Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Appealing Free Agent Options Loom for Colts Following Franchise Tag Deadline with George Bremer

Episode Date: March 9, 2021

On today's episode, George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin joins Evan to go over the franchise tag deadline in the NFL. With the Colts not using the tag, which hasn't been placed since Pat McAfee in the Ryan Grigson era, what else happened around the league? Surprisingly, it broke just right for Indy in terms of the pass rusher market. Names such as Shaq Barrett, Bud Dupree, Carl Lawson, and Romeo Okwara will all hit free agency next week.Kicking things off, though, Evan and George dissect how Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson being franchise tagged could impact T.Y. Hilton's future in Indy. Now, with Hilton being a top-five WR on the market, have his chances of returning dwindled?Then, we move over to the cornerback market. Shaquill Griffin headlines the corners not being tagged, so will this impact Xavier Rhodes? Evan and George go over a scenario where the draft could be where Rhodes' replacement could be found.The market for pass rushers is historically robust. What does this mean for Indy? Names like Barrett, Dupree, Lawson, or Okwara have a chance to become Colts very soon. How aggressive will GM Chris Ballard be at this position?Closing out the show, George provides his predictions for free agency. What will Indy pull off? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back to today's episode of Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's guest is Evan Sattery, joined by George Bremmer, the Colts beat writer at the Herald Bulletin. George, how are you doing today? Good, thanks. How are you doing? I'm doing well, and to all those listening out there on iTunes or Spotify or WTHR.com, I appreciate everyone listening in. And George, thanks again for doing this today. I always enjoy having you on.

On today's episode, we're going to be talking through free agency for the Colts, a little bit in-depth as far as the options go for them, outside free agents as well as maybe the franchise tag deadline, which still has around an hour and a half left as we're recording this here at 2.30 Eastern time on Tuesday. A couple of names here have impacted that a little bit, and it ties right into T.Y. Hilton, George, who I think is the biggest question after quarterback for the Colts and what his future could be.

We saw Chris Godwin get tagged this morning. We also saw Allen Robinson get tagged. I imagine he'll be a tag and traits now for Robinson with how he wants out of Chicago. But we did not see Kenny Galladay get tagged to the Detroit Lions. So that leaves us Galladay on the market, Godwin and Robinson off it, which means, I mean, it's fair to say, George, T.Y. Hilton is not a top five wide receiver in free agency in the NFL when you factor in Kenny Galladay, Will Ford, Juju Smith-Schuster, Corey Davis, and get through T.Y. Hilton at the number five guy in that mix. Do you feel like, honestly, maybe Godwin and Robinson staying off the open market might have less than the Colts' chance of keeping T.Y. Hilton as now Hilton's ranking in free agency has kind of

risen up a little bit? Yeah, I mean, it certainly moves up T.Y. Hilton as now Hilton's ranking and for A&C has kind of risen up a little bit. Yeah, I mean, it certainly moves up T.Y. Hilton on the list. And so in that regard, I think, yeah, it probably does. You know, it's probably not the greatest thing from a Colts standpoint. But I also think, you know, there's mutual interest on both sides here. And T.Y. said a few times that, you know, ultimately all things equal. He wants to come back, and the Colts want him back. So it's really just going to come down to money. And I suppose, you know, not having Robinson on the market,

not having Goblin on the market, there's a better chance that somebody offers big money to T.Y. because there are fewer guys out there. So, yeah, you know, it lessens it in that way. I mean, certainly his standing on the market has gone up. But I don't know. I just, I think this is going to be such a unique free agency period because salary caps down, you know, and that was unexpected, you know, until the pandemic hit. But people had signed contracts with the idea that it was going to raise year over year,

and it's not going to raise this year, obviously. I think I heard somewhere 16 teams are either over the cap right now, or only have about less than $10 million to spend, which, you know, that's your rookie class. So it's going to be really interesting to see how free agency plays out. And, you know, the big guys are going to get their money. There's no doubt about it. I moved into that group now,

but it's just going to be a really unpredictable – because only so many teams have money and, you know, how they choose to spend it is going to be really intriguing. And so I think, yes, you know, long answer here, but, yes, I think it does, you know, hurt the Colts' chances because it does raise T.Y.'s market. But I just think with any individual player, it's going to be such an unpredictable and crazy free agency period.

Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be a wild next week or so once free agency officially opens in five days. But let me ask you this, George. If I had Kevin Bowen on, I've also had Jemilo on the last couple of days, and they've been pretty much 50-50 on the chance T.Y. Hilton comes back. So, George, where do you lay on the spectrum as far as T.Y. Hilton goes? Because we haven't hit the market just yet officially, but what's your overall thoughts on T.Y.?

Do you think it's like a 50-50 chance, or are you more so in the camp he might be returning to Indy? Yeah, I think it's really 50-50 because of all the unknowns. It's clear everybody, all the top decision makers have made it obvious they want him back. Jim Irsay said it. Frank Reich him back. Jim Irsay said it. Frank Reich said it. Chris Ballard said it.

T.Y. Hilton's also made it obvious that he wants to test the market, and he's earned that right after nine years in the league. And so really, you know, it's just hard to know what that market's going to be and where it all comes down to what is that price that Chris Ballard's comfortable with, you know, and how far does the market exceed that. And that's why to me it's 50-50. If that number comes back, I do believe that T.Y. is going to stay in communication with the team through the process.

I think – I don't know if he'll straight up give them a chance to match any offer, but I think he and his agent will keep them appraised of what's going on, and so I think there'll be a fair opportunity to bring him back. It's just, you know, it's like it is in any situation when Ballard's involved. There's a number there. We don't know what that number is. And it's going to really determine everything. Yeah, with T.Y., it's going to be so interesting what happens there.

What do you think his value is going to be? I imagine maybe it's slightly up a little bit. If a team goes over a line, the Colts aren't willing to go, which could happen with the way that free agency goes and him being maybe a top wide receiver. Now the Colts could say thanks, but no thanks and let their hometown hero walk. But George, what do you feel like the value is for TY? I've seen on spot track, they say around $10 million per year. I think some along the lines of like two years, 20 or so million dollars makes sense to me, but what about you? Yeah, I was going to say eight to nine million, so tens right in that neighborhood. You know, I think he's still in the right situation. He's not

going to, I don't think he's a number one guy anymore. You know, I don't think he's going to be that kind of receiver comes in and raises somebody's passing game, takes them from, you know, the bottom of the league into the top of the league. But I think he's still obviously a huge presence in the locker room, and I think that's something anyone who gets him will benefit from. But I've really been impressed with the way he's changed his game. Not a lot of guys are able to do that. And I think I compare it to kind of baseball with pitchers. You know, when you've got a guy that's throwing plus 90 heat

and then all of a sudden as he ages, he's got to find a different way to win and he starts throwing more curves and more sliders and maybe, you know, it's more about pitch location and things like that. And I've seen that from T.Y. You know, I think he never was a bad route runner by any means, but I think he's become even more precise in his route running. He's been, you know, more willing to go underneath and over the middle. And he's not necessarily that speed guy who's just going to beat Richard Sherman

on every snap like he was at the height of his career. But I think he's just changed his game so much and made himself into a possession guy in a lot of ways. And I think an offense that needs a good two or three uh is going to really benefit from getting him and so it's it's hard to know which of those teams are out there that feel like he's that piece that that can you know put them over the top last point here on TY George before we dive into just looking at the overall market right now for free and like I mentioned still around an hour plus we're always recording this live on Tuesday

afternoon before the franchise tag gets. So maybe some news will be a little different after we finish reporting on this, George. But with T.Y. Hilton, you have to wonder, at this point of his career, entering his age 32 season, you've seen him lose a step or two. I think it's fair to say that over the last couple years, even before Andrew Luck retired.

