Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
Indianapolis, IN- The Indianapolis Colts made a very questionable move Monday afternoon, trading away linebacker Caesar Rayford. The undrafted, rookie free agent out of Washington, picked up by the Colts after the 2013 draft, proved to be a big time playmaker.
He led the Colts this preseason in sacks with five, and proved he had a knack of not just getting to the quarterback. but stripping the ball as well. He was a true playmaker, making sure the Colts’ defense forced turnovers.
He had the potential to be the next great linebacker in the league with his size and wingspan. He is 6-foot-7 with very long arms, which made him hard to block. His long arms allowed him to bring the quarterback down, and also gave him the ability to knock the ball out.
All of this was proven, which is why he made the Colts’ active 53-man roster for the regular season debut Sunday. That all changed, however, when he was traded away this afternoon to the Dallas Cowboys for an unconditional draft pick.
That means the Colts let a player with tons of upside to be a league great, walk for nothing. That doesn’t make any sense to me.
I do understand the aspect of figuring out where to find him playing time; the Colts already had tons of talent at that position, but you find him time and make that position one of the deepest in the league. If you can’t make it work, at least use him this year, and trade him for some talent. Don’t let him walk for nothing.
This was certainly a head scratcher. I hope it doesn’t come back and bite them down the road.
