Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Germaine Pratt to Reunite with Lou Anarumo This Offseason?
Episode Date: February 14, 2025Cincinnati Bengals LB Germaine Pratt has requested a trade this offseason. With Lou Anarumo being the Colts' DC, and the Colts needing a linebacker, does a reunion make sense? Become a Locked On Colt...s insider! Ask your burning questions and get prompt answers from someone who's around the team every day! Get special access from the locker room, practice field, and press box! JOIN HERE! Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram! Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins! Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus; it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLFanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jermaine Pratt has requested a trade.
Should the Colts be interested?
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.
Thank you for tuning in and making us your first listen of every day. bet wins. Hello everyone, my name is Zach Hickshare, resident film nerd over at HorseshoeHuddle.com.
And my partner Jake Arthur is not here today, but don't worry, we have a fun show planned.
Today we're going to be talking all about the need at linebacker this offseason. So we're
going to talk about some cheaper options that could fit the Colts. We're going to talk about
some big names on the open market that fit. But first, we have to start off with the big news,
not really big news, but just the big speculation news of the offseason. That is linebacker Jermaine
Pratt. Jermaine Pratt from the Cincinnati Bengals has requested a trade. Pratt, I don't think he's
made a pro bonus career, but he was darn close in those 2021 and 2022 seasons. Very good player
for the Bengals back then.
He's had kind of a tough two-year stint the last two years,
but still very, very close with Lou Anarumo,
the Bengals' former defensive coordinator
and the now Colts' defensive coordinator.
So the speculation has been aplenty right now
when it comes to Pratt to the Colts,
mainly because, I mean, heck, Ian Rapoport in his tweet
announcing the trade
request even said in there that he has a lot of respect, that Jermaine Pratt has a lot of respect
for Luanna Ramone. Those two are very close. The Colts have a needed linebacker this offseason
with EJ Speed likely leaving in free agency. So yeah, there is some truth to the rumors and the
speculation from Colts people that Jermaine Pratt could be a guy
in play for the Colts. So before we jump into Jermaine Pratt, though, again, let's talk about
this needed linebacker. Zyre Franklin is almost certainly still going to be here at the Colts
next season. He's going to be there starting Mike linebacker. Say what you will about Zyre Franklin,
but I do think he's one of those guys where the counting stats are probably a little bit
overrated for him, but I think fans
in general are a little bit underrated on him. I think he's a perfectly capable linebacker,
certainly not a second team all pro like he was awarded this season, but I still think he's a
perfectly capable linebacker that can be part of winning football on defense as long as he can get
those missed tackles under control next season. So Zyra Franklin will be one of the starters.
Jalen Carlisle is another guy who could factor in to get some snaps.
But aside from that, if EJ Speed does walk this offseason,
the Colts have that massive need at linebacker.
And a player like Jermaine Pratt could be a fit.
You look at kind of the pros to this type of move here for the Colts.
And it is, you know, Pratt was a green dot player for Lou Anarumo the last like four seasons.
He wore that green dot.
He was the guy who delivered the plays.
Team captain on defense for the Bengals.
And the counting stats are very, very good for Jermaine Pratt.
477 tackles in his career, 226 stops,
seven forced fumbles and eight interceptions.
Even last year in what was
admittedly not a great season for him he had two interceptions and two forced fumbles and he was
pro football focuses 36th ranked linebacker in coverage out of 48 people which is not great
but it is higher than what franklin and ej speed graded out as when it comes to
pro football focus coverage grade.
So technically it would be an upgrade in coverage linebacker.
If you look at it in that sense there.
Also, again, with Andrew Ramos' system coming in here to the Colts,
it would be wise to bring in a couple of his players just to help smooth that transition.
Like obviously you don't want to bring the whole Bengals defense
because the Bengals defense wasn't great last year.
But you do want to bring in a couple of players just to help that transition a little bit.
I mean, we've done that. The Colts have done that with Matt Eberflus.
And they brought Eberflus in. They did it with Gus Bradley when they brought in a guy like Brandon Faison.
It does sometimes help just to bring in a familiar face that can help be an additional coach in that locker room.
And Jermaine Pratt's contract is really not too bad.
I mean, I think I saw a tweet the other day that said that the acquiring team would only be
responsible for one year, $5.6 million left on the deal. Obviously, he would hit free agency after
this upcoming season. But with the way NFL trades work, this would probably be like a late round
pick swap to take Jermaine Pratt to free up that contract from the Bengals. So the Bengals have even more money to throw at their big name receivers that
they haven't paid yet for some reason. So very acquirable deal. I think on paper, this is a good
player. And again, he played under the Colts current, even to Cornetta the last like six
years of his career. He's a guy who really fits in terms of what the Colts are trying
to do going forward with their defense. So on paper, this feels like a great fit. Really,
the cons, though, to this move is Jermaine Pratt is kind of in that Zyre Franklin type of mold of
player where the counting stats are really good, but they're probably a little bit overrating him.
