Will the Colts make any big trades as the deadline approaches?

The deadline to make any trades this NFL season is today at 4pm ET. That means that any moves the Colts might want to make must be submitted to the league office by that point. Given that the Colts are very much still in the division race and have some glaring holes, it is entirely possible, although I wouldn’t say probable, that Chris Ballard could make a last minute trade to acquire some talent.

There are quite a few prominent names among those rumored to be on the trade block today:

The Colts have needs at several positions. They have pretty significant issues at cornerback, a safety group that has been ravaged by injury, a wide receiver room that has a problem with drops, and the need for help in their pass rush.

This list is littered with guys who could ostensibly help them out in those areas. The question is whether they would be willing to consider trading away capital to get one of them, and also whether they should. If improving the team immediately hurts development of players in the long term, it isn’t likely to happen. We also have to remember how much both Frank Reich and Chris Ballard value the scheme fit of a player.

There are several players on this list who don’t make sense due to their age as well. Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson would both improve the wide receiver group, but given their ages, 32 and 31 respectively, they aren’t likely to be high on Ballard’s list of targets. When you are not a contender it doesn’t usually do to trade away draft capital to acquire guys who are short term solutions.

Giants’ safety Landon Collins is someone who has intrigued me since his mention as a possible trade target. He will be a free agent this offseason, so if Ballard wanted to pursue him then, he might prefer to do that.

However, if the cost was low enough, it might be worth acquiring him now to avoid the inevitable bidding war, even if the Colts are equipped to win that battle. The prospect of Collins paired with Malik Hooker is a pretty exciting one to think about, but he undoubtedly has a higher price tag than the Colts are willing to pay, so I won’t get my hopes up.

Then we have the possibility that a team could look to lure Jacoby Brissett away from the Colts. Jim Irsay has said that less than a 1^st wouldn’t be considered for Brissett, but given what Ballard has done with his 2^nd round picks this past draft, he might consider that to be a perfectly acceptable compensation. Irsay is prone to hyperbolic statements and accepting them as fact is unwise.

If Ballard could move Brissett for a decent pick, he might consider it, although I do think the offer would have to be very good to part with a player who is probably the league’s best backup QB. A team like Miami might be willing to jump at it given their struggles and the fact that they are still in the division (kind of).

In past years, the day of the trade deadline has had some pretty big and impressive moves made league wide, and Ballard has been no stranger to activity orchestrating trades himself. Will the same be true this season? We’ll have to wait and see.

What move would you like to see the Colts make by 4pm today?