5 win-now trades the Colts should consider making to capitalize on their undefeated start to the 2025 season after three weeks
5 players the Colts would be wise to try and trade for to improve their roster.
The Indianapolis Colts are 3-0 after the first three weeks of the season, and they are playing fantastic team football. They have two lopsided wins in Week 1 and 3, and also have an impressive win over a playoff-caliber team in the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
After this incredible start to the year, the question is whether the Colts will make a win-now move to capitalize on their early success. I came up with five moves that make sense for the Colts to consider ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 4.
The Colts should make a win-now trade after starting the year 3-0
The Colts haven’t made the playoffs since 2020 and haven’t won the AFC South to earn the honor to host a playoff game since 2013. Their 3-0 start puts them in the driver’s seat to accomplish both this season, and pushing some chips in to do everything in their power to make it happen would be wise.
Finding trade partners, though, is challenging because the Colts must determine who the NFL’s sellers will be. After the start of the year, finding teams that have a minimal chance to turn things around due to talent or injuries is key. Below are five players from four different teams that could become available at positions the Colts need to improve at, all of which come on the defensive side of the ball.
Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants
Colts fans still look back on Bobby Okereke’s time in Indianapolis fondly. The team drafted Okereke in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. And they watched him grow into one of the top LBs in the NFL during his four years here. After his rookie contract was up, the Colts had some tough decisions to make at the position, with Shaquille Leonard already signing a massive contract, which led the team to allow Okereke to walk in free agency.
He’s now in year three with the New York Giants and is still viewed as one of the top LBs in the NFL. After this season, he has one other year remaining on his current contract with the Giants. With New York at 0-3, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of them being willing to trade a player like Okereke for picks. The Colts’ LB room needs a lot of help. Zaire Franklin is the only reliable starter, and the position has hurt the Colts’ defense through the first three weeks. Okereke’s skill set would complement Franklin’s well and would help to solidify a position that currently has more questions than answers.
Greg Newsome II, CB, Cleveland Browns
Browns CB Greg Newsome II has been linked to potential trade rumors for some time now. He is playing out the final year of his rookie contract. While the Browns’ defense is impressive, they are unlikely to compete for anything significant anytime soon due to their current quarterback situation. So the Browns could certainly be a seller at the NFL trade deadline, and if they think they could lose Newsome in the offseason for nothing anyway, trading him away could make a lot of sense.
Newsome has developed into a fantastic CB in Cleveland, and at 6-0 and solid long speed, he fits what Lou Anarumo typically covets at the position. If the Colts were to trade for him a new deal wouldn’t be cheap, but the Colts’ CB room would be in great shape for the foreseeable future with Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore III and Newsome as the starters. They’d have one of the best starting trios of CBs in the NFL, and that would be exciting to watch.
Trey Hendrickson, Edge, Cincinnati Bengals
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Trey Hendrickson would be a great fit with the Colts. Hendrickson and the Colts have been linked all offseason due to his contract disputes with the Cincinnati Bengals and his old coach, now in Indianapolis. Hendrickson is back on the field for the Bengals, but they only band-aided the situation with a raise this season instead of a new long-term contract.
The Bengals are going to be without star QB Joe Burrow for the majority of the year and are coming off a terrible performance in Week 3, where they got manhandled by the Minnesota Vikings. If their season falls completely off the rails, the Bengals will still have drama on the horizon with Hendrickson set to become a free agent, and no one in that locker room wants to see another dramatic franchise tag saga. So, I could see them trading Hendrickson to the highest bidder near the deadline, and the Colts’ pass rush has been non-existent to start the year.
Adding Hendrickson could be exactly what they need to elevate this defense into one of the better groups in the NFL.
Pete Werner, LB, New Orleans Saints
Pete Warner of the New Orleans Saints may not be as popular a name as other players mentioned in this article, but he would be a big acquisition. He has developed into an all-around impactful LB and would be a big upgrade for the Colts. The Saints are not close to competing for a playoff spot, and this season are more likely to be competing for the number one overall pick.
The Saints can save roughly $10 million over the next two years by moving Werner, and he is good enough to get back a better trade package than some realize. This would also be a homecoming for Werner, who grew up in Indiana and graduated from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. So a trade could make a lot of sense for all three parties involved here.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, New York Giants
Last but not least is another Giants defender, this time Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Colts’ edge rush desperately needs help, and the Giants most likely can’t keep Thibodeaux around long term with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter ahead of him at the position.
Even with his snap count being impacted this season, Thibodeaux has 1.5 sacks through the first three weeks, and if acquired by the Colts, would catapult to their top edge spot.
The Giants picked up the fifth-year option for Thibodeaux, so he is under contract through next season. So, if the Colts pulled off a trade, they would have the rest of this year and all of next year to see how Thibodeaux performs before they’d have to make a decision on giving him a long-term extension.
A spot like Indianapolis would give Thibodeaux the chance to have a larger role, which could help him earn a higher pay than his current situation in New York will net him.
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