Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - FREE AGENCY: Indianapolis Colts Had a BUSY Week Signing New, Remaining Talent

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's the first week of NFL free agency and the Colts have been busy, busy, busy. We're going to talk about who's in and who's out. Let's get to it. You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network out there. Hello, everybody. I am Jake Arthur, your Indianapolis Colts beat writer for Roundtable Sports. And today we are kind of encapsulating this first week of NFL pre-agency for you.

Starting point is 00:00:45 The Colts started out really busy, made a splash as soon as the legal tampering period opened. Hit a little bit of a lull as the week went on. But then as of Friday afternoon, got really busy again. Zach and I actually recorded two episodes for you guys on Friday afternoon. to release immediately after. And within 45 minutes after us being finished recording, those episodes were rendered useless because the Colts made four moves,

Starting point is 00:01:15 and it kind of just shifted the tone of both shows. So we didn't want to send out stuff that had suddenly become outdated immediately for you. So I am re-recording these things now for you guys as of Saturday morning. And fingers crossed, the Colts don't do anything before 6 a.m. and the sun's even up. So right now is probably a safe time to do this.

Starting point is 00:01:38 So let's talk first about who is in. We have to talk about the biggest moves of free agency for the Colts so far. They obviously re-signed Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. Now, those guys were obviously priority 1A and 1B for the Colts. They have kind of hedged all of their bets on 2026, looking a lot more like the first half of 2025 than the second half. They think this team is a lot better than the one that went 0 and 7 down the stretch. So they, I don't want to say they want to completely run it back, but they want to bring back some of the strongest parts of what made them so good early on.

Starting point is 00:02:19 So quarterback, I mean, whether you agree with it being Daniel Jones or not, it was always going to be Daniel Jones for the Colts. Four-year deal for him or two-year deal for him, 88 million, could be up to 100,000. million based on incentives. And for my money, yes, if you look at it like that and it's $50 million a year, that's a lot. But if the contract ultimately does get up to $100 million, it's probably a good thing for everybody. It means Jones and the team is, they're both really hitting their benchmarks and kind of getting to their goals.

Starting point is 00:02:54 So you almost want Jones to get to that $100 million. And then Alec Pierce with his four-year deal, $116 million mega deal. the richest free agent contract for a wide receiver in NFL history, just like Jones, you got to pay to play. That's $28 million for $28.5 million, I think, for Alec Pierce per year. And they're paying him for what he's about to become. So number one, he just led the league in the NFL and yards per reception for two years in a row.

Starting point is 00:03:27 It's coming off his first thousand-yard season. That's all fine and dandy, but they want him to take the next step. he believes he can take the next step and be a complete receiver, a guy that's not just getting 80 targets a year, more like 130, 140, and is affecting the game throughout. And it's not just, you know, getting the ball when they need it in the fourth quarter, you know. So Alec Pierce with Michael Pittman Jr. out the door, which we'll talk about in a moment, Alec Pierce is going to really step up to be that Colts top receiver. A couple other guys, they brought in Friday afternoon that all but wipes out.

Starting point is 00:04:02 their need at safety. Juanier Thomas and Jonathan Owens both signed a one-year deals. Now, Juanier Thomas, looking at his past, he has been used kind of all over the place, free safety box on the line in the slide. He's lined up everywhere. My guess is he's going to step in and replace Nick Cross at strong safety as long as he stays healthy. His season was derailed last year about, you know, he played about half the games.

Starting point is 00:04:28 I believe he was dealing with migraines, which if you, if you, or anyone close to you has ever dealt with that. It's not something just so easily treatable or curable. But obviously the Colts know the deal there. Hopefully everything is on the up and up with him, and they have a good plan of attack for something like that comes up again. But Juan Ye Thomas, 25 years old, really talented player. It seems like Cowboys fans are kind of upset that they've lost him

Starting point is 00:05:01 and that they wish he would have been healthy without the migraines throughout his tenure there. So it sounds like the Colts are getting a pretty promising player there. He's like 6-3-217, so great build. Jonathan Owens, of course, I think most people know him as being Simone Biles' husband, but he does have some game to him. Both him and Thomas do offer the Colts some special teams prowess. But Owens has kind of a knack for getting his hands on the ball. He's got some fumble recovery, some interceptions.