I don't think he's as good as what some of the counting stats say.
I do think he makes some plays here and there,
but very high missed tackle rate,
just like Franklin and Speed last year,
a player who has consistently gotten worse over the last three years
and probably hasn't been worth the contract that he's currently making.
And there is kind of that redundancy with Isaiah Franklin
where they're both kind of better
as will linebackers who can run and chase and you know kind of play with the ball in front of them
they're not these super rangy like hyper aware linebackers in coverage who can properly ID
routes behind them and make plays in the ball they're more so those athletic run and chase
type guys who you want attacking downhill,
which is perfectly fine to have one of those guys,
but to have two could be a bit redundant
and could make your defense a bit worse.
I mean, heck, we saw it last year with the Colts.
They had two of those guys in EJ Speed and Zyre Franklin,
and they had one of the worst coverage linebacker duos
in football as a result.
So while I think Pratt
is an upgrade over an EJ Speed, is he that much of an upgrade, especially in the coverage aspect?
Probably not. You know, I don't know if he makes the Colts defense that much better. So there are
pros and cons to this. Like again, you're getting a veteran guy who would be like a coach on the
field, be a former team captain, be a former green dot guy under Anarumo
that can really help the transition of this defense.
And he would be an upgrade over EJ Speed,
but he wouldn't be much of an upgrade.
And he's kind of redundant with Zyra Franklin.
And he hasn't played great football
the past couple of seasons.
So I understand people being,
you know, some people being really for
making this potential deal,
some people being very against
making this potential deal. It does seem like for for all accounts here that
uh Jermaine Pratt does want to be an indie now want and actually getting the deal done are two
separate things like it takes both sides to get that done and also there could be other teams you
know really desperate for a starting linebacker who offer something more to the Bengals and they're able to get that trade done. So we'll see if anything really comes to
fruition with this trade request. But, you know, if the Colts end up making this deal for Jermaine
Pratt, I think it does make their defense a little bit better because, again, I do think Pratt is a
better player than an EJ Speed. Heck, I think he's even younger than EJ Speed somehow, if you can believe that.
So I do think it makes sense in that regard.
But is it something that really puts the defense over the top?
Probably not.
That's kind of where my pushback comes with that.
And if the Colts end up giving up like a real draft capital,
like if they even give up like a fourth or a fifth in the trade,
in a trade for him,
I think that would be a little bit egregious.
I think that'd be a little bit too much for a player who hasn't played
particularly great football the last couple of seasons.
And who knows if a desperate team out there won't offer more than like,
won't offer like a fourth or a fifth that I wouldn't be willing to offer for
Jermaine Pratt,
if that makes sense there.
So again,
I could see the
reasoning if the Colts can get him for like a late round pick swap and, and that's your linebacker
move this off season. As long as Carlisle is still getting his shot out there too, I can be talked
into this deal, but it's not really a needle mover for me. It's more so like, okay, like as long as
this is part of other moves on defense, I can be okay with
it.
But if this is like the only move on defense for the Colts, if they were to do this, then
I think I would have some pushback there.
But let me know what you guys think in the comment section.
Is Jermaine Pratt the missing piece for this defense?
Or should the Colts spend their money elsewhere this offseason?
Spend their money in picks potentially if they have to trade for him.
Should they go a different route this offseason?
Let us know in the comment section.
But coming up, guys, we're going to keep this linebacker train going.
We're going to talk about some big name free agents at linebacker that could really fit
this Colts team and maybe even be a better fit on defense than a player like Jermaine
Pratt.
When the game tips off, theba action is just getting started there's no better place to get
in on the on the action than with fan duel america's number one sports book with fan duel
you can place live bets throughout the game so even if you miss the opening tip off or want to
get in on some fourth quarter comeback you can stay in on the action speaking of fourth quarter
comebacks the indiana pacers the other day came back from
a dreadful drought against the Washington Wizards.
Came all the way back in the fourth quarter, took it to overtime, and won that game.
So if you have faith in your Pacers, make sure you're going to FanDuel.
And if you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your live bets into a
same game parlay.
Personally, I love using FanDuel's live betting feature because, again, for moments like that Pacers-Wizards game, I'm feeling really good.
