JUST-IN: Colts decision to buy or sell at the NFL trade deadline revealed

The NFL trade deadline falls on Halloween this year (a week from Tuesday), and with it comes an annual question.
Buy or sell?

Last year, the Colts’ season went out of whack leading to the Nyheim Hines trade, but the Colts got a slight boost by acquiring Zack Moss (and a fifth-round pick) from Buffalo.
With Anthony Richardson’s rookie season ending at 3-4, how should the Colts handle this year’s trade deadline?

Reason for purchase

• Shopping Avenue: The NFL’s trade deadline should be viewed as a great opportunity to make a difference, even if it doesn’t spark the interest of other professional leagues, such as free agency or the draft.
  As cap space has inevitably tightened over the years, other opportunities to bolster the roster cannot be overlooked as the Colts begin to pay for key positions. This is one of those cases where teams apply different mindsets at the trade deadline.
  Colts Wednesday Notes: Grover Stewart and Shane Steichen

– Relying on second chances: Most of the trading day is around a time when a former top pick is at the end of his rookie contract and his current team has had enough of him to decide to break up. And that certainly makes you think other teams could use a second home for that player (like former third-round pick Zach Moss last year). The Colts have found short-term success with several revival projects (Vontay Davis, Eric Ebron, Xavier Rhodes, Zach Moss). Now is the time to dig into him and see if we can get a player that could help in the Anthony Richardson era from a chronological perspective. Reason for sale

• Think about the future. A big part of the trade deadline for me is this: Do you think you’re a playoff team and a trade makes you a Super Bowl contender?
  If the answer is no, I almost always go to “the seller”.
  At this point, I think we have to think that the Colts are not “one player away” from being a contender in 2023. The Titans kicked things off on Monday by trading for longtime veteran Kevin Byard.
  Should the Colts follow suit?
  – Building a war chest: As the Colts dig deeper into building their team with Anthony Richardson, their stockpile of draft picks is gaining more attention. Finding impact players on new “cheap” deals is critical to team growth.
  And venture capital investment helps keep the door open for big deals (big deals for Richardson?).
  So there are few sales.
  This is a long-term idea, but it’s something to keep in mind when thinking about what you need for future big purchases.

my thought

• I will do my best not to bring back some of the “contract age players” you are advocating for.
  The team’s 2024 free agents include Michael Pittman Jr., Zach Moss, Kenny Moore, Julian Blackmon and Grover Stewart.
  Can these people be replaced? Are all these people included in the plan for 2024 and beyond?
  I think future draft capital is very important, not only to get early impact/starter contracts, but also to build future trade packages for star extensions. If they can trade one of the players they don’t plan to re-sign and get a return for the 2024 draft, that would be noteworthy.