Colts Internal Free Agent Profiles: Ryan Kelly

Kelly may not be in his prime anymore at this point in his career, but he is still a solid starting center in a league bereft of offensive line talent. Despite playing in just 601 snaps last season, Kelly still posted above-average marks in both run blocking and pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Colts' offense also noticeably looked better once Kelly was reinserted into the starting lineup in the last three weeks of the season. Given the caliber of opponents was nothing to write home about, but Jonathan Taylor rushed for 520 yards on 5.4 yards per carry in the final three weeks of the season with Kelly back in the starting lineup.

On top of the on-field play, Kelly is one of the few locker-room leaders on a team that certainly lacked a strong veteran voice last season. Maybe moving on from a guy like Kelly helps reset that void, but there is also a danger of taking away one of the few good voices in the room in this transition. Kelly is a nine-year pro, a multiple-time team captain, and a multiple-time Pro Bowler; that's a tough impact to replace.

Former fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini is a player that the Colts are very high on, but can he immediately fill the void left behind by Kelly if he walks in free agency? I'm not too sure. Even in the twilight of his career, Kelly would leave a pretty big void both on and off the field if he were to walk in free agency.

The Case Against Re-Signing

It's time for the Colts to make some changes to this team, and moving on from Kelly just seems right this offseason. Kelly has been a fantastic player for most of his career with the Colts, but the team simply has an opportunity to get younger and cheaper at a key position on the offensive line.

Purely looking at the on-field product, Kelly has been a rock-solid player for most of his career. The only big issue has been his durability. He has only started every game in an NFL season three times in his career and has dealt with multiple concussions over that span. He's been limited to just 24 starts in the past two seasons combined due to injury.

In the NFL, the best ability is availability, and Kelly simply hasn't been available enough in recent seasons to warrant a hefty price tag. On top of that, the Colts did select his replacement in Bortolini in this past draft. As I mentioned above, Bortolini may not be ready to fill the void left behind by Kelly from day one, but there is reason to be optimistic about the young center.

Despite being one of the youngest offensive linemen in football this past season, Bortolini graded out as PFF's 18th-best center. Bortolini has done enough already to show that he is at least ready for a shot at the starting center job. With the Colts set to have big contracts on the books for Quenton Nelson, Bernhard Raimann, and (hopefully) Will Fries soon, it makes sense to go cheaper at the center position to round out the offensive line.

Any type of off-the-field noise or sentiments regarding how people feel about Kelly can be completely tuned out in this conversation. Purely looking at it from an asset management standpoint, it makes more sense for the Colts to go with Bortolini next season at center.

The Final Verdict

Ryan Kelly has been a mainstay in the Colts' organization for nearly a decade, and he deserves every bit of praise and recognition that he has received in his time here. He was truly a treat to watch during his prime, and he should go down as one of the better offensive linemen in the history of the franchise (especially given the environment he was drafted into back in 2016).

Unfortunately, the business side of football ruins the romantic side of it. Kelly should be a player that retires a Colt and gets to leave the team on his own terms, but the business side should prevent that from happening. The Colts have a chance to get younger at a key position with a player they are very high on, so it makes it tough to bring back a player like Kelly.

I hope that Kelly is able to thrive in his next destination, but ultimately, it is time for the long-time captain to depart from the Colts.

VERDICT: LET HIM WALK

OTHER IN-HOUSE FREE AGENTS

• Safety Julian Blackmon
• Guard Will Fries
• Linebacker E.J. Speed
• Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo
• Linebacker Grant Stuard

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