Starting point is 00:05:32 My guess is he is your new Rodney Thomas. He's been used a lot of free safety. He doesn't, like he plays on defense a bit and he has kind of some vast starting experience previously for Houston, Green Bay, and Chicago. But it doesn't, it doesn't look like he'll get the usage that Juanier Thomas does. So again, I'm thinking Juanier Thomas is your new Knit Cross and Jonathan Owens is your new Rodney Thomas. Both will probably contribute on special teams, though. The Colts have also loaded up quite a bit on the depth of their defensive line, but they still need firepower at the top of it.

Starting point is 00:06:10 Arden Key is someone they added on the edge. They also added Michael Clemens on the edge. So Key is a guy who's been in the AFC South for like four years now with the Jaguars and Titans. Good third edge rusher for you. Athletic guy out of LSU several years ago. He's about 29 years old now. Pretty good fit for what the Colts want to do. Replaces Samson Ebukom. But, you know, dropping your edges into coverage and getting them to move around a bit. I think he's a better fit there than Epiocom was.

Starting point is 00:06:42 Colby Wooden is who the Colts traded Zyre Franklin for with the Green Bay Packers. It looks like he's probably going to be your direct replacement for Neville Gallimore at 3 Tech. He can play nose and he started there for Green Bay at Nose, but it was a little bit miscast. but he can he can basically be a base three tech behind de Forrest Buckner and then kick out to edge in heavy fronts as well. So he's pretty intriguing. Michael Clemens appears to be a replacement for Taekwon Lewis. Not as much juice to him coming out of Texas A&M, he wasn't intriguing kind of like heightweight explosive player. It hasn't quite panned out in New York with the Jets.

Starting point is 00:07:28 for him. I know Jets fans widely were pretty eager to get rid of him, it seemed. Kind of guy who kind of makes some bone head plays, comes up with bad penalties at bad times, but he's got a lot of strength. You see a bull rush from him that's pretty impressive.

Starting point is 00:07:44 I don't think he's going to get a ton of snaps, but he's going to be a key rotational guy. And as long as he plays it smart, he's got some physical talent. So he'll be someone worth keeping an eye on. Derek Nottie is a backup nose tackle they brought in from the chiefs three-time Super Bowl winner.

Starting point is 00:08:01 I don't even know if he's going to wind up making a roster, but I'm intrigued by what he can offer those around him. So I look at like Tim Smith, another guy he'll be competing with to be a backup nose tackle out of Tom and why, out of Boire. How is he going to positively impact these younger guys around him and like be, I don't know if he's going to take a hands-on approach to helping these guys come along, but certainly those younger guys can look at a guy like him and look at his habits

Starting point is 00:08:31 and just he knows what it takes to be a winner. He's experienced so much more just in the postseason than a lot of these guys have in the NFL in general. So Derek Nottie, I like that just again for the vibes and just being someone who is a championship player and has been around championship teams. And then the Colts also resigned, tied in Drew Ogletree and Kicker Blake Groupie.

Starting point is 00:08:55 Ogletree was hanging out there. with Moe Alley Cox as the Colts primary backup tight ends that were in free agency. I don't know if this now means Mo Allen Cox is not coming back. I know last year he didn't come back till right before the draft. So Drew Ogletree is back to backup Tyler Warren. Blake Groupie is now in there to number one compete with Spencer Schrader, I believe, if Schrader is able to come back in time for like training camp and all that. But if Schrader is not back in time, then Blake Groupie is your kicker for them.

