Dolphins actively trying to trade starting RT Ja' Wuan James before Wed. 4PM.

[richard pallo]

The Sun Sentinel is reporting today that the Dolphins are calling teams that need OL help to let them know James, a 2014 1st rd. pick,  is available for trade. His fifth year option of 9.3m becomes fully guaranteed on Wednesday at 4PM.  They are desperate for more cap space and might release him outright if they can't find a trade partner to get the cap relief.   If released outright he would immediately become an UR free agent and one of the most coveted OL available.  He's been their starter since drafted in 2014.  The question is do you gamble on his release and compete with other teams or do you trade them a mid rd. pick and secure him and take the cap hit until you renegotiate?  I'm really hoping Ballard makes the trade and acquires this proven young tackle.  We have the space and if we lose out on Norwell at least we would have acquired a starting young RT at a price we can afford.   Come on Chris let's make James the 1st. piece in rebuilding our OL.  Please hurry up and make this trade before another team does. 

[HectorRoberts]

I love it! Bring him in! Draft Nelson, pick up norwell, and resign Mewhort. Like will be fixed!

[coltsfansince65]

7 minutes ago, HectorRoberts said:

I love it! Bring him in! Draft Nelson, pick up norwell, and resign Mewhort. Like will be fixed!

My guess is that the only one of those that happens is resigning Mewhort.

 

 

I sure hope I'm VERY wrong.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

No excuse not to trade for him before he becomes a FA and choose where he goes.

[csmopar]

[SaturdayAllDay]

Id toss a conditional 2019 6th-7th rounder their way (with them getting a 6th if hes still on our roster on the first league day of the league yr for 2019 and getting a 7th if we let him walk after 2018) Sounds like they are desperate and might take anything. 

[boo2202]

Ballard has been to quiet to make this move. I'm getting the feeling we colts fans are going to be pretty upset by Friday. As much as we want a proven starter on the oline and a WR to play opposite ty, it seems CB is content shopping on the bargain aisle. 

[Andrew Luck fan club]

This seems like a no brainer lol. 

[IndyD4U]

27 minutes ago, boo2202 said:

Ballard has been to quiet to make this move. I'm getting the feeling we colts fans are going to be pretty upset by Friday. As much as we want a proven starter on the oline and a WR to play opposite ty, it seems CB is content shopping on the bargain aisle. 

 

Good grief 

 

 

 

[Boiler_Colt]

James isnt very good to begin with.

[Luck 4 president]

Bring him in!!! For like a 6th or 7th. If they’re desperate for cap then they’ll take it 

[richard pallo]

1 hour ago, boo2202 said:

Ballard has been to quiet to make this move. I'm getting the feeling we colts fans are going to be pretty upset by Friday. As much as we want a proven starter on the oline and a WR to play opposite ty, it seems CB is content shopping on the bargain aisle. 

That's what I'm afraid of.  I hope he's aggressive early and this move is a no brainer.

[richard pallo]

28 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

James isnt very good to begin with.

I don't about that.  He's a young 1st .round pick who they exercised their fifth year option on and who has started 4 yrs. for them at RT.  Their cap problems are the only reason this is happening and he certainly is better than any RT on our roster now.  The Patriots Cameron Fleming is the other young RT getting attention and he just started at the end of their season due to injury.  James would be a great addition IMO and we need a few great ones. 

[SolidGold]

He's not making any moves. I guess it feels better to hold the money and grab low-budget players that won't make a difference. Everyone had a point with Landry and the money but now he's just being cheap and tight.

[oldunclemark]

What is Miami doing? 

They must have a secret plan that is so secret nobody else knows it...

Edited March 11, 2018 by oldunclemark
spell

[richard pallo]

12 minutes ago, SolidGold said:

He's not making any moves. I guess it feels better to hold the money and grab low-budget players that won't make a difference. Everyone had a point with Landry and the money but now he's just being cheap and tight.

I hope you're wrong but it's starting to look that way.  After those trades last year I was encouraged he would make some bold moves but not yet so we shall see in the next few days.  This trade makes so much sense for us. I hope he pulls the trigger. 

[SolidGold]

[Boiler_Colt]

22 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

I don't about that.  He's a young 1st .round pick who they exercised their fifth year option on and who has started 4 yrs. for them at RT.  Their cap problems are the only reason this is happening and he certainly is better than any RT on our roster now.  The Patriots Cameron Fleming is the other young RT getting attention and he just started at the end of their season due to injury.  James would be a great addition IMO and we need a few great ones. 

