As the next phase of free agency begins with teams no longer having to think about compensatory picks, one team is far ahead of the rest in salary cap space available.
That team is the Colts, who have $58.7 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. That’s easily the most in the NFL, with the Texans at $41.3 million and no other team having more than $40 million.
Why are the Colts standing pat with so much more money they could spend? It’s not about waiting until today, when any signings no longer affect teams’ compensatory picks, because the Colts aren’t projected to get any compensatory picks next year anyway.
It may simply be that Colts General Manager Chris Ballard thinks he has a good enough team right now that he doesn’t need to spend any more. The Colts were in the playoffs last year, retained almost the entire 2018 roster, and drafted 10 rookies. Ballard said he wasn’t going to overspend, and he meant it.
Teams that don’t spend all their cap space this year can roll cap space into next year, so Ballard may think the Colts are positioned not only to be a good team in 2019, but to spend whatever it takes to address any needs in 2020. And, of course, if something changes, the Colts have the ability to add a player with an expensive contract this year. Ballard has the Colts in good shape, and he didn’t break the bank to do it.