I'm seeing Obi Toppin go off for 30 points and I'm saying, look, the Pacers are coming back in
this one. Then I can just make that bet mid-game and win some really good money there. So right now,
new FanDuel customers can bet $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins.
Just visit FanDuel.com to join today.
That's FanDuel.com for your shot at $150 in bonus bets.
Make every moment more with FanDuel,
the official sports betting partner of the NBA.
Alrighty, Locked on Colts Everydayers, we are back talking about higher end free
agent linebackers that fit the Colts this offseason.
And I got to be honest with you guys, there's not many that are hitting the market this
offseason.
And I think a big part of that is there's not that many good linebackers to go around.
You know, it's not really a star-studded linebacker league
like it used to maybe when, you know, the early 2000s
when I was growing up, when you had guys like, you know,
that's in the early 2000s, but like your Kiklis and,
and I mean, or earlier than that,
like your Brian Urlacher's and stuff like that.
Like it's a very different league
than what it was back in the day.
And linebacker play has really suffered.
I mean, I think the two guys who are going to get paid the biggest
that are hitting free agency or potentially hitting free agency this offseason
are Zach Vaughn and Nick Bolton, both that were playing in the Super Bowl just last week.
And I didn't put them on this list because I don't think there's any chance whatsoever
either guy even comes close to the market.
Zach Vaughn was a buy low option for the Philadelphia Eagles this past season.
He played at an all pro level all year long, and they're going to very much pay that.
I mean, he was just fantastic, and he's an integral part of that defense.
And then Nick Bolton, you know, I think he's kind of in that Franklin and Pratt tier a
little bit where the counting stats are a little bit better than his actual play.
But, you know, Kansas City loves that guy. Spags will die for him. So I certainly expect him to get
that extension in Kansas City. So when we're looking at guys who actually are going to hit
the market, like it's not many. I mean, even two of the guys who I actually put on my list here,
I don't anticipate them going anywhere because they're veteran guys who are
kind of where they want to be. So let's go over them real quick. Levante Davis and Bobby Wagner. Davis obviously from,
or Levante David, sorry, from Tampa Bay. Future Hall of Famer, fantastic player,
super underrated linebacker throughout his career. Kind of never really gets the credit
that he deserves. He's a fantastic football player towards the end of his career
right now. And he's hit free agency, I think the last like two cycles. And he's always re-signed
with Tampa Bay. I don't expect him to actually hit the market, but if he did make the move,
make the move, like do whatever to go get Levante David. He's just that good of a player.
But again, I very, very much don't expect him to touch the market. And then Bobby Wagner with Washington.
He seemed like the perfect fit for that team, that team that was ascending throughout the
season.
He's certainly not the Bobby Wagner of old.
But again, like David, I mean, this is a guy who's going to be a Hall of Famer one day.
Even if he can't move the way that he used to, he's such a cerebral player, such a good
player that you just kind of pay for that locker
room experience and that guy that you're getting.
But again, Washington would be unwise to let that guy walk.
And they have like $200 million in cap space.
Why would they let him walk in free agency?
So after we get past those four guys who are likely not even going to touch the market,
it kind of becomes slim pickings from there. And I think the one guy that every Colts fan is trying to circle and trying to get excited about
is Dre Greenlaw from San Francisco. And yeah, the last time we saw this guy healthy, which was
well over a year ago. Yeah, he was a fantastic player playing at like an all pro like Pro Bowl
type level. But we just haven't seen that in a
while you know he got hurt I believe it was in that Super Bowl game like running on the field
it was a crazy freak injury and we really haven't seen him since and I think he got a couple snaps
in late this past season but it was kind of a wash of a season for him so now you have this
older player who's just coming off of I don't't want to say older player, but like not like super young
player, but coming off of a major injury that didn't really play much this past season. But
when you did see him play last, he was playing at a pretty good level. He was helping that team get
to the Super Bowl back in 2023. So where he is valued on the open market will be interesting
because he will be the biggest name that hits the market. But also you have to be wary of the injury costs and the injury concerns with him, especially
because he didn't really play much this past season. So he's kind of one of those guys where
free agency is kind of terrifying. You know, you don't know what you're getting there. Like if you
can get him on a one year contract, there's really no risk because if it doesn't work out, it doesn't
work out. But because he's going to be that top guy on the market, you might have to give him like a three,
four, five, five year contract to really get him to be interested in your team. And that's really
where it could really blow up in your face because again, there are the risks with that.
But I mean, there's risks with every free agent, but there's really risk with him.
But Dre Greenlaw, again, very, very good player.
