Over the past week, I’ve seen countless claims that the Indianapolis Colts should trade away any combination of Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, and Donte Moncrief. After all, with TY Hilton, Andre Johnson, and newly acquired Philip Dorsett and Duron Carter, the Colts are all set at receivers, right?
Wrong.
The Colts currently boast a top 5, if not top 2 receiving corps. When your #3 and #4 pass catchers are Fleener and Allen, you are doing something really right. Each player that is assumed to make the 53 man roster serves a purpose. Let’s not forget that Hilton and Allen both lost time last season due to injury. When people go down, the next man up needs to play at a high level to keep the team from spiraling, much like the team did after pass catching RB Ahmad Bradshaw was lost to injury last season. The Colts boast incredible depth to their offense, and should be able to keep a fresh player on the field at all times to compete with the 3rd or 4th opposing corner.
This is, by far, the most complete Indianapolis Colts offense Andrew Luck has had. Why take any part of that away for a draft pick that might not pan out? And before you say, “well, we could trade for defense” let me stop you. Allen, Fleener, and Moncrief combined might not be worth a top DT to solidify the D-line. The best case scenario for a player for player trade would be a developmental defensive player. Between Anderson, Parry, Smith, Newsome, Herrara… You get my point, the Colts have enough developmental defensive talent. The Colts aren’t going to be a defensive powerhouse this year, but they can be an offensive one.
Finally, let’s quickly just point out that relying on Carter and Dorsett to step up immediately after a trade is foolish. No matter how great they might be, they are unproven in the NFL and should not be treated like super stars just yet. The Colts offense could break records this year. Let’s see what they got.
