Youth Movement?

For the past few seasons the Indianapolis Colts have been fairly quiet in free agency, and have been anything but aggressive on draft day. It seems that they have been fairly complacent with Manning and company, and changes are something out of the ordinary for this organization. Even after Tony Dungy retired, the Colts were able to plug in a coach in the exact mold as Dungy, and the same can be said of any major releases. However, this offseason the Colts have allowed several of their once steadfast players to walk away through free agency. Marlin Jackson, Raheem Brock, Ryan Lilja, and Jim Sorgi have all become very familiar faces for Colts fans, but all were let go by the franchise. The Colts have never been a team to overpay for players, and year in and year out they have let players walk without missing a beat. Edgerrin James, Nick Harper, and Cato June are just a few of the names that come to mind, but never have so many once key pieces been let go of at the same time. 

The recent shakeup amongst veteran players has raised many eyebrows, and one explanation could be that the Colts are attempting to get younger. The addition of Curtis Painter is a clear sign that the Colts were looking to get younger at the quarterback position, and in this year’s draft the Colts should be looking to add depth, youth, and talent to several key positions that have been anchored by veterans in the past few seasons. Jeff Saturday, for example, has always been the foundation of the offensive line, but it may be time for the Colts to start looking for a future successor to the veteran. Raheem Brock is another veteran who’s tenure with the Colts was certainly positive, but the Colts look to be searching for young blood up front defensively. Brock saw the writing on the wall and asked for his release from the team, and the Colts respectively obliged. Marlin Jackson never lived up to his potential with the team, and has had two very disappointing seasons in a row. Cornerback is another position that the Colts may look to upgrade in the draft.

All of the positions that the Colts allowed players to walk are areas of concern for the team in the coming seasons. Serious upgrades must be made, and to do so they cannot lock up money on underperforming veterans. As much as Colts fans want to deny it, Peyton Manning is getting older with each passing season. He and the rest of the foundation of one of the most consistent teams in the NFL are beginning to get up their in age, and it may be time to look for the next crop of Colts for the future.