How Well Have the Colts Addressed their Needs So Far this Offseason?

The first wave of free agency is over, and the Colts were certainly among the most active teams during the first week, adding a number of veteran players at positions of need.  Speaking of those positions of need, we outlined them earlier in the offseason, so let's now take a look at how the Colts have done at addressing those positions so far after the first day of free agency.

Keep in mind this very important note - with as many needs as the Colts had to begin the offseason, there's no way they could have addressed them all in one week.  So this isn't necessarily a judgement on how well Ryan Grigson has done, because he still has the second wave of free agency and an entire draft class to work on some of the other needs.  This is merely a checkup to see how the Colts are doing so far using the positions of need as a guideline.

Running Back

The Colts added veteran back Frank Gore to be their number one running back, clearly addressing this position of need.  Gore has been very productive over his career, but some are concerned about having a 31-year old back.  But as the lead back, with Boom Herron and perhaps others complementing him, Gore is still a very good option for the Colts and may even be able to provide the team with their first 1,000+ yard rushing season since Joseph Addai in 2007, since Gore has topped that mark in each of the last four years.  The Colts could still use a young back to develop behind Gore and therefore you could see them target a back in the second or third rounds of what is a very deep draft class at the position, but Frank Gore was the big move at the running back position and it was a pretty good one for the Colts.

Wide Receiver

The Colts added a veteran at the wide receiver position as well, signing longtime Texans wideout Andre Johnson.  He has been terrific over his career so far and, like Gore, might garner consideration for the Hall of Fame someday, but for now he's in Indianapolis.  And he's absolutely the perfect receiver for what the Colts needed.  They have young guys and they have fast, athletic guys, but what they needed was the veteran possession receiver who can take some of the pressure off of T.Y. Hilton.  That's exactly what Johnson is, and he's a great fit for what the Colts needed.

Offensive Line

Along the offensive line, the team's biggest need was really at right guard, and they addressed that by signing veteran lineman Todd Herremans.  He can play four of the five line positions and provides a very versatile and solid player for the Colts along the line.  It's likely that he'll be the starting right guard.  The Colts also re-signed valuable backup Joe Reitz, who is also a versatile lineman and a spot starter.  Right now, the Colts' line is currently looking like Anthony Castonzo at left tackle, Jack Mewhort at left guard, Khaled Holmes at center, Todd Herremans at right guard, and Gosder Cherilus at right tackle, with guys like Joe Reitz, Ben Heenan, Lance Louis, Hugh Thornton, and Jonotthan Harrison as depth.  That's not a bad group if everyone's healthy, and while it could certainly be upgraded, it is looking pretty solid at this point (again, depending on health).

Defensive Line

The notable move that the Colts have made along the defensive line has been to sign Kendall Langford, who has not missed a single game in his career (playing in all 112 games) and is a good run defender.  He'll likely play defensive end, replacing Cory Redding, who signed with the Cardinals.  The Colts still have a need at nose tackle and I don't think they're done addressing the defensive line quite yet.

Pass Rusher

Todd Herremans wasn't the only former Eagle who the Colts signed, as they also added Trent Cole - who in his career has racked up 85.5 sacks.  He'll likely play as a rush outside linebacker in the Colts system, and he certainly gives the team much more of a pass rush threat than they had before.  He's also somewhat of insurance if Robert Mathis doesn't perform well upon his return.  The team could still target a pass rusher, but considering their investment in Cole, I think the big moves are almost certainly done at the position.

Inside Linebacker

The Colts haven't addressed the inside linebacker position in free agency yet, so expect that to be an area they look at in the draft.  The only move they made was to place a second round tender on Jerrell Freeman, so it's likely that he'll be back.

Safety

The big move that the Colts made at the safety position was to re-sign Mike Adams, which was a huge and crucial move, as not only did he play really well and make the Pro Bowl last year but he also provides the team with one starting safety.  They also re-signed Colt Anderson, but that was likely mainly for special teams purposes.  On Friday, we looked more in-depth at the options the team has at the position, because they desperately need another starting safety.  Expect this to be a major area of emphasis moving forward in the rest of the offseason as the Colts look for more safety help.