He hasn't been the elite guy since like 2016, 2017. What do you think T.Y.'s future in the offense looks like? Like you mentioned, I agree with you. He's probably not the wide receiver one anymore. He's not going to be that alpha that we've seen over the last couple years in Indy. But I feel like, honestly, we've seen Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona where he's extended his career by being a slot guy,

being a possession guy on the slot, and really having rarely ever seen double teams in the slot. He's able to really be a reliable guy as T.Y. Hilton is as far as catching the ball. I do wonder if the Colts, maybe if they do re-sign T.Y. Hilton to like a two or three year deal on a cheaper contract, and maybe he can extend his career in Indy by being more so in the slot now with Michael Pittman Jr., I imagine, taking the baton from him as the WR1 moving forward. Yeah, I think that's exactly kind of

the situation he'd be in going to that slot be that possession guy and then also be both a mentor off the field to these guys as he already has been with with both bitman and paris gamble but be a really important element on the field because you know even though he hasn't had that top speed that that we knew him for you know at the height of his career, he's still a guy you've got to pay attention to. Defenses can't just ignore him. And I think that, in turn, it helps younger receivers like Pittman and Campbell. One of the toughest things Pittman will face this year, if he is the number one guy,

is that defensive focus. All of a sudden, being the guy that the opposing defensive coordinator spends the whole week preparing for, you know, facing these double teams, facing brackets, facing all the things that NFL defenses will throw your way. And I think having T.Y. there, it just – he can make a defense pay for putting too much attention on Pittman. And that's a very valuable thing. And I think whoever the Colts bring in, whether it's T.Y. Hilton,

whether it's another veteran, whether it comes in the draft, that's the role I think they're going to be looking for. They need somebody who's going to make it so that if you pay way too much attention to the other guys, there's going to be a price to pay for that. Bet online is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Football might be over, but NBA, college basketball, and NHL are in full swing. Bet online covers awards, TV shows, and reality TV. We'll see you next time. The promo code is LOCKEDON, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N. Bet online, your online sportsbook experts. Betting on the cold sets of the Augusta game, you can listen to the new Locked On Bets podcast

hosted by your boy Q and handicapping expert, Lee Sterling. Get daily picks, blowout specials, wrong team favorite picks, and Lee Sterling's lock of the day. Subscribe to the Locked On Bets podcast brought to you by betonline.ag, wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go in the past for us here, George, and there's still a couple names here before the deadline. It'll be different news to say once it actually happens here in the next hour or so, but so far we've seen guys officially like Romero Cuar if the Lions not get tagged. We've seen other

edge rushers as well in the market, Trey Hendrickson in New Orleans. There's really not been many guys getting the franchise tag as far as edge rushers go. Shaq Barrett is another one too. Chris Godwin got the franchise tag instead, and it seems like unless they come to a long-term deal, I know Tampa has some cap jumbling to do as far as trying to make it work with Shaq Barrett. He could be hitting the open market as well. This is, I think, fair to say, George, one of the best pass rushing free agents we've seen in a very long time

in the NFL, and the Colts obviously have a need there with Justin Houston being a free agent, really losing some juice last year. You have to imagine, and maybe Carl Lawson gets his name out of the mix because he still has not been franchise tagged up by Cincinnati. So he could be another name on the list to add here later on. But it seems like to me, Georgia, this is the perfect opportunity. If there's one position the Colts are going to spend on, it's going to be pass rush, how good this market is.

Yeah, you know, I think it's a really good market, which is surprising at that position because those are guys you usually don't let leave the building. That's a position that's usually right there with left And you bring in, you know, multiple draft picks. And very, very seldom are you going to see a guy at that position hit the market and be a free agent. And to see guys like Shaq Barrett out there, and we'll see. You know, Tampa, I know, really wants him back. We'll see if they're able to do something creative here in the next week or so and keep him around.

