Before free agency opened, the Indianapolis Colts traded Zaire Franklin to Green Bay in exchange for defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
However, roster cutdown day has now come and gone, and Wooden is no longer on the team. He was released and then claimed on waivers by the New Orleans Saints.
So when it's all said and done, the Colts didn't get a draft pick in return for Franklin, nor will they be getting any in-season production from Wooden.
That begs the question, knowing what GM Chris Ballard knows now, would he make that same deal again?
"Well, yeah, because it created great competition inside,"said Ballard. "Like one of the things we wanted to do was bring in, make sure we had enough depth inside to really be able to spell Buck and Grove. And
we think we've been able to do that. Look, I mean, all the guys we had they're all on NFL rosters right now. So, that's a positive, especially the top six."
Moving on from Wooden was a surprise move. He brings versatility to the defensive front, able to play across multiple gaps and contribute against both the run and pass.
That said, Ballard believes that Jerry Tillery and Tim Smith had the better training camp and preseason performances. That is what ultimately led to moving on from Wooden.
"We knew we were going to cut a guy and end up being on somebody else's team," Ballard added. "You get better through competition. You get better when you raise the water level and allow him to compete to make the team. Not that Colby did anything wrong. Colby's a great, great dude. Those other kids just play better."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Chris Ballard reflects on outcome of Colts' offseason trade
