Why fix it if it's not broke? I don't like these ideas of moving Nelson or Smith, because you're potentially losing value on that player AND making the position they moved from worse. To me, if they don't trade for Brown Jr., unless you're absolutely in love with Liam Eichenberg or Dillon Radunz, investing the 21st pick into getting Christian Darrisaw or Rashawn Slater is going to be a necessity, even if that involves trading up to do it, and even if the team goes out and signs Trent Williams, Russell Okung, or Alejandro Villanueva. In any of those rookies, you get a rookie contract and a lot of uncertainty at the most important position on the OL. In any of those veterans, you get expensive certainty of average to above average play for next year with a strong possibility of near future decline. In trading the 21st pick for Brown Jr., you get certainty of above average to great play on the end of a rookie contract initially that will need to be extended on a team with among the highest level of cap room in the league, and if you extend, you get that certainty for at least the length of the extension, more likely around a decade. If any team is set up to benefit from the Brown Jr. situation, it's the Colts. Using the Buckner deal from last year as a basis, the 21st overall pick is fair value for Brown Jr. and if the Ravens are willing to take that for him, I think it's a deal that would make sense and be beneficial for both teams. It would also mean the Colts will need to find some edge rush production in free agency, but fortunately there are lots of options for that.

Losing value on a player? No clue what that is about.

What I don’t understand is that you were arguing not to move Smith from right tackle to left tackle, but we should trade for a guy who has moved from right tackle to left tackle.

And if Smith can move it solves a lot of problems, and it would cost a whole hell of a lot less. Less money less draft picks given up, and again whatever that losing value on a player whatever the hell that means

As a practical matter, its a question of affordability beyond the trade cost. We cannot afford Brown. He's going into the last year of his rookie deal and, simply put, will need to be paid top dollar or he will leave. We also have Darius Leonard's and Braden Smith's second contract coming due at the same time. And maybe Nelson's, though he could theoretically be put off a year with the 5th year option (still at a premium price though). Don't forget we just made Kelly the highest paid center too, and Glowinski's three-year deal will be expiring as well.

Something has to give. The Colts are going to have to make some hard decisions soon. My guess is that Leonard and Nelson absolutely stay, Smith probably stays, and Glowinski is a goner. But the solution is not to add another premium contract on the OL, particularly one from another organization. We need to find a young, cheap player at LT, so the draft is the way to go.

Darrisaw from Virginia Tech, at #21, and placed next to and learning from Nelson, would settle the issue.

Brown is a pipe dream. There is a reason that Baltimore moved him from LT to RT, he was helped a lot by Jackson's ridiculous athletic ability to escape, and yeah, he will be expecting big, big money when his rookie deal expires.

Pass. Get a rookie. This is supposed to be a strong draft for tackles, so now's the time.

Agree totally with Chaka on this. We can’t afford to pay, long term anyway-might make sense for a couple of years-for a premium LT without compromising another part of line. Ballard can draft. The coaching staff can coach. The draft is the way forward.

Here's a little bit of an outside-the-box thought: what about trading Braden Smith at this point? Would he be worth the same or more than Brown?

The good: I don't think his value has ever been higher, and the seed has been planted that he might be able/is open to moving to LT. He's also a year out from a very large contract, and while I think we'd keep him, I'm not sure and Ballard can be pretty ruthless in his cap management. This would of course help alleviate a future cap logjam, and if we are uncertain we will keep him past 2021 then this would ensure we would at least get something in return.

The bad: I realize that this weakens an already weakened OL, and I know most OL coaches highly value continuity in this area. Not sure we have anyone on the roster right now who could fill in adequately, so the plan would have to be to draft his replacement this offseason. If a little development time is needed we would need to pick up a serviceable vet replacement on a one-year contract.

Anyway, I realize it's not ideal, but the earlier post got me thinking about how we are going to be able manage all these players under the cap in the coming years, and what kind of hard decisions will need to be made (and when it is best to make them).

NO!

Trading Smith is not something I would want to do. I remember how difficult it was to find a decent RT. We are set there for the next 8-10 years barring injury. What really tips me to not trading is the confidence I have in this team’s drafting ability. I would suppose it would depend on the evaluation they have given to the LT prospects in the draft.

No trading smith.


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Definitely not trading Braden.