At the NFL trade deadline, waiting can give a team more negotiating power—or leave it with fewer interested buyers. That’s the decision facing the Indianapolis Colts if they consider moving veteran players.
In an SB Nation opinion column, James Dator argues that delaying deals could hurt Indianapolis. He identifies Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs and Grover Stewart as possible trade candidates. That does not confirm that any of them is being shopped or traded.
There’s a case for acting early. A team looking for immediate help may offer more when it has time to work a new player into its lineup. Wait too long, and that team could find another option or decide not to spend draft picks at all.
But patience has value, too. Interest from multiple teams could improve an offer, and the Colts would need to weigh any return against what they lose on the field. Trading a productive player for a disappointing package wouldn’t become a good move simply because it happened before the deadline.
The best approach is to decide what each player is worth, listen to offers and move only when a deal meets that price. Indianapolis shouldn’t wait just for the sake of waiting—but it shouldn’t rush into a trade, either.
