is our 3 ILB - essentially a starter with Freeman's hamstring concerns - and has a very high ceiling.  Keep him in the rotation and let him reach his potential as an everydown ILB that can rush and cover.

[TheBlueAndWhite]

In all honesty I would trade fleener for a OLB or a good safety if we could..

[GoColtsGo5150]

Philly isn't going to trade away a player they just drafted in the first round one week into the season

He didn't play a single snap on Sunday,even Werner last year got some playing time. Also, he is stuck behind Trent Cole, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham, Philly could at least get something for someone whose a backup.

2nd point: Chip Kelly himself has called out Smith saying he could perform better.

Although he was a 1st round pick, he could be easily traded. Trent Richardson before he was traded was considered the face of the franchise in Cleveland.Smith isnt a face of the franchise.

I was (and I think you were) hoping Smith was a Colt pre draft and I'm sure Grigson and Pagano were aswell.

[throwing BBZ]

Well he is mentioned because he played decently in Oakland when they had a rather productive run game, he then comes to the Colts for a couple of seasons and the interior Oline is arguably the teams biggest weakness, which he garnered much of the blame for, then he goes to Miami and after preseason & opening weekend, the guy at least looked serviceable...

I don't think he will be going to a pro-bowl in the near future, but his 'suck' seems to be on a much lower level than when he was a Colt, kind of like with Jerry Hughes, & to a greater degree, like Tim Jennings...

 

 Chuckle. Jennings had one VG season in his what 7th year. He was so so last year.  Hot name and you get more than 15 minutes of fame with arm chair GM`s and sportswriters/talking heads. Geez!

[Coffeedrinker]

 Chuckle. Jennings had one VG season in his what 7th year. He was so so last year.  Hot name and you get more than 15 minutes of fame with arm chair GM`s and sportswriters/talking heads. Geez!

Spoken like someone who looks at the stat sheet but doesn't watch the games.  Jennings was one of the top CBs in the NFL last year.

[Buck Showalter]

 Chuckle. Jennings had one VG season in his what 7th year. He was so so last year.  Hot name and you get more than 15 minutes of fame with arm chair GM`s and sportswriters/talking heads. Geez!

yeah, chuckle, the context of the conversation was about players who for whatever reason have better performance when they leave the Colts...

Jennings had a pretty ridiculous season in '12 & went to the pro-bowl deservingly

A 9 int. season is a much better season than he ever had as a Colt...

In 2013 Tim also had 4 int's which is also twice as many as he ever had as a Colt & he had another pro-bowl appearance...

 

So my point was Tim Jennings has improved since leaving Indy, hard to argue that...

[The Peytonator]

I still think the pass rush will be okay this year. Werner may not have gotten much pressure on Sunday, but keep in mind that he was going against Ryan Clady, and Peyton seemed to be getting rid of the ball extra quick than normal. I think in his old age he doesn't want to test his arm strength as much on the deep ball, nor does he want to test his body on taking shots from DLinemen. Nobody is going to beat Ryan Clady and get to the QB in less than two seconds. Werner will be fine. I'd really like to see what McNary could do at SLB.

[DougDew]

Where is the underlined even coming from? By this logic the only teams that will win the Super Bowl are teams with rookie Qbs on first contract ... that's completely ridiculous.  Yes, Luck will get a big contract, but not that much bigger than many of the top QBs ... TY will get a decent contract ... Allen and Fleener's contracts are still up in the air, I don't see them getting blockbuster contracts.  We also will have big contracts coming off the books in the next few years, the salary cap will be going up, and Grigson has done a good job preparing so the upcoming bigger contracts won't cripple us.  You don't think other teams are playing under the same constraints, plenty of teams are paying some players large contracts ... I think you need to check out some other teams cap situations and get some perspective.

The only players on offense that I would pay to keep over the next few years are Luck, Hilton, and Castonzo.  Neither Allen or Fleener really look that special and everyone else can be replaced in the normal course of business. 

 

Keep the picks and use them to move up if we have to to get the PR we need next spring.

[BOTT]

He didn't play a single snap on Sunday,even Werner last year got some playing time. Also, he is stuck behind Trent Cole, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham, Philly could at least get something for someone whose a backup.

2nd point: Chip Kelly himself has called out Smith saying he could perform better.

Although he was a 1st round pick, he could be easily traded. Trent Richardson before he was traded was considered the face of the franchise in Cleveland.Smith isnt a face of the franchise.

I was (and I think you were) hoping Smith was a Colt pre draft and I'm sure Grigson and Pagano were aswell.

I guess we can dream

[BOTT]

I still think the pass rush will be okay this year. Werner may not have gotten much pressure on Sunday, but keep in mind that he was going against Ryan Clady, and Peyton seemed to be getting rid of the ball extra quick than normal. I think in his old age he doesn't want to test his arm strength as much on the deep ball, nor does he want to test his body on taking shots from DLinemen. Nobody is going to beat Ryan Clady and get to the QB in less than two seconds. Werner will be fine. I'd really like to see what McNary could do at SLB.

If you watch Werner against the Saints in preseason, he was handled equally easily vs their tackles. I don't want to be Debbie downer, but I just don't see this kid being a force rushing the passer. Hope I'm wrong.

[BleedBlu8792]

He's nowhere as beastly as Mathis..

All of McNary's pressures come from straight up the middle.. And most of the time he's untouched.

That wasn't your point. You was referring to McNary being too small to play OLB which is false.

[coltsfanatic24]

Werner, Walden, and Newsome just have to play better. Add in a few blitzes to get pressure on the QB. This team has too many needs to give away draft picks for the average players listed.

[1959Colts]

I liked Brandon Graham coming out of college and wanted the Colts to draft him in 2010. But Philadelphia selected him with the 13th overall selection.

He struggled a bit in his first season and then got injured.

Last year he had to learn a new position, when the Eagles went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under Chip Kelly.

Graham has been labeled as "a bust" in Philadelphia.

Brandon Graham Says He's a Bust: Is He? | Bleacher Report

 

He has complained about not starting, and there have been several rumors regarding the Eagles wishing to trade Graham.

Brandon Graham reportedly on Eagles' trade block - NFL.com

 

One thing about Brandon Graham though...  He can get after the QB.

I would say he has great natural pass rushing skills.

It looks like Grigson was the Eagles Player Personnel Director when Graham was drafted in round 1 (and they even traded up to acquire him) 

So Graham would be an obvious player of interest should Grigson be considering a trade.

 

However a few thing do work against the idea at this particular time:

(1)  I watched the Eagles vs Jaguars game and Brandon Graham played excellent. One of his best games. Thus improving his current  status with the Eagles.

(2)  We play the Eagles Monday night and I doubt they would want to trade Graham to their next opponent.

(3)  With all the heat Grigson has taken over the Trent Richardson deal, he may be reluctant to give away more draft choices.

 

Still, in order for this team to compete for the playoffs and Super Bowl this year, we may need to find a viable pass rusher.

Brandon Graham could fill that need.

[jskinnz]

I think the best the organization can do at this point is to readjust expectations and not do anything that will hurt the team's future.  There is literally no one that can replace a beast like Mathis and trying to is only going to lead to disappointment.  Just need to accept that this year's season and defense are completely hopeless this year and try to make the best of it.  Maybe the team can get some decent draft picks, however unlikely with Grigson, and the team can be successful next year.  Does anyone know how many more years this team has before Hilton's, Allen's, Fleener's and Luck's rookie contracts are up because that is about how much time the team has to win a Superbowl before it completely regresses and doesn't have the cap space to but a contender together?

Dear God...

That is such an awful post on so many levels.