Colts standing pat with boatload of cash

What exactly are the Indianapolis Colts doing? Sure, NFL free agency won’t officially start until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday afternoon, but in reality, it’s already all but over.

Indianapolis came into the offseason as a team desperately needing to upgrade on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is terrible, T.Y. Hilton is the only real weapon for Andrew Luck when (if) he returns, and the defense needs a total overhaul.

All of that should have made general manager Chris Ballard aggressive. Instead, Indianapolis has not done one thing of note. Instead, it’s sitting idly by while the rest of the AFC South got better. The Houston Texans upgraded on both sides of the ball, adding corner Aaron Colvin and guard/center Zach Fulton. The Tennessee Titans made major noise by signing corner Malcolm Butler, running back Dion Lewis and re-signing guard Josh Kline. The Jacksonville Jaguars landed guard Andrew Norwell, wide receivers Donte Moncrief (from the Colts) and Marqise Lee, adding to a team that was a win away from the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts, who came into free agency with $72 million to spend — the third-most in the league behind the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns — have done nothing. Indianapolis is drafting third-overall in April’s draft, and for good reason. Now, barring a major resurgence behind Luck, the Colts appear destined to be getting a top-10 pick again next spring.

It must be said that nobody is suggesting Indianapolis should throw around stupid money. The Colts aren’t going to get better by just spending money for the sake of it, but the NFL is a business, and energizing the fanbase matters. It especially matters when almost any top-end free agent would legitimately help the roster.

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Perhaps the Colts would have had to pay more for a player, considering roster and record. Fine. Indianapolis was in a position to spend that extra million here and there, and in truth, it wouldn’t matter in the end. Contracts always look better than they actually are for players, with phantom years and non-guaranteed money tacked onto the end.

For Ballard, there are still some ways to make an impact before the draft. The Colts can add safety help alongside Malik Hooker, snagging Eric Reid or Kenny Vaccaro. The defensive line could get upgraded with Dontari Poe or Sheldon Richardson, Poe having played in Kansas City when Ballard was there. The offensive line would be helped by the re-signing of Jack Mewhort or the addition of Justin Pugh.

Still, this has been a disappointment for the Indianapolis Colts and their fans, who needed so much this offseason to compete, and so far, have gotten nothing.