Colts Trade Pittman, Franklin; Draft Focus on LB, WR

0:00It's March 30th. This is NFL News Today, AI-powered stories from around the league. I'm Cory with the story. Indianapolis Colts owner, Carly Urse Gordon, just broke down the trades of wide receiver Michael Pittman and linebackers Zaire Franklin during the NFL. League meetings Franklin headed to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for defensive tackle Colby Wooden, while Pittman went to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late round. Draft pick. This moves clear major salary cap space, about 6 million from Franklin and a huge 24 million from Pittman. She explained it straight up, those guys embody the team's culture, but with a tight cap and the push to get younger, General Manager Chris Ballard had to prioritize the big picture and sign other key players. It's that classic next-man-up mentality in the league. Fans and analysts are feeling the hit though. The culture now super thin at linebacker, beyond a Kim Davis-Kather, who's got the only real experience there. Wide receiver depth took a dive too, leaving spots wide open.

1:04Right now, Nick Westbrook Akhine and Ashton Dullin are battling for the number three receiver role, with Anthony Gould and Laquan Tredwell as backups. Not exactly a stacked group heading into the offseason. Ballas got linebacker and receiver high on his draft board to rebuild that string, to expect those positions to light up come draft day, keeps the Colts rebuilding smart.