Starting point is 00:09:27 So we'll see how we just, I don't think we know enough about Schrader's injury timeline yet in his recovery to say whether it's a competition or they're buying time until Schrader's back. So we're going to keep an eye on that. I know kicker stuff is super sexy and everyone cares about it a lot. But I have expressed how much I think that is actually a very important move. I guess so here in a moment we're going to talk about who the Colts have lost now that we have addressed who they added. College basketball is non-stop. Big games, big spreads, momentum swings every single night, from early tip-offs to late-night West Coast shootouts,

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Starting point is 00:12:29 well, which I didn't address at the top of the show, but receiver LaQuan Treadwell broke out as a special teamer in his 10th year last year. The Colts did lose Michael Pittman Jr., so I don't, I really don't expect Treadwell to contribute that much in Pittman's absence, but he is someone that I think might, he might be a camp body at minimum, but he might also get a little work at receiver, but primarily on special teams if I had to guess. And they got a couple of Safety's Juanier Thomas Jonathan Owens and then a bunch of defensive linemen in Arden Key, Colby Wood and Michael Clemens, Derek Nottie, and again, re-signed Drew Ogletree and Blake Groupie. So that's who's in. Now let's talk about who they lost. So Wright tackle Braden Smith, who's been starting for the Colts since 2018. He has signed a multi-year deal with the Houston Texans. Good for Braden Smith. It's this one, It's bittersweet.

Starting point is 00:13:30 I mean, he did a lot for the Colts, but he has been banged up quite a bit. And the Colts do have a replacement in place with Jalen Travis. So I like to see Braden go and cash in somewhere else, get his payday and get some playing time. It sounds like he might be in the mix to actually start at left guard for Houston as well. But the Colts will be fine. They have Jalen Travis. Obviously, it might be a few bumps in the road, but Travis got plenty of. experience last year in Smith's absence. And, you know, a big height weight athletic guy like that,

Starting point is 00:14:07 you want to see what the future holds for him. Plus, now you have three offensive linemen on rookie contracts. That's enormous because we all know how expensive offensive linemen are once you have to give them that second contract. So that's big for them. Talked about Juanier Thomas and Jonathan Owens, the guys they're replacing Nick Cross and Robney Thomas. So Nick Cross was, you know, One of, I would say, Chris Ballard's biggest draft and develop wins. They traded up a few years back and drafted him in the third round. Draft him when he was 20 years old. It took a couple years for him to be ready to really play significantly in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:14:46 But in 2024, when he became a full-time starter, he really took off. Posted a ton of tackles. It was just a demon in the box, keeping everything in front of him, hitting hard, making plays. Had the range and ball skills to do some stuff in the back end, but his coverage instincts still work in progress. I think he'll ultimately go and do fine for the Washington commanders. That's his hometown team.

Starting point is 00:15:13 It's the team he grew up rooting for. So again, good for him. If I'm the Colts, I probably would have done his deal at the price, though, two years up to $14 million. So that doesn't even mean it's a base of $7 million a year. It's up to $14 with incentives. So I'm not sure why the Colts didn't want to do that, but I mean, it's whatever. Rodney Thomas, the Colts third safety, the deep safety when the Colts would go into sub-packages.

Starting point is 00:15:42 He is going to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, so good for him. Jonathan Owens for Rodney Thomas, that's probably a decent, just one-for-one replacement for the Colts. But Thomas earned some starting reps early on in his career. You know, obviously lost that starting job ultimately. But I think he rebounded nicely in Louan Remo's defense to just focus on being that high safety in sub-packages. So I know Seattle lost quite a bit on their defense. He's probably going to go in and fill a small role there, I would imagine. On the defensive line, Quitty Pay and Samson Ebicon, Kudip went to the race.

Starting point is 00:16:23 Raiders and Ebbecom to the Falcons. Now, Pay got literally paid $16 million a year, was probably going to go in and somewhat replace Max Crosby when Crosby was going to be traded to the Ravens. But now he's going to be teaming up with Max Crosby. And I think this is going to be big for Pays' numbers because Quitty Pay on his own or without a dominant edge opposite him, he's not going to put up significant. significant stats. We saw that last year. The Colts didn't have a ton of pass rush. And despite playing a career high in games and snaps, Quitty Pay had his worst statistical season. But now having

