Colts front office needs to find a long-term answer at quarterback

The Colts front office has done an excellent job of assembling an elite NFL roster, but they’ve ignored the game’s most important position for too long.

Chris Ballard and the Colts’ front office deserve a ton of credit for how they’ve built their roster the right way in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, they still have the most important challenge in the NFL ahead of them.

It’s past time for the Colts to find a franchise quarterback capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.

In fairness, that guy was supposed to be Andrew Luck. His shocking decision to retire forced the Colts to scramble to find a suitable replacement. Jacoby Brissett did a decent job filling in for Luck on the fly, but he was cast aside for Philip Rivers this season.

Rivers hasn’t been a significant upgrade over Brissett on the young season. He sports a 3-2 record as a starter, but the Colts have won games in spite of Rivers rather than benefiting from any sort of brilliance from their veteran quarterback. He may be completing over 70 percent of his passes, but his five interceptions against just four touchdown passes on the year have been a real limiting factor for the Indianapolis offense.

The good news for the Colts is that Rivers is only a one-year stopgap. He was only signed to a one-year, $25 million deal in the offseason. That makes it pretty likely that Indianapolis will have a new starting quarterback in 2021.

Is there an answer on the current roster?

Brissett was an underrated starter for the Colts in previous seasons, but it’s obvious Frank Reich and his coaching staff don’t see him as a guy who can pilot an elite offense. He may stick around Indianapolis as one of the best backups in the league moving forward, but if he heads into 2021 as the team’s starting quarterback it’s safe to say things haven’t gone according to plan.

The other internal option is rookie Jacob Eason. The Colts spent a fourth-round selection on him because he’s got a big arm that’s capable of making every throw. He still profiles more as a backup than any sort of immediate starter. If he was going to ascend to the starting role next season then there would already be a lot of buzz out there about his performance in practice. The absence of that kind of chatter means he probably isn’t the answer.

So what will the Colts do?

The Colts have a roster that’s built to win now. Combine that reality with the likelihood Indianapolis won’t be armed with a top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft and it seems likely they’ll look for a more established option at quarterback. They’d love to acquire Trevor Lawrence, but they won’t be in a position to make that happen.

The trade market could be an intriguing solution for Ballard. Buying low on a distressed asset like Sam Darnold could be a great value play. This isn’t the time for Indianapolis to shop in the bargain bin though. It’s time for the Colts to go big. Unless Indianapolis finds a team willing to give up a superstar quarterback in a big trade, they’ll need to hit the open market.

Free agency is the play

Dak Prescott’s injury isn’t going to suddenly depress his market in free agency. The Colts should be willing to pay whatever’s necessary to pry him away from the Cowboys. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, Dallas isn’t going to let Prescott go. They’ll either find a way to sign him to a long-term deal or use the franchise tag to keep him in town for another season.

The more attainable target will be Cam Newton. He’s been excellent for the Patriots this season prior to his COVID-19 diagnosis. The fact that he’s already 31 years old means he isn’t someone the Colts can count on for the next decade, but he still has several years of prime football left if he can stay healthy.

Perhaps more importantly, the Patriots are not a franchise that seems likely to give him a massive deal in free agency. In the absence of Tom Brady, New England wants to build their roster around a quarterback making less than market value. Newton won’t fit that description if he continues to play at a high level this season.

That’s why the Colts should be the team to make him a lucrative offer in free agency. He’s a great stylistic fit for the way they want to craft their offense. His big arm makes him a dangerous weapon to use on both play-action downs and bootlegs to the outside. The Colts offensive line is perfectly constructed to keep Newton upright. It’s a marriage that makes a ton of sense for both parties.

Will the Colts actually make a big offer for Cam Newton?

Newton might not fit perfectly into Indianapolis’ idea of team building, but any NFL franchise that wants to win a Super Bowl needs to be willing to take a risk when the time is right.

This offseason is the perfect opportunity for the Colts to swing for the fences at the quarterback position. Ballard is a front office executive who understands that his team’s window for Super Bowl contention isn’t going to stay open forever.

That’s why the Colts should be considered as one of the front-runners to sign Cam Newton in free agency. Don’t rule out the idea of Ballard pulling off a massive trade to solve his quarterback issue in a different manner, but Newton should be the Colts’ floor. Anything less should be deemed an offseason failure by the Colts’ front office.