Ricky Jean Francois Release Frees Up Colts to Reward Their Own

Two years ago, Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson began signing what he hoped would be a bargain class of free agents. Shunted away for reasons related to playing time, injuries or on-field production, Grigson signed a cadre of in-their-prime free agents to their second contracts. 

The Colts already parted ways with safety LaRon Landry earlier this offseason. The second domino fell Monday, as they cut ties with defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois, as the Tribune Star's Tom James reported:

Jean Francois, who played 647 snaps for the Colts this year, simply never lived up to the four-year, $22.5 million investment Indianapolis made. It's not completely surprising, given that Jean Francois never played more than 328 snaps for the 49ers on his rookie contract. The idea that he'd translate to some sort of stellar 3-4 end was one borne almost entirely on projection. The Colts were hardly alone in this thinking—10 teams reportedly expressed interest in him as a free agent in 2013 according to ESPN's Adam Caplan—but they were the ones willing to bet highest on it happening. 

Ultimately, it was a nondescript release for a nondescript signing. The Colts paid Jean Francois about $10 million for two years of adequate defensive line play. That was an upgrade on what they had but not one that was ultimately worth the opportunity cost. 

The release frees up $4.875 million in cap space, per Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald. Add that to the $39 million they entered the day with, and the Colts are just outside the top five in salary-cap space, near some of their AFC South brethren. 

Team	Space
Jacksonville	$64.3 million
Oakland	$54.2 million
Cleveland	$51.1 million
New York Jets	$51.1 million
Tennessee	$44.5 million
Indianapolis	$44.1 million

Of course, the Colts are in much more of a win-now mode than the Jaguars or Titans. Such is the luxury that comes with drafting Andrew Luck. 

And I do expect them to be in on free agency. I don't believe Ndamukong Suh is coming to Indianapolis, but they'll have the money to bid for players on that level. Given their emphasis on stopping the run game, I expect them to be in on players such as Nick Fairley and Dan Williams to rebuild a weak defensive line. I also think a free-agent pass-rusher such as Pernell McPhee, along with a possible Erik Walden release, will be on the table as they fix talent problems on the edge. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora seems to agree:

But the No. 1 thing the Colts have to do with their cap space is feed their own. 

The core of Indianapolis' offense was drafted in 2011 and 2012. And of that core, every player but Luck is eligible to be a free agent following the 2015 season. Part of building a team is fixing what doesn't work. But another part of it is retaining what does, and the key cogs of the Indy passing game are central to the team's Super Bowl ambitions. 

As I argued earlier this offseason, signing Luck to an extension is imperative because it sets the tone for the rest of the Colts' offseason strategy. 

Player	Position	2014 AV	2015 Cap Number	2016 Free Agent?
Andrew Luck	QB	16	$7.04 million	Fifth-year option
T.Y. Hilton	WR	12	$796k	FA
Dwayne Allen	TE	3	$975k	FA
Coby Fleener	TE	7	$1.69 million	FA
Anthony Castonzo	LT	10	$7.48 million	FA

But getting rid of clutter such as Jean Francois also opens up the door to discussion on the players from this offensive core who must stick around. Receiver T.Y. Hilton was always going to be a priority, but the other players on this list are trickier. How do you balance tight end Dwayne Allen's time missed to injuries with Coby Fleener's predilection to dropping contested passes? Is 2014 the start of a long run of good years from Anthony Castonzo, or is it a fluke? 

The Colts don't have to keep everyone here. (In fact, I'd gladly let Fleener walk if I were them.) But getting rid of marginal players frees up the cap space to make it possible to lock up their future and paper over their glaring weaknesses. 

Releasing Jean Francois is the kind of step a team makes when it's ready to take a sober look at a roster with weaknesses. That doesn't necessarily mean the Colts will use the money properly—Grigson has a very spotty track record in that regard—but it means that they at least realize they can do better than they have. 

Admitting it to themselves is a great first step. 

All DYAR and DVOA numbers cited are courtesy of Football Outsiders. Learn more about DVOA here.

Rivers McCown is the AFC South lead writer for Bleacher Report and the co-host of the Three-Cone Drill podcast. His work has also appeared on Football Outsiders and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at @riversmccown.