But, you know, his production the last two years and during that Super Bowl run, I would think 31 other teams are going to be interested in bringing him in. And I think the Colts have to be near the top of that list. And I'm with you. If they're going to go sign anybody for big money this offseason, that's the position. It's such an important spot. And I think when you look at this defensive line,

that's the one. It's such an important spot. And I think when you look at this defensive line, that's the one spot that's missing. You got exactly what you wanted from DeForest Buckner. He's the three technique that this team dreamed of and that they – it's exactly what they wanted to get when they made that trade last year. I think Grover Stewart took big steps this year and has become a really good complement to Buckner at the other – at the nose tackle spot.

It'll be interesting to see what they do at the other defensive end spot, whether they are able to bring back Autry, or even if Justin Houston comes back as in sort of a Jabal Sheard type of a role, have kind of that run stopper, that veteran who adds some pass rush but can help out over there. But they've got a lot of options over there, Alkan and Muhammad, if they bring him back. There's a lot of ways they could go with that defensive end spot but they don't have that that true monster

pass rusher off the edge that you know again that offense coordinators have to stay awake at night the week you're playing him uh and I think Shaq Barrett would bring that to them I think Carl Lawson's a very interesting name a guy who seems seems to be growing, you know, on the way up, former fourth round pick. And I think he was second and hits and fourth in pressures last year, even though I had five and a half sacks. It's just, it seems like a guy that he's got 31 and a half inch arms, which we know we'll get him on Chris Ballard's radar. But I think that he's a guy that projects really well as a compliment to Buckner. His skill set and what he does, you put him next to DeForest Buckner, and I think he could have a big year.

The other guy, I haven't seen him tagged yet. I don't know if that's going to happen, is Yannick Ngakwe. The Colts know him well. Two times a year for four years with the Jaguars. And then last year, they ended up seeing him twice as well because they played him with Minnesota and Baltimore before and after his mid-season trade. He's only 25 or 26. Another guy who's been consistent, you know,

eight sacks at least in each of his four years or five years. So I think there's a lot of options there. And I think that that's definitely, if there's one position that I can see Chris Ballard going and spending big money, that's definitely the one. Yeah, and for those wondering out there, I think to a lot of Colts fans, it's obvious why they need to get this pass rush going. Trey and Banigou haven't flashed as much as we hoped in the first couple years.

Justin Houston is reaching near the end of his career as far as being a prime edge rusher goes at age 32. And we saw last year he kind of fell off a cliff in the second half of the season. But to me, honestly, honestly George just explaining to the audience why if the Colts were to go out and get a big name or even like a mid-tier guy like a Romero Acquara from the Lions like why pass rush is so important to this defense because I feel like honestly we saw being a top 10 defense last year but if you add that elite pass rusher next to the Forrest Buckner this could be a top five defense yeah and when you look at this scheme I, people can go back to the days of Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney,

you know, being around here. There's two keys. I think anybody who's watched the Colts for the last two decades knows it well, sacks and takeaways. I mean, those are the two things that drive this defense. And so they've been decent on takeaways. They had a pretty good year in that regard. And they've got guys, you know, from Kenny Moore to Dard who have a knack for for kind of getting that ball loose so i i think

they're in good shape there the one thing is you know they've been towards the bottom of the league uh the middle at best in sacks and that's it's such a critical part i mean this defense is designed to give up short receptions and make teams take the long way down the field. When you're not getting sacks and putting them behind the chains, the better quarterbacks will just do that to you all day. They'll just sit in the pocket, take those five to eight yard passes, go right down the field. It'll be 12 or 13 plays, but they don't mind. It ends in the end zone. And when you get that pass rush element to it and you get those sacks on a regular basis, it just makes it so difficult because it makes that quarterback start to press.

You know, when you're getting five or eight yards at a time, you can get in a comfort level, get in a rhythm, and just go right down the field. When you're suddenly facing second and 15, third and 12, and it's a regular basis and the defense is taking away that big play over the top, now all of a sudden there can be a little bit of panic. There can be mistakes made. The takeaways go up along with it.

