Best and Worst Moves the Indianapolis Colts Have Made in Free Agency

It's been two weeks since free agency began, and the Indianapolis Colts have already taken on a new look for the 2015 season.

With six new free-agent signings, all with starter potential, the Colts will have a brand new base of veterans in 2015. The average age of the Colts' signings is 30.5 years old, with four of the signed players being 31 or older.

The Colts certainly got older in free agency, but they also got better, as Chuck Pagano reiterated on Tuesday, per the Indianapolis Star. It's because of the latter that it's difficult to find fault with most of the Colts' choices thus far in free agency. Still, we'll attempt to separate the most savvy from the least effective moves so far this offseason.

Best: Frank Gore

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Not everybody loved the Frank Gore signing.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco wasn't a particular fan, for example.

Gore is 31, turning 32 in May, and that kind of age makes for a good number of skeptics.

But for the Colts, a stable, veteran running back was exactly the piece they needed. A younger back would have either been laden with injury or production asterisks (Ryan Mathews, C.J. Spiller) or commanded too much money over too many years for the Colts to justify (DeMarco Murray).

A perfect option, Gore could be signed on a cheap, short contract while still having something left in the tank to offer the Colts. He is a scheme fit, having run at high levels in San Francisco's power-running schemes for years. Gore isn't the long-term answer, but he gives the Colts a legitimate rushing threat while a young back (ideally a draft pick from a loaded 2015 draft) develops.

Worst: Not Signing Another Safety

David Richard/Associated Press

Bringing veteran safety Mike Adams back into the fold on a two-year contract was a good move for Indianapolis. Adams knows the system and the locker room, and he earned a reserve Pro Bowl berth last season.

But outside of Adams, the Colts are still extremely weak at the safety position.

After cutting LaRon Landry, the Colts were left with Winston Guy, Dewey McDonald and Colt Anderson as depth safeties. All three are career special teamers or practice squad players. McDonald is one that could have some developmental potential, having played well during the preseason as a rookie and earning a +1.7 grade from Pro Football Focus during that time.

Rolling with a formerly undrafted safety with just eight career non-special teams snaps isn't exactly comforting, however. 

Now the Colts are stuck with either drafting a safety, in a draft that is incredibly thin at the position, or taking a big risk with one of their current players in the spot. 

Best: Andre Johnson

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Much like the Gore signing, the Colts acquired Andre Johnson partially because of his age, even if people see that as a negative thing.

The Colts' receiver group was incredibly young before signing Johnson, with T.Y. Hilton (25 and entering his fourth season) as the most senior member. Johnson adds a veteran presence to help with the young receivers' transition into the big leagues while also fitting into the Colts' scheme perfectly.

Johnson isn't exactly like Reggie Wayne from a style perspective, and he won't play from the slot as much as Wayne did over the last three years, but he can run a lot of similar "possession" routes in the short and intermediate areas. With Johnson playing outside, it will allow Hilton to slide inside (where he excels) in three-receiver sets as Donte Moncrief plays outside.

Like Gore, Johnson's three-year deal is structured exactly the way you would want it to be. There will be absolutely no guaranteed money on the deal after two years, and the second year could even be voided at a slight penalty. Unless Johnson just completely hits a wall and stops producing immediately, the Colts have little risk.

Worst: Kendall Langford

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Now, don't take this as anything against Kendall Langford. He's not a terrible player, and the Colts only guaranteed $2.5 million.

No, this is more of an indictment on the lack of other moves on the defensive line. The Colts cut Ricky Jean Francois to save cap space and allowed an aging Cory Redding to move on to Arizona. The two defensive linemen have been the Colts' best down linemen in the Andrew Luck era, and it's not close.

Now the Colts are attempting to replace the two, especially Redding. Redding is now moving to Arizona, and he will be directly replaced by Langford in the starting lineup. Again, it's nothing against Langford, but this was the only move the Colts made on the line, and that doesn't mesh well with how poorly the line played in the season-ending loss last year.

Best: Trent Cole

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Like Gore or Johnson, the Colts' signing of Trent Colt was based around the filling of a short-term need with a veteran talent.

It's not as perfect a fit as Gore was initially, with the Colts bringing back other outside linebackers like Erik Walden and Robert Mathis as well in 2015, but Cole will bring a proven, veteran contribution to the pass rush in 2015, a much-needed contribution.

Make no mistake, $8 million per year is a bit much to be giving a 32-year-old pass-rusher, but Cole can still get it done, both in pass rush and against the run. With reports that Mathis will not return until as late as November, the Colts desperately will need his playmaking on a number of levels, and that is worth any price you pay.

He may be a bit overpaid, but he showed that the Colts are invested in the right positions.

Best: Nate Irving

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Instead of trying to find another negative in the Colts' offseason, I just found more positives for Indianapolis. That's how good the offseason has been so far.

In this case, the move to pick up reserve linebacker Nate Irving has been a rousing success, based on what we know of him. Though he is still rehabbing back from an ACL tear in 2014, Irving should be ready to play a key role as a linebacker reserve in 2015 at the very least.

According to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com, Chuck Pagano said he could envision Irving even competing for a starting spot in August, so that tells you how much the Colts think of him. Of course, with D'Qwell Jackson coming back and recently tendered Jerrell Freeman having the best instincts in pass coverage, it would be difficult for Irving to work his way into the starting lineup without having injuries slow them down.

But even if he never started, the Colts needed another linebacker with strong run support tendencies. Irving has great range against the run and can work downhill to pick out runners in traffic. A depth linebacker with potential to start in case of injury for $3 million a year (on an incentive-laden contract)? Yes, please.