Colts open free agency with 2 trades, re-sign 4 players

New Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will discover some acquainted faces within the locker room this season.

The offense can be getting one other new quarterback.

Basic supervisor Chris Ballard opened the free-agent interval Wednesday by making the deal everybody knew about and the one few noticed coming till different singings made Raiders defensive finish Yannick Ngakoue out there.

Shortly after the official begin of the brand new league yr, Indy introduced it had traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for this yr’s third-round decide, a conditional third-rounder in 2023 and a swap of second-rounders this yr. Subsequent yr’s third-round decide may grow to be a second-rounder based mostly on Wentz’s taking part in time. Washington additionally will get a seventh-round decide this season.

That transfer was reported final week.

However Ballard made a shock deal within the last hour earlier than signings began. He despatched beginning cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to Vegas for the 26-year-old Ngakoue, who has 55 sacks in six seasons. Ya-Sin was a second-round decide in 2019 and though he struggled with penalties throughout his first two years in Indy, he improved considerably final season.

“Thanks Rock for all that you’ve got executed for us the cross few years!” three-time All-Professional linebacker Darius Leonard wrote on Twitter.

Ngakoue offers Indy the confirmed pass-rusher it has been chasing and Bradley a well-known skillset with which to work. Ngakoue performed underneath Bradley in Jacksonville and final season in Las Vegas.

He was out there after Las Vegas signed Professional Bowl defensive finish Maxx Crosby to a contract extension and added former Arizona star Chandler Jones in free company.

Whereas the transfer fills one obvious gap on the protection, the Colts now seem poised to be parting with their outdoors cornerbacks from final season — Ya-Sin and three-time Professional Bowler Xavier Rhodes, who is also a free agent.

Ballard, in the meantime, spent many of the earlier 48 hours coping with his personal gamers.

He introduced again tight finish Mo Alie-Cox, offensive lineman Matt Pryor, defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis and linebacker Zaire Franklin on contract extensions. All 4 may have left.

The largest holes on Indy’s roster stay unfilled, although.

Sam Ehlinger, a sixth-round draft decide in 2021, and James Morgan, a fourth-round decide in 2020, are the one quarterbacks presently signed. Neither has thrown an NFL cross.

Up to now, Ballard hasn’t uttered a phrase a couple of attainable substitute for Wentz.

And final season’s left sort out Eric Fisher additionally has not re-signed. The Colts misplaced proper guard Mark Glowinski to the New York Giants although Pryor and 2020 draft decide Danny Pinter could possibly be within the combine to interchange him. So may Chris Reed — if the Colts re-sign the veteran.