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Reggie Wayne's season is over. The question going forward is, what now?
Seemingly everyone and their mother's bridge partner has said that the Colts should swing yet another trade. This time, instead of replacing Vick Ballard, it's replacing the team's leader in receptions and receiving touchdowns. The hot options are the Giants' Hakeem Nicks and the Browns' Josh Gordon.
Nicks is a Wayne clone in terms of height, strength, and over-the-middle familiarity. He's also consistently injured. Gordon is a young, dynamic playmaker that Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson wanted in the supplemental draft last year, but was one-upped by Cleveland. Gordon's also one off-the-field screw-up away from getting suspended for an entire season.
Both are high risk, high reward. Both mean mortgaging the future to win now.
Then again, one could argue that the Colts have already Pat McAfee-ed the 2014 NFL Draft, opting to collect other team's young talent rather than draft their own. Grigson has already traded his 1st and 4th round picks in 2014, and he seems uninterested in stockpiling young talent in order to develop them for future seasons.
Whether you personally agree or disagree with this doesn't seem to matter much to Grigson. He was not afraid to send a 1st for Trent Richardson, and he's in no danger anytime soon of losing his job.
If that's the case, why not trade for a 22-year-old, 6'4, 222 lbs speedster in Gordon?
At least 3 teams have contacted Browns about deal for WR Josh Gordon; two have standing offers of a high pick and a player. Browns balking.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2013
Another option is the player I suspect was Jim Irsay's 'wopper' back during the offseason: Steelers wideout Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders is probably a long shot seeing as Pittsburgh has won two straight after starting 0-4, and they just beat division rival Baltimore. Of the top three options, Sanders makes the most sense in terms of "fit" with this Colts roster. Indianapolis would have to give up either their 2nd or 3rd round picks (or both) to wrench him from the Steelers.
Regardless of who they may want to trade for, if the Colts are intent on swinging a deal, they need to do it now! The team is on their bye week, and the sooner they get a new player in the building, the sooner that player can learn Pep Hamilton's offense.