Stephen Holder | IndyStar

Clark Wade/IndyStar

Matt Kryger/IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts’ No. 1 cornerback in 2017 won’t be back for 2018.

Veteran Rashaan Melvin, who had a career year last season, has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Oakland Raiders. The Colts had been in talks with Melvin prior to the start of the signing period, but General Manager Chris Ballard said he told Melvin’s agent to shop his services, establish a market, then come back to the table.

Melvin’s contract, for a reported $6.5 million, isn't significant by starting cornerback standards. It’s not clear whether Melvin and agent Drew Rosenhaus actually gave the Colts a chance to match, though Melvin was said to be originally seeking a deal from Indianapolis in excess of that amount, likely for multiple years.

In any case, if it seems the Colts didn't exactly bend over backward to keep Melvin, it's because they didn't.

And it's not because of talent. The reason, a source explained, is twofold.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

Ballard wants his young players to play and develop under Frank Reich’s new coaching staff, so this move is in keeping with those plans.

Second-year players Quincy Wilson and Nate Hairston played extensively last year and figure to be among the team’s top three corners in 2018. The Colts are expected to address the cornerback unit in the coming days with a free agent, the source added. They even have the option of re-signing another of their own free agents at the position, Pierre Desir. Desir, according to a separate source, is in the process of arranging free-agent visits with unspecified teams.

Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

The other issue at play with Melvin was scheme fit. His physical, man-to-man coverage skills are less valuable in the Colts' new defensive scheme, a source said, and that influenced how much the Colts would be willing to pay.

The Colts in 2018 are moving to a defensive system that will feature some man-to-man coverage but much more zone, and the team wants young players who can be raised in the scheme and taught to play it.

There's a good chance cornerback will be a target of the Colts again in this year's draft.

Ballard was asked recently about whether the prospect of re-signing Melvin was in line with his oft-stated goal of growing and rewarding homegrown talent within the organization. But Ballard seemed to draw a clear distinction between a player like Melvin -- who he did not draft and joined the team as a free agent two years ago -- and other players.

“Look, you’d like to get it to where you’re going to your guys after their third year… and extending them where they never actually hit free agency,” Ballard said. “When they actually get to a point where they hit free agency, well then you’ve got to let the market play out. Then you’ve got to determine is he within our price range of where we see his value.”