I think, you know, sacks are such a huge force in this defense, and we already have a presence like the Forrest Buckner in the middle and the havoc that he can cause on the pocket. You add that edge rusher to me, it's the missing piece to put this defense over the top. Absolutely. Totally agree with you there, George. And let's talk about another piece of this defense and a free agent.

Xavier Rhodes is a player we really talked about on the podcast the last week plus we get closer to free agents because I kind of flipped off on my stance, honestly, George. A couple weeks ago if you would have asked me if Xavier Rhodes was staying, I would have said yes. But the closer we get and this free agent market for cornerbacks, I know Shaquille Griffin didn't get tagged by the Seahawks, but it's really not that deep of a cornerback marketing

with the way Xavier Rhodes played last year. I think a team's going to pay up pretty big for him. What's your overall thoughts on Xavier Rhodes and his situation in Indianapolis? Because I feel like, honestly, this could be a case where Rhodes really outplayed his status in Indian. He could be getting a big payday elsewhere. Yeah, he had a great year, and I think that was a really good move.

It was one a lot of us questioned when they made it because he was coming off a terrible year in Minnesota, and there's no other way around that. Two really bad years in Minnesota, actually. There was a lot of talk about he's towards the end of his career, wrong side of 30, all those things. He said right away that one of the reasons he wanted to be here was he felt like this scheme, playing more zone, was going to fit him, and he was going to be able to make more plays, and he did. He went out, and he was everything the Colts could have hoped for and more. I think he was on a one-year $3 million deal. So, you know, very, very much outplayed that contract.

And now we'll see how the free agency goes. I thought as we were getting closer to free agency here, it sounded like things were heating up a little bit between the two of them. But here we sit a week away from the start and there's still no deal. So I kind of agree with you as we get closer and closer to the market opening now, there's not a lot of reason for guys who haven't taken a deal at this point to suddenly change their mind and do it. If you're this close to, you know, the start of free agency, you might as well at least go through the legal tampering period

and find out what's out there for you. I think there's very real possibility that somebody's going to offer Xavier more than the Colts are willing. And with him, I think length is going to be a big thing too. It's not just coming to the annual salary here. He is, what, 30, 31, I think, now. And corners are like running backs. You know, at some point, very quickly, you get diminishing returns more often than not.

So how long of a deal are you willing to offer? And, you know, is somebody else going to go longer than the Colts are comfortable with? It's going to be a really interesting situation. I think there's a lot of reasons for the Colts to want him back. And obviously if he's gone, corner shoots right up to the top of the list of needs. But I think it's going to be difficult. I really do.

I think he's going to be a guy with a lot of interest on the market. I think one route as far as addressing cornerback goes, that wouldn't shock me at all, George, would be the draft. Even at pick 21 and people might say, why in the world would the Colts do that with drafting Rakia Sin early? But we saw earlier today the pro day at Northwestern and Greg Newsome. I know you retweeted that video as well, him running a low 4.340. A lot of mock drafts had the Colts addressing Newsome in their mock drafts.

And there was a really good cornerback class in the first, second round of this draft. Would it surprise you at all, George, if the Colts went corner in the first round? I know many might want to think edge rusher or left tackle, but if they address both those in free agency, if they want to go the cheaper route, maybe cornerback and maybe a high upside gamble like a Greg Newsome can make sense.

Yeah, it would not surprise me at all. And Newsome, you're right. His name has been connected a lot to the Colts. I'm sure Chris Ballard's eyebrows were raised today. I mean, he may well have expected it. He does his homework. But that got attention around the league. I'm sure it resonates in Indianapolis.

And that's what they're missing at that spot. I think that's no secret to anybody. They need speed on that outside of the defense, both with edge rushers, obviously, but corner as well. You just don't have, you know, Kenny Moore is excellent. He does just about everything you want a cornerback to do. Both Rocky Sin and even Xavier Rhodes, they're not burners, you know, and the Colts have not gotten that.