He's a starter on a very bad o-line. Miami fans consider him a bust, they wouldnt be looking to trade him if he were viewed as a building block IMO.

[Boiler_Colt]

24 minutes ago, SolidGold said:

He's not making any moves. I guess it feels better to hold the money and grab low-budget players that won't make a difference. Everyone had a point with Landry and the money but now he's just being cheap and tight.

You do know Free Agency doesnt even start until Wednesday right?

[SolidGold]

Just now, Boiler_Colt said:

You do know Free Agency doesnt even start until Wednesday right?

Yeah I do know that. Do you know that moves can be made before Wednesday? 

[Boiler_Colt]

1 minute ago, SolidGold said:

Yeah I do know that. Do you know that moves can be made before Wednesday? 

Yep and Ballard is smart enough to not give up draft picks for overrated players.

[SolidGold]

5 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

Yep and Ballard is smart enough to not give up draft picks for overrated players.

 

[Dark Superman]

I'm game for bringing James to Indianapolis.

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, boo2202 said:

Ballard has been to quiet to make this move. I'm getting the feeling we colts fans are going to be pretty upset by Friday. As much as we want a proven starter on the oline and a WR to play opposite ty, it seems CB is content shopping on the bargain aisle. 

 

Free agency hasn't even started and you already have Ballard shopping at the bargain aisle.    We're not even open for business and you think we're going cheap.

 

We may not sign any super expensive guys, but we likely will shop for mid-price players as Ballard did last year.

 

[IndyScribe]

Is the Sun Sentinel that reputable? It's the first I've heard of it. 

 

If it's true, I wouldn't mind sending Miami a 6th or 7th pick. 

2 hours ago, boo2202 said:

Ballard has been to quiet to make this move. I'm getting the feeling we colts fans are going to be pretty upset by Friday. As much as we want a proven starter on the oline and a WR to play opposite ty, it seems CB is content shopping on the bargain aisle. 

I don't get this view. This free agency class is weak and I expect the Colts to pursue top free agents. If those FAs don't want to come here, that's another matter. Also, Ballard shouldn't make trades just for the heck of it. If he stays pat and doesn't trade for James, I'm fine with that.

[SolidGold]

I just hope we get Allen Robinson at least.

[richard pallo]

58 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

He's a starter on a very bad o-line. Miami fans consider him a bust, they wouldnt be looking to trade him if he were viewed as a building block IMO.

He's started for four straight years and he was so bad they decided to exercise his fifth year option and pay him 9.3m dollars.  Doesn't sound like a bust to me. The only reason they are doing this is for cap reasons and this happens to good players all the time as I thought you would have known. 

[Boiler_Colt]

2 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

He's started for four straight years and he was so bad they decided to exercise his fifth year option and pay him 9.3m dollars.  Doesn't sound like a bust to me. The only reason they are doing this is for cap reasons and this happens to good players all the time as I thought you would have known. 

Agree to disagree. Thats like saying Joe Haag has started for two straight years so he must be pretty good. I've seen James play alot, he's just barely above serviceable. Somebody has to start on a bad team. He was way over drafted by the Dolphins. Before draft night he was talked about as a 2nd or 3rd round pick who ended up going in the teens. He's not someone you want to sink significant resources in. 

[Luck 4 president]

18 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

Agree to disagree. Thats like saying Joe Haag has started for two straight years so he must be pretty good. I've seen James play alot, he's just barely above serviceable. Somebody has to start on a bad team. He was way over drafted by the Dolphins. Before draft night he was talked about as a 2nd or 3rd round pick who ended up going in the teens. He's not someone you want to sink significant resources in. 

James had an 80 pff rating and was the #17 best Tackle (left or right). Our best RT had a 60 PFF rating. 

[Tracy Denton]

I'd rather sign UFA Hubbard !! Can play guard or tackle.

[WarGhost21]

He might not be the best RT, or even a star, but he's a whole lot better than any RT we have on the roster now! Trade a 6 or a 7 for him, because lets be honest, all a 6th or 7th will net us is at best a special teams ace. I say we should go out there and get him

[boo2202]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Free agency hasn't even started and you already have Ballard shopping at the bargain aisle.    We're not even open for business and you think we're going cheap.

