INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson’s résumé includes three straight 11-win seasons, back-to-back AFC South titles and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
Those are the highlights, and they’re mighty good highlights.
But there’s one substantial blemish on Grigson's résumé.
The 2013 free agent and draft classes along with the trade for running back Trent Richardson.
The Colts added to the list of moves that didn’t work from 2013 when they released guard Donald Thomas on Monday.
Thomas joins safety LaRon Landry, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus, defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois, and Richardson as starters the Colts acquired in 2013 who have been released since last February.
And linebacker Bjoern Werner, the Colts’ first-round pick in 2013, has not only lost his starting job, he has been switched from rush linebacker to strongside linebacker.
The Colts wouldn’t have much to show for the moves they made in 2013 if not for linebacker Erik Walden and cornerback Greg Toler.
Of course, some of the things that led the Colts to release those players were out of their control. Nobody could have predicted that Thomas would only play in two games in two seasons because of a torn right quad and torn left bicep. Cherilus battled injuries all of last season.
Here's a look at what the Colts got from the starters they acquired in 2013:
Landry (23 games/18 starts): The Colts gave Landry a four-year, $24 million contract. What did he give the Colts in return? Just 99 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He was suspended four games for using performance-enhancing drugs and he lost his starting job.
Cherilus (29 games/29 starts): Cherilus, who signed a five-year, $34.5 million contract, had a decent 2013 season, but injuries played a factor in his inconsistent play last season. He didn’t want to renegotiate his contract with the Colts last month.
Jean Francois (26 games/23 starts): Jean Francois, who was given a four-year, $22 million contract, became too expensive to be a backup. The Colts could use him now with Art Jones (ankle) likely to be out for some time.
Richardson (29 games/20 starts): Where do we start? Richardson, who was acquired in a trade from Cleveland in Sept. 2013, failed to crack 100 yards rushing in any of his 29 games, lost his starting job twice, was placed on the inactive list and was suspended.
Werner (28 games/16 starts): Werner was a healthy inactive for the AFC Championship Game after starting every game he appeared in last season. He’s better suited playing on the strong side than rush linebacker.
Thomas (two games/two starts): Thomas, who signed a four-year, $14 million contract, could never stay healthy to show what type of player he could be with the Colts. The last game he played with the franchise was in Week 2 in 2013.