And when you look at where Ballard has struggled in bringing in corners in the draft, it's been, a lot of it's been that factor, you know, when Rocky sends grabbing a lot of times it's because he got beat early off the snap. And so he's going in and using his hands and getting these flags. And we all know, and we're not going to go through that. We all know what problems that's caused Quincy Wilson, biggest, biggest problem for him, not having that top end speed, not being able to close and stay with guys.

And, you know, Nate Harrison, same way. And so I think, you know, going out and getting somebody specifically like Greg Newsom makes a lot of sense for this team. And I think – I also think, you know, left tackle spot is fairly deep. There's a chance that they could fill that at 54 with somebody, you know, maybe the North Dakota State kid, Dylan Raddins, somebody like that, that they still would, I think they could, I feel like they could take a chance there, because the other four guys are so solid. You know that line is going to be good from, you know, left guard over to right tackle. So I think you can take a chance at left tackle on a guy who needs a little bit of time to grow, give him some help, put Jack Doyle over there with him,

you know, let the running backs chip to that side for a while and let that guy develop. I definitely think a corner is in play in the first round. And, you know, I think Greg Newsome probably made that even a little more so today. Colts fans rockauto.com is a place to go if you want to save money on your next car purchase, whether it be saving on a hundred plus dollars on a fuel up assembly, getting new tires, motor oil, new carpet, tail lamps, engine control modules, really anything you can imagine. Rockauto.com is the spot to go to because they've saved me money, they've saved some

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Join Trevor Sycamore and Benjamin Solak of the LockedOn NFL Draft Podcast every Tuesday as they start their Team Takeover Tuesday offseason series. Each week, they pick a new team, take a deep dive into potential for office and head coaching signings, a roster review, free agent strategies, and go through a team-centric mock draft. That's every Tuesday over at Locked on NFL Draft. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to left tackle, George, because this is a position many have thought.

Like you just mentioned, Dylan Radun is out of North Dakota State. There's a really good left tackle class as well in the 2021 NFL Draft. But you look at the free agent market for left tackles. You rarely ever see guys get to the market there. We saw Taylor Moton of the Panthers get franchise tag as one of those names, but there's one thing that intrigues me a little bit. They want to go veteran option. That's Alejandro Bell in a wave of the Steelers.

There's a couple of cheaper guys out there as well. Like Roger Johnson from the Texans. What's your overall thoughts on the market for left tackle and do you think the Colts might go free agency instead instead of the draft maybe they do both honestly yeah and you know they'd be smart to do both honestly given how important that position is and how much of an emphasis both frank reich and uh chris ballard put on it but i think filling away with makes a lot of sense if especially if you're going to pair them with with a later pick when we were talking about you know maybe getting somebody at 54 aside from all the help that you can give that guy and aside from

how the rest of the offensive line can help out having a veteran like Bill Nueva over there can fill that spot for a year or two makes a ton of sense as well you know and then you just kind of let that whole situation develop organically if they really want to go big money and I don't think they do I want to preface that you knowface that before I get too far down this road. I don't think left tackle is where they're going to spend the big money because of what we talked about before. You've got that big need at defensive end. There are some really interesting names out there on the market

that you can get there. You may have a huge need at corner if Xavier Rhodes doesn't come back, and even if he does, you still need to add speed there, and maybe they spend there in free agency as well. I think left tackle is further down that list. at corner if Xavier Rose doesn't come back. And even if he does, you still need to add speed there. And maybe they spend there in free agency as well. I think left tackle is further down that list. I think they're more likely to pay for a receiver, honestly, than they are for a left tackle.

But if they do make the determination that that's a spot that they want to spend big on, Trent Williams is exactly the kind of guy you were talking about that doesn't hit the market. And San Francisco can't franchise him. It was part of the deal when he went there last year, the trade from the football team. He is not able to have the franchise tag applied to him. It's probably going to be like $15 million plus a year, so it's probably out of Chris Ballard's range.

