The Colts fired head coach Frank Reich during the 2022 season and they’ve parted ways with some veterans this offseason, but they haven’t implemented the full rebuild that other experienced players like defensive tackle DeForest Buckner feared would unfold.
One of the choices that the Colts made along the way was to pass on trade inquiries involving center Ryan Kelly. General Manager Chris Ballard said earlier this month that teams called about acquiring Kelly, but that it was too hard to move on without him in the lineup.
Kelly told reporters this week that it was “impossible not to see rumors” about the team trading him, but his mind was put at ease when new head coach Shane Steichen told him that he remained in the plans in Indianapolis.
“He gave me a call that night and we talked for 20 minutes,” Kelly said, via James Boyd of TheAthletic.com. “I thought that was kind of refreshing in my mind of like, ‘I still love this place. It still means the world to me.’”
Most people expect the Colts to add a quarterback at the top of the draft next week. His identity will not be known until the Colts are on the clock, but he will have an experienced center to work with as he makes the transition to life in the NFL.