Source: Kevin Sabitus / Getty
The Indianapolis Colts prioritized resigning their own players in the opening days of NFL free agency.
It was par the course for GM Chris Ballard and company; big, splashy signings just for the sake of signing someone is not how he operates. For some Colts fans, that can be incredibly frustrating, especially as rumors fly about who the team might be targeting, only for nothing to happen. Since he has been here, the Colts have focused on rewarding their own guys; this year is yet another extension on that philosophy, whether fans like it or not.
On Wednesday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network joined the show, and he gave his thoughts on Ballard’s approach to free agency.
“I think the best teams constantly sign their own good players. Obviously for Michael Pittman it was the tag, but I think for a bunch of others, I mean Kenny Moore comes back, there were several of them. That’s really what you want. It really does look like the Colts are building a pretty good foundation here, so I really don’t have an issue with the philosophy, and I probably would have more of an issue if Chris Ballard kind of went outside himself and made a bunch of big free agent splashes.”
The Colts seem to be betting that quarterback Anthony Richardson, who missed most of his rookie season with a shoulder injury, will return to the field and make good on the immense potential he showed in his limited time on the field. For Ian, it seems like a bet that will pay off.
“You’re always going to have questions. Until he can stay healthy a whole season, until he can really prove it, you’re still going to sort of wonder. That being said, the raw product, the early glimpse, it was all really positive…I think the people the scouted Richardson were all pretty much on the same wavelength. It was either going to be ‘this guy’s not going to be able to do it’ or ‘this is a Hall of Fame talent’ and if he stays healthy, I think there’s a real chance at the second one.”
Ian also gave some insight into the Colts rumored interest in L’Jarius Sneed, which sparked a furor online.
“The Sneed thing is interesting. I don’t know how much traction it really got, I know it’s something they explored. Chris Ballard has done similar [deals], he brought DeForest Buckner over for a 1st-round pick and signed him to a huge deal, and I think it’s fair to say that’s been an excellent trade, so he’s done it before. I just didn’t get the sense this really, really got off the ground. Now, I would never say never, trades can happen in the moment, but I just never quite got the sense on this one that there was really more than just chatter.”
Check out JMV’s full conversation with Ian Rapoport and more down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
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Ian Rapoport On L’Jarius Sneed, Anthony Richardson + More! was originally published on 1075thefan.com