Starting point is 00:17:06 a guy like Max Crosby on the other side, and with Quitty Pay being like an effort guy who plays to the whistle, I think he's going to get a bunch of opportunistic plays sent his way. So I don't think he's going to hit like 10 sacks, but I do think Quitty's probably going to get back to like eight or so sacks. I think he's going to get back to like eight or so sacks. I think he's going to this will be a big year for him specifically because they have max crosmer i believe they re-signed malcolm cunce as well uh they're tyree wilson there so like they've got a deep edge group quitty might do pretty well there just because of what's around them and then ebicom in atlanta they lost arnold ebikiti to the the eagles you know james pierce junior i've got to

Starting point is 00:17:47 imagine is going to be not with the team because of his legal issues as well. So getting a guy like Ebukom, another year removed from the Achilles, but another year older, I do think he'll probably be a little better than he was last year for the Falcons, but still the Colts needed to move on from that, a guy who's 30 plus with the Achilles history. There's just some guys when they're on the roster, the Colts are too enticed to give a bunch of playing time to, and that kind of felt like one of them. Another defensive lineman they lost was Neville Gallimore. He signed a two-year deal with the

Starting point is 00:18:22 Bears for $12 million. That was good. I was really in favor of the Colts resigning Gallimore, but they kind of replaced him in this higher Franklin trade with Colby Wooden. So Gallimore, that's good. He came to the Colts and had his best statistical

Starting point is 00:18:37 year, parlayed that into a bigger year. So you'd love to see that good for him. And then the two big trades that the Colts made, they sent Michael Pitman Jr. and a seventh round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth round pick. I know that doesn't seem a lot, and it's not, but the Colts got barely any return on that because of the contract that Pittman has. You have to send him to Pittsburgh with that gaudy contract, and then Pittsburgh gave him a new deal, three years, 59 million. So you're,

Starting point is 00:19:08 you're kind of giving Pittsburgh a big task with this as well. So that's why there wasn't a big return on investment. So that does create a little bit of a void for the Colts because don't forget, they also traded away 80 Mitchell last year. So you're kind of looking to replace both Pittman and Mitchell. And Pittman obviously was a starter that barely left the field. So LaQuan Treadwell alone, I don't know if he factors into the receiver bit of it at all. Again, he was a big special teamer last year. So the Colts do have a need now at receiver. And then Zyre Franklin traded to the Packers for Colby Wooden, the defensive tackle. This, you know, I don't want to say I'm surprised, but I had my reservations about whether

Starting point is 00:19:55 the Colts would actually do it or whether Zaire Franklin being sent out was just something that sounded like it needed to be done. But the Colts clearly want to remake the front seven in the linebacker room. They're now going to be looking to replace their green dot, their Mike linebacker, which is very, very important. I don't know if they'll bring Jermaine Pratt back to remain being the Will linebacker because I like the idea of drafting linebackers, but you do have to have someone with experience there.

Starting point is 00:20:26 I really don't think that Lou Aniruma would trust a couple of rookies to be starting at linebacker. So you replaced the Michael Pittman, Jr. You know, have a huge need at linebacker, even though like that did need to be done, Sire Franklin, finding a new place that probably was necessary. but now you do have a pretty significant need at linebacker. So that's all we got for you right now, guys.

Starting point is 00:20:49 I'm going to have another full-length episode for you in just a moment talking about the Colts' most significant needs. Thanks for hanging with us here this morning and being patient about no Friday episode. Again, you can blame the Colts for that for doing way too much on a Friday afternoon. Make sure you subscribe to our show now if you don't already. Also follow us at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL,

Starting point is 00:21:11 and at Zach Hicks too on our social medias. If you never miss an episode, then remember the everyday club is built just for you. Get Locked on Colts audio ad free plus members only Discord access and more. Had to locked on Colts.com to join the club or follow the link in our show notes right now. There's also for another 24 hours a special code,

Starting point is 00:21:33 free agency with no space that's going to give you a free month. So with that, thank you guys. And we will see you here. again shortly.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - FREE AGENCY: Indianapolis Colts Had a BUSY Week Signing New, Remaining Talent

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