With the NFL season approaching its midway point, the trade deadline is rapidly approaching.
Several teams have been busy making deals ahead of the 4 p.m. EST deadline on Nov. 5, but the Colts, par for the course during general manager Chris Ballard’s tenure, have remained quiet. After all, Ballard has only made one deadline day move in his seven years in Indianapolis, swapping running back Nyheim Hines for running back Zack Moss and a conditional sixth-round pick with the Bills in 2022.
All the discussion surrounding the quarterback position amidst the Colts’ recent decision to bench Anthony Richardson has drowned out any potential trade talk, but that doesn’t mean Indianapolis shouldn’t consider making some additions to their roster.
At 4-4, doing so could prove critical to their push for the postseason. Here are four players Chris Ballard may consider inquiring about ahead of next week’s deadline.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert
Indianapolis’ rushing attack has been carried by Jonathan Taylor this season, who has accounted for 44.3% of their yards on the ground this season. When he was sidelined for three games, the rest of the backs struggled to pick up the slack, averaging just 111.3 rushing yards per game in his absence.
In contrast, with Taylor on the field this season, the Colts average 138 rushing yards per game. They’ve been overly reliant on Taylor, and with Anthony Richardson’s rushing threat no longer a problem for opposing defenses now that he’s been benched, that dependency could increase.
It’s clear that the Colts could benefit from an extra back to take the pressure off Taylor. Khalil Herbert is a low-cost option who’s seen his playing time dwindle in Chicago with their addition of D’Andre Swift this offseason, receiving only eight carries in six appearances.
Before this season, Herbert was a solid rotational rusher for the Bears, rushing for 1,775 yards on 364 carries (4.87 yards per carry) along with eight touchdowns.
If Ballard wants to pull the trigger and deepen the running back depth chart, Herbert could be a low-risk, high-reward trade acquisition to complement Taylor.
Browns TE David Njoku
The tight end position in Indianapolis has gone from one of the most intriguing position battles in training camp this past summer, to a quiet and non-threatening aspect of the Colts’ passing game. Between Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory, they’ve collectively hauled in just 17 catches (34 targets) for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
David Njoku has logged 25 receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns on his own this season for a struggling Browns offense. He’s been a name brought up in trade rumors as the 2-6 Browns could be preparing for a fire sale at the deadline to invest in their future.
There are two main risks with trading for Njoku, however. He would likely cost a decent price considering he is one of the top tight ends in the NFL. Additionally, the Colts would be taking on a large cap hit, as he comes with a $9.2 million cap hit this season, which spikes to $22.1 million in 2025.
Still, he would be a dynamic addition to the Colts passing offense and will open up tons more opportunities for their wide receivers. For a team which hasn’t had a truly dangerous receiving tight end since Eric Ebron in 2019, Njoku could be Indy’s guy.
If Ballard wants to add a unique weapon to their offense until at least 2026, paying up for Njoku might prove to be a genius deadline decision, assuming that he’s comfortable taking on a significant cap number in the process.
Broncos DE Baron Browning
Injuries have hit the Colts’ defensive line hard this season. DeForest Buckner, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye have all missed time in varying capacities this season. Baron Browning is a player brought up in trade circles recently, as he’s fallen out of favor in Denver due to a foot injury.
A change of scenery could help Browning regain his stride. Indianapolis is a possible destination, as their pass rush could benefit from an extra boost off the edge. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it may be worth spending a late-round pick to give Browning a trial run in Gus Bradley’s defense and see if he’s worth retaining.
Since the rest of the Broncos’ pass rush, especially Nik Bonnitto, Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen, have made Browning’s absence a non-issue, he’s likely to be on the move in the next few days.
Browns CB Greg Newsome II
Another Brown on the list, since their troubling start to the season could result in becoming big sellers at the deadline. Greg Newsome II has been an important piece of Cleveland’s top-12 pass defense, allowing 200 yards per game so far this season.
Indianapolis’ secondary has shown signs of improvement from their difficulties earlier this year, but are still lacking quality depth. Currently, only five cornerbacks are listed on the team’s depth chart.
An established player like Newsome II could help elevate the young talent he would have around him. This season, he’s allowed just 381 total receiving yards (14th in NFL), allowed over 70 receiving yards in a game just once and went five games without allowing a touchdown to begin the season.
A former first-round pick, Newsome II has some versatility to him as well, playing snaps at both perimeter corner spots and playing from the slot as well.
Cleveland has been getting lots of production from Martin Emerson Jr. and Denzel Ward on the outside, so they may be willing to move off of Newsome II and take draft capital in compensation.
Newsome has a club option for 2025 built into his contract, which would allow the Colts to use the remainder of 2024 to evaluate if Newsome II is a player they would want to keep for an extra season before his rookie contract expires in 2026.
Is it more likely that Ballard sits on his hands ahead of the deadline and continues to roll with the roster he currently has? Yes.
But, with how poorly he managed this past offseason and the Richardson situation, it would be foolish to not look into moves which could get the Colts’ season back on track.
His job may depend on it.
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