INDIANAPOLIS – There’s seldom a dull moment each February when Indy serves as the center of the NFL universe.
City officials project the NFL Scouting Combine, which has called Indy home since 1987, bringing in roughly $9.26 million in economic impact.
Visit Indy estimated approximately 40,000 individuals flow into town – NFL types, fans, 329 invited draft-eligible players, etc. – and that includes more than 1,600 accredited members of the media.
And who could have predicted the media would become part of the story?
On Wednesday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media got into a verbal confrontation at the JW Marriott’s Starbucks. We won’t bore you with the details, other than to mention it’s never a good idea for members of the media to be part of any content posted on social media.
Never.
The Insider vs. Insider tiff aside, the Combine once again hasn’t lacked in meaningful news and, yes, rampant speculation.
While gathering information on the next wave of college talent always is paramount, the media sessions with general managers and head coaches provide tremendous value to those covering the various teams.
Here’s some tidbits from the week:
*Open competition at QB for Colts
Anthony Richardson’s inability to stay on the field or play with anything approaching consistency or efficiency has forced the Colts’ hand. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the team’s no-doubt starter for two seasons will face competition for his starting job.
“It’ll be open,’’ General Manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday. “It was to be the right guy to create real competition, but we want to create real competition. It has to be somebody that can really challenge from a production standpoint, too.’’
That would seem to indicate Richardson’s competition will be a veteran with legitimate experience rather than a developmental QB selected in the middle rounds of the April 24-26 draft.
The list of possibilities won’t be known until the start of the new league year on March 12, but speculation has swirled around Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and others.
You can scratch Matthew Stafford off your bingo card. He and the Rams have agreed to a restructured contract that will keep the 37-year-old in Los Angeles for at least a fifth season.
The Colts report for their offseason workout program on April 21 and the open competition will commence shortly thereafter.
This could get interesting depending on the free agent inserted into the QB mix.
Salary cap finalized
The NFL and NFLPA finalized the salary cap for 2025. It sits at $279.2 million, up from $255.5 million a year ago.
The Colts are $34.947 million under the cap, according to overthecap.com. Everyone must remember there are mechanisms for teams to create additional space, including releasing players and restructuring contracts.
*No. 1 overall pick for sale?
Mike Borgonzi is the first-time general manager of the Tennessee Titans and finds himself in an interesting position. He has the No. 1 overall pick in the draft after the Titans finished last season at 3-14.
Invest the pick in one of the top quarterbacks, Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders? Remember, the Titans thought they had found their long-term QB when they selected Will Levis with the first pick in the second round in 2023.
Use the 1st pick on the best available player? That could be Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, the two-way Heisman Trophy winner out of Colorado.
Or trade the pick to a team wanting Ward or Sanders and willing to pay handsomely to move up?
Borgonzi admitted he’s been a popular figure at the Combine.
“Yeah, it seems to be,’’ he said, adding the No. 1 overall pick has been a topic of conversation all week. “I mean, it has been in the media for sure. Anytime you have the No. 1 pick, it’s always going to be a topic of conversation. I would say we’ve had some phone calls. I’ll keep those calls to the vest, but we’ve had some phone calls.’’
Stay tuned.
*Who’s No. 1?
Drafts generally are QB-driven, but draft analysts are lukewarm on Ward and Sanders. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Ward No. 15 overall and Sanders No. 25. He has Hunter at No. 1 and Carter at No. 2.
Hunter and Carter have no question who’s worthy of being the first player selected.
“It’s very important to me,’’ Carter said. “That’s one of the goals I made before the season, something I’ve always talked about. It’s what I worked for and I feel like I’m getting close to that. I feel like it’s very realistic. I feel like I’m the best player in the country and the best player should be selected No. 1.’’
The 6-3, 259-pound Carter had 23 sacks, 39.5 tackles for loss and 14 passes defended during his career with the Nittany Lions. Medical testing at the Combine revealed he has a stress reaction in his right foot, but it reportedly won’t require surgery.
Hunter showed similar self-confidence when asked about being drafted No. 1 overall.
“It should be important,’’ he said. “That was one of my dreams, to go No. 1 and be the best I can be.’’
That described Hunter last season. He excelled as a full-time starter at receiver and cornerback.
Hunter won the Heisman, was named the Associated Press’ college player of the year, and dominated other top Awards: Biletnikoff (top receiver), Bednarik (top defender) and Paul Hornung (most versatile).
At corner, he had four interceptions and 11 passes defended. At receiver, he had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 TDs.
*How to deal with Hunter’s versatility?
Hunter’s objective is clear. He wants it to be business as usual in the NFL. He wants to be a corner/receiver.
“They say nobody has ever done it the way I do it,’’ he said. “But I tell them I’m just different. I’m a different person. Nobody has done it, but I feel like I have put my body through a lot. I do a lot of treatment. People don’t see that part. What I do for my body to make sure I’m 100% each game. I know I can do it. I did it at the college level where you rarely get breaks. There are more breaks in the NFL.’’
The ultimate decision rests with whichever team drafts the rare talent.
“Well, you got to start somewhere,’’ said Titans coach Brian Callahan. “You got to put your teeth in a position first and then you see where you can add him in. He probably starts at corner. And then you find ways to interject him into the offense as he gets more comfortable. But I think corner is probably his starting point.’’
Cleveland General Manager Andrew Berry had a slightly different slant on Hunter. The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick.
“In terms of Travis Hunter: cornerback or receiver? Yes,’’ Berry said. “So, he can play both and I think that’s what makes him special. We would see him as a receiver primarily first. What makes him a bit of a unicorn is the fact that he can do both at a high level.’’
*Myles Garrett available?
Berry spent the first portion of his media session answering questions about the Browns’ best player. Myles Garrett has asked for a trade.
“Understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed,’’ Berry said. “We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns. We’re not interested in moving him.’’
*Sanders ultra-confident
Shedeur Sanders’ confidence was on full display during his Friday media session.
If a team wants to win, it should pick the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
“We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back,’’ said Sanders, his father’s starting quarterback at each school. “So, you don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change the program again? It’s history. We’ve done it again. It’s going to repeat itself.’’
The Colorado improvement was dramatic. The Buffaloes were 1-11 in 2022 prior to the Sanders’ arrival, then bounced from 4-8 in ’23 to 9-4 last season, including 7-2 in the Big 12.
Sanders expects to make a similar impact in the NFL.
“If that’s not what you’re going to do, don’t get me,’’ he said. “If you ain’t trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me. You should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I’ve done it over and over and over. It should be no question. So that’s why when people say I’m not one of the top quarterbacks or the top quarterback, what are y’all going based off of? Because I did it year after year after year and you see the progression. It’s obvious it’s got to be some type of external hate that you have for my family, for the last name, for anything. Because I know I proved myself on the field.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.