But if you want that pie in the sky, solidify this is the best offensive line in a league move, it's Trent Williams. Yeah, something to watch out for is left tackle. It might be underrated, and I've said it before on the podcast. I'd be very shocked if they go out and get a big money left tackle the way this draft class is shaking out, George. But before I let you go, I just want to get your overall thoughts here

on free agency coming up. And I've been scrolling through Twitter the last 15, 20 minutes seeing if we're going to miss any tag guys. but right now I think the most of it is done what do you think of this upcoming free agency class George and do you feel like at this point with the Carson Wentz trade already in effect that the Colts will be a little more aggressive than usual yeah I think it's going to be interesting I think Ballard's going to pretty much stay to his normal MO you know I think they do feel like they're close. We know that.

I mean, that's the other thing everybody said all offseason. Ballard, Reich, and Ursae have mentioned how close they think they are to contending and playing for championships. So, you know, maybe that moves the needle a little bit. Maybe it makes him a little more aggressive. I think the most interesting thing is, as we've just kind of detailed, there are options at positions of need. And so I think that, from a Colts standpoint, that's a good thing.

The market overall may not be all that enticing like it was a year ago where you had Tom Brady out there and some really big names. But the Colts, they have needs at edge rusher. They have needs at left tackle. They have needs at left tackle. They have needs at cornerback. And there are options out there in all three of those spots. So I think to me that's the most encouraging thing from a Colts standpoint. They shouldn't be stuck making decisions out of desperation or panic.

They've got options both in free agency and the draft. And I think Bowden's going to do what he usually does. Maybe there's one big signing in there. You know, who knows if that's a defensive end or not. I think that's where the most likely place to see that come is. And maybe there is that one big money deal. But otherwise, I think he's going to sit back and wait and let this market play out and then choose from that second tier

like he normally does and complement that in the draft. And I think probably the end product will be something people are excited about when the 2021 season starts in September. Before I let you go, George, I have to get your prediction here in case we don't talk again before the first wave of free agency starts. If you had to bet right now here around three o'clock Eastern time on Tuesday, March 9th,

what would you lock in as like the Colts one or two big moves are going to make here next week? Yeah, I think for whatever reason, Carl Lawson just seems like a Chris Ballard move to me. I mean, the more you look at him, I mentioned the arm length earlier, 31 and a half inch arms, the rising kind of element to his game. It started 11 games last year. That was a career high.

It just seems like the kind of move that Ballard makes every year, getting that guy who maybe is just ready to break out and paying him for what he's going to do in the future and not for, you know, what he did in the past. I feel like that one makes all the sense of the world. And then I think Villanueva has been a guy that's been attached to this team a lot. A lot of sources out there saying, you know, this is a right fit. This is something to watch. And, again, I think he's a guy that could come in and, you know, be a placeholder for a draft pick.

You pair that, you sign Villanueva, and then you go ahead and you take a left tackle in the draft and, you know, let that situation grow organically. It makes a lot of sense to me, both of those moves. We'll see. The other thing to look out for if, if the bottom falls out for the Colts on the defensive end market, if, you know, everybody,

the money goes way too high there and they can't bring Houston back and, and they decide not to bring Autry back. And there's a lot of other, you know, guys just, just go to other places. I think Ryan Kerrigan's a name to other uh you know guys just just go to other places i think ryan carrigan's the name to keep your eye on uh indiana native obviously played at purdue he's from muncie he's 32 so it won't be a long-term answer but i could see a one-year flyer there on a guy who would come in and be a leader for this defense and you know he had five and a half sacks last year he only played 38 of the snaps so i think if you're smart and you use him as kind of a uh you know pass rush specialist i could see that as a possibility

too that would be obviously a late free agency move but just something to keep an eye on george always appreciate having you on man for those out there on wthr.com go ahead and follow george on twitter and already at gm bremer and and go read list to his work over at the Hale or bulletin. And as well, looking forward to free and see George does some great stuff and you're not going to want to miss his coverage. So George really appreciate the time.

Thanks a lot, Evan.