Indianapolis Colts Rumors: Josh Freeman Will Be Backup QB

INQUISITR.COM / Sports
By Evan Massey
Published on: 2016-02-28T19:00:14
Indianapolis Colts andrew luck nfl

The Indianapolis Colts rumors are beginning to fly as the 2016 NFL offseason gets ready to begin. Josh Freeman was signed to a contract late in the season and the Colts are reportedly set to bring him back as their primary backup quarterback behind Andrew Luck.

Matt Hasselbeck was the Colts’ backup in 2015, but he was beaten up all season long and simply isn’t the fit that the team is looking for long-term.

According to a report from NFL.com media columnist Michael Silver, the Colts are expected to move on from Hasselbeck. They also have confidence in Freeman moving forward after the brief work that he showed with the team last season.

Freeman was signed to a contract heading into Week 17 and played a split role with Ryan Lindley. He was the starting quarterback for the Colts in his one game and ended up playing very well. His stat line was solid, completing 15 of his 28 pass attempts for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

His interception was not his fault either, as a screen pass to Daniel “Boom” Herron went off the running back’s hands and into the waiting arms of a defender.

At 28 years old, Freeman has shown flashes of starting potential throughout his NFL career. He had two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he threw for 25 and 27 touchdowns in the 2010 and 2012 seasons respectively. Freeman also totaled 4,065 yards in the 2012 season for Tampa Bay.

Indianapolis cannot afford to make a mistake with their backup in 2015. Freeman is without question more capable of coming into games and leading the Colts if Luck does end up going down with an injury. Hasselbeck had a great run with the Colts, but at 40-years-old simply doesn’t have much left in the tank.

Hasselbeck does want to continue playing next season, but there is no telling what he will play like after taking the beating that he took behind the Colts’ porous offensive line.

Josh Freeman Is Colts' Next Backup QB
[Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
After taking a break from the NFL, Freeman seemed to show improvement in his one game with the Colts. He had a major interception issue with the Buccaneers early in his career, having three seasons where he threw 18, 22, and 17 interceptions. Freeman forced the issue often earlier in his career, but did not make those same mistakes in his audition for the Colts.

Keeping Freeman as their backup quarterback is the right decision for the Colts. He is younger and is much more athletically gifted than Hasselbeck has ever been.

Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano have to find a way to put together the best team that they possibly can. Having a quality backup quarterback is part of putting that team together.

If Freeman really has learned from his mistakes early on in his career, he has a chance to be a very good quarterback. There is no denying his physical ability and the arm strength that he possesses. He needed to work on his accuracy and decision-making, but outside of those two problems he doesn’t have many flaws.

Josh Freeman is likely getting a second chance as Colts' backup.
[Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images]
It will be very intriguing to see what the Colts end up doing this offseason. They still have a great group of talent, but adding pieces here and there to improve is necessary.

Freeman seems to be one of the pieces that the Colts will bring back, but there will be plenty more money to use elsewhere.

Do you think that Josh Freeman is a quality backup quarterback for Indianapolis to bring back? Will he find a way to succeed with the Colts and turn his career back around?

[(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]