 

We may not sign any super expensive guys, but we likely will shop for mid-price players as Ballard did last year.

 

Didn't ever say this was a bad thing. But a top shelf player such as Norwell, Robinson, etc would be nice. Colts are short on top shelf guys. Adding one would be nice. 

[throwing BBZ]

45 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

He's started for four straight years and he was so bad they decided to exercise his fifth year option and pay him 9.3m dollars.  Doesn't sound like a bust to me. The only reason they are doing this is for cap reasons and this happens to good players all the time as I thought you would have known. 

 

Now now. As the 19th pick he didn't become a starter until YEAR 3. Something IS wrong about that.
Yes he played a decent RT in 2016. And was slightly above average before getting hurt last season.
 Does Ballard and his scouts think he is a $9.3 Million  RT in the final year of his contract? I doubt it.

Will Fleming get that much per year? 

[richard pallo]

38 minutes ago, Boiler_Colt said:

Agree to disagree. Thats like saying Joe Haag has started for two straight years so he must be pretty good. I've seen James play alot, he's just barely above serviceable. Somebody has to start on a bad team. He was way over drafted by the Dolphins. Before draft night he was talked about as a 2nd or 3rd round pick who ended up going in the teens. He's not someone you want to sink significant resources in. 

Something doesn't make sense.  Why exercise the option for 9.3m?  Starting four straight years says a lot to me. Haag will have a hard time making our roster this year. 

[NewColtsFan]

3 minutes ago, boo2202 said:

Didn't ever say this was a bad thing. But a top shelf player such as Norwell, Robinson, etc would be nice. Colts are short on top shelf guys. Adding one would be nice. 

 

No disagreement from me.    We agree on that.

 

I don't mind paying top dollar for top talent.

 

But if we don't get the top-talent I think Ballard has shown he's willing to shop at the mid-priced isle with the occasional dip into the bargain isle as well.     And I'm OK with that.    History has shown the most of the players who get the biggest contracts often don't pan out.     Not enough bang for the buck.   

 

So,  buyer beware.

 

[Boiler_Colt]

4 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Something doesn't make sense.  Why exercise the option for 9.3m?  Starting four straight years says a lot to me. Haag will have a hard time making our roster this year. 

It's the Dolphins. Does anything they do make sense? lol

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

Now now. As the 19th pick he didn't become a starter until YEAR 3. Something IS wrong about that.
Yes he played a decent RT in 2016. And was slightly above average before getting hurt last season.
 Does Ballard and his scouts think he is a $9.3 Million  RT in the final year of his contract? I doubt it.

Will Fleming get that much per year? 

Again why exercise the option?  They must have thought he was worth the investment.  Fleming shouldn't get that much.  He only earned his spot late in the year due to an injury and played well from what I read.  He would be a cheaper option but that doesn't make him a better option.  

[NewColtsFan]

26 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Again why exercise the option?  They must have thought he was worth the investment.  Fleming shouldn't get that much.  He only earned his spot late in the year due to an injury and played well from what I read.  He would be a cheaper option but that doesn't make him a better option.  

 

I'm hopeful we show interest in Fleming.

 

I think he could be had for  4/25.     I wouldn't go over that,  and he might even come slightly cheaper.    But I think this deal would do it.

 

[loudnproudcolt]

2 hours ago, SolidGold said:

He's not making any moves. I guess it feels better to hold the money and grab low-budget players that won't make a difference. Everyone had a point with Landry and the money but now he's just being cheap and tight.

Why, because FA has not even officially started yet? Plus can you really name me any FA's this year besides Norwell who are going to be worth the gamble as far as money. There are no sure things, and this year mediocre is going to cost a lot.

As far as James, I believe he has had injury problems, and has missed quite a few games. Availability is the most critical factor. In four years or sixty four games, he has played 47 games, and he started immediately. That is one season lost to injuries. Last year he only played 8 games.

 

One more thing, yes I would like Ballard to be more active, I wanted Zeitler last year, but in the end, his FA strategy of the players he got and the price he paid worked quite well. FA is never the answer, it is only for filling in holes when you are a contender. We are not there yet. Give him another year, and hopefully a trade down and stockpile a few draft choices, and use the money when we are closer. There is no one except Norwell, maybe Robinson who I would want to pay big money to.

[loudnproudcolt]

I am also not trying to say anyone is wrong in their opinion or what they want. I just understand how Ballard is operating. I would much prefer Fleming over James!