Indianapolis Colts' Blueprint for Winning Free Agency

While fans still have to wait for six months before football begins, the NFL league year officially kicks off next week with free agency beginning on March 10.

For the Indianapolis Colts, this offseason will be critical not only for 2015, but it could also make or break the team's long-term potential. The team has cut several notable veterans already, releasing players like LaRon Landry, Ricky Jean-Francois and Xavier Nixon to make more room under the salary cap.

The Colts have about $41 million yet to spend this year, the sixth-most cap space in the league according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com. You don't make the cuts the Colts have without a plan in place to spend that money elsewhere.

There's a plan here for the Colts, and it could be very big. How can they ensure a positive free-agency haul for the first time in Ryan Grigson's tenure? Here are five ways the Colts can raise their chances of winning free agency.

Don't Pay Premium Price for Potential Talent

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The biggest trap the Colts have fallen into over the last three offseasons is paying multi-year, big-money contracts to mediocre players.

Sure, the structure of those deals often included ways to cut those players with little penalty later on (see Landry, Jean-Francois, etc.), but the damage has already been done.

The reason the Colts paid so much money for these players, despite a lack of concrete evidence of premium talent, is because each player flashed talent or potential talent in their previous jobs.

Jean-Francois was a good player in San Francisco, but he received limited snaps. LaRon Landry had an incredibly inconsistent career but had occasionally been very good. Greg Toler had struggled with injuries but had flashed lockdown potential on the field. Gosder Cherilus and Arthur Jones had borderline elite years in the final year of their rookie contracts but were inconsistent prior to that.

Ryan Grigson likes to find the players whom others are overlooking, believing that the Colts can get more out of them. That's fine, but the benefit of that is being able to pay them like backups or inconsistent players and hopefully getting more value out of them. Once you start giving out contracts for future production, you open yourself up for disappointment, which the Colts have experienced in recent years.

So if the team wants to sign a B.J. Raji, a Stephen Paea or a Mark Ingram, don't pay top dollar. Don't pay for what you haven't yet seen. Overpaying will happen all on its own in free agency.

Sign a Veteran Running Back

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The Colts desperately need to upgrade the running back position in 2015, and a big part of that will be drafting one in the middle rounds of the draft, where this draft is particularly loaded.

But the team also needs some short-term veteran help at the position. While everybody wants a workhorse back, even the top rookies need some help. The Colts, one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league, handed the ball off nearly 350 times last year. There have only been three rookie running backs to earn over 300 carries in their first season since 2005, so it's best to plan for a committee in 2015.

With that in mind, watch for the Colts to spend some of that money on a veteran running back. This contract should be a short-term deal (two years being ideal) for little money. Anything over $4 million per year would be far too much.

A few ideal backs include Frank Gore, C.J. Spiller, Shane Vereen or Reggie Bush.

One thing that will be key to remember, however, is that the Colts need backs who can both catch the ball out of the backfield as well as run hard behind a power scheme. This will need to be reflected in the cohesion between free agency and the draft strategy.

If the team went after somebody like Gore, for example, then a potential rookie would need to be a back who could catch the ball out of the backfield with high big-play potential. If one of the quicker, more pass-friendly backs came in free agency, it would be a little easier to focus on a run-first back in the draft.

Re-Sign Mike Adams, and Consider His Partner

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With the release of LaRon Landry a few weeks ago, the Colts' safety needs became one of the top two priorities this offseason.

You just can't go into the 2015 season with Winston Guy and Dewey McDonald as your starting safeties.

The most obvious move is to re-sign Mike Adams. Adams was a steal for the Colts last season, signed in June for just over $1 million and eventually making the Pro Bowl as an alternate. While the Pro Bowl label over-inflates his value a bit, Adams is veteran, reliable player who will likely still come cheap at almost 34 years old.

The Colts are making Adams a priority this offseason, reports Kevin Bowen of Colts.com, and Adams reportedly wishes to be back in 2015, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com.

But at 34 before the season begins, Adams is a short-term fix at best, and only at one of the two safety spots.

If a young safety with extensive starting experience hits the open market (think Devin McCourty or Rahim Moore), the Colts have to at least consider a deal. The 2015 draft is weak at safety, and who knows how long Adams can stay healthy and effective. Much of it depends on who hits the market, but safety must be a priority for Indianapolis.

Bold Move: Sign Kareem Jackson

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The Colts haven't been rumored to be looking at cornerbacks, and it would be a complete surprise for them to spend much money on one, but managing to bring in Houston CB Kareem Jackson would be a coup for Indianapolis.

Jackson is a very good, versatile cornerback who has emerged with the Texans. He'd be the Colts' No. 2 cornerback, but his ability to slide inside and play in the slot would give the Colts the most formidable cornerback group in the league.

The move would allow the Colts to part ways with Greg Toler, either via a release (to save $5 million in cap space) this offseason or when his contract is up next year. Toler was improved in 2014 but is still inconsistent and a high injury risk. With the Colts' coverage scheme relying on both starters equally (and a nickel cornerback roughly 60 percent of the time), adding another high-quality starter would make a big impact.

You can never have enough cornerbacks.

Of course, Jackson isn't guaranteed to hit the open market. Jackson was happy in Houston, according to ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli, although he also wants to get paid. And other teams, teams with bigger holes at cornerback, will be targeting Jackson and may be willing to risk more money.

It's a long shot at best, certainly, but bringing in Jackson or a similar-caliber player would be an unexpected but effective move for Ryan Grigson.

Make the Big One Count

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With $41 million dollars in cap space, the Colts have at least one high-profile move on the way.

In past seasons, the biggest moves have been signing Gosder Cherilus (five years, $35 million) and Arthur Jones (five years, $33 million). Neither has really paid dividends yet.

This year has a high possibility of including an even bigger deal, and it shows with the rumors flying around. 

The Colts have been mentioned as potential trade partners to pick up contracts of players like Adrian Peterson (per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com) and Brandon Marshall (per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report), for example.

The big potential free agent is, of course, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, whom Zak Keefer of The Indy Star wants the Colts to make their top priority.

Another high-priced defensive lineman the Colts are rumored to be targeting is Baltimore's Pernell McPhee, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

A big, attention-grabbing move is coming, whether it's one of these or a yet-unknown deal. Ryan Grigson and the Colts have to hit on it. Of these particular moves, Marshall is the one that I am most comfortable with, but all four have questions regarding value and fit.

Whatever the deal is, it will have its supporters and detractors right away. Big moves always are divisive. But if it works out, if the player produces at a high level, that's all that matters.