Part of one of the best one-two punches at linebacker in football the last couple years
with Fred Warner there in San Fran.
And as long as he can get back to being what he was back in 2023, 2022, I mean, you would
be getting a top 10 linebacker in football, top 15 linebacker in football.
So, you know, if you want to be big
game hunting, that's your guy that you go after. But it's a very, very risky guy to go after
because of that injury. But again, you know, if you don't risk it, no biscuit, right? That's the
that's the saying there. So sometimes you got to risk it to get one of those impact type players
on your defense. And yeah, he could be someone who could really change the course of this Colts defense going forward. Could be a really good one-two punch with Zyra
Franklin. Not as good a one-two punch as he had in San Fran, but certainly would be an upgrade for
this Colts defense. And the other guy I have added on here is Ernest Jones from Seattle,
who had one of the weirdest seasons ever this past year, was traded right before the year from the Rams to the Titans.
The Titans have the season from hell, so they end up moving him to Seattle.
And he was perfectly fine in both spots.
And it seemed like, you know, when the Rams dealt him, it was more so because they weren't
willing to meet his price tag of what he was going to get on the open market after the
season.
So they wanted to get ahead of it, get some draft capital for the player.
So they moved him.
And then you go to the Titans,
and the Titans end up being a much worse team than they expected.
They weren't going to be able to, like, they could have paid his contract,
but they're kind of blowing it up a little bit.
So they end up moving him at the deadline.
And now he's on his third team in less than a calendar season.
And if Seattle does let him walk, which certainly could happen,
I mean, nothing's guaranteed when it comes to these trades, obviously,
what we saw with the Titans there.
He'd be a really interesting guy on the open market.
I know he didn't grade super well in pro football-focused coverage grades,
but honestly, PFF's a little weird with their linebacker coverage grades.
I think they're a little too harsh on players.
I think Jones has good eyes, good feel, and he certainly has that extra gear that I think
other linebackers have lacked in coverage for the Colts since Bobby Okereke. You know,
Bobby Okereke had that great feel, great eyes, great man-to-man ability even,
and the Colts have felt that void in coverage from linebacker ever since he left to go to the
New York Giants. So I think Jones, in a way, can kind of bring back that coverage linebacker ever since he left to go to the New York Giants. So I think Jones, in a way, can kind of bring back that coverage linebacker aspect of the
Colts haven't had in a long time.
So again, in a kind of weak linebacker market, Ernest Jones might be the best, like the bigger
name free agent that the Colts go after, because this is a guy who I believe he was part of
their Super Bowl run a couple years ago. I think he was a rookie on that Super Bowl run or it might've been
the year after. I'm not too sure there, but a good player who's been a part of playoff teams who,
I mean, he's bounced around the different defensive systems and still been an effective player.
I'm kind of interested in that. And honestly, if you're telling me you can get Jones for like
seven, $8 million a year versus Greenlaw for like $14 or $15, I would probably take Ernest Jones at $8.
I'd probably take Jones at $8 over Greenlaw at like $12 even just because I've seen Jones
do it for the last couple years.
Or Greenlaw, yes, it was good before the injury, but the injury is there.
And gosh, I don't want to bring in a guy with a big injury to the Colts because the Colts cannot stay healthy regardless.
So Ernest Jones, I think would be a good,
like big game hunting free agent
for the Colts this offseason.
I think he would be a good fit next to Zyra Franklin.
Maybe you can move Franklin back to the will in this too
and have Franklin be more of that attacking linebacker,
like where he's at his best.
And I think you could have some good things
on your defense there. But again, we'll see if any of these big name linebacker, like where he's at his best. And I think you could have some good things on your defense there. But again, we'll see if any of these big name linebackers make sense for the
Colts come actual free agency. But you know, if we go by my logic of those top four guys all going
back to their teams, it's kind of slim picking for big names. So maybe the best option for the Colts
is go out there, get a cheaper name, bring in like a cheaper like buy low type guy and have
them compete with Jalen Carlisle for the starting spot. I think that might make a little bit more
sense. So coming up, we're going to talk about some of those cheaper buy low options for the
Colts in free agency at linebacker this offseason. Football season may be over, but basketball is in
full swing. There's no better way to stay in the
game than with prize picks the best place for daily fantasy sports with prize picks you can
pick more or less on at least two player projections and if you're right you can win up to
1 000 times your cash prize picks is quick and easy you can set your lineup in less than 60 seconds
and you're and they're fast and secure withdrawals mean I get my winnings in as little as 15 minutes.
Plus, I love their weekly promos like Taco Tuesday, where you can get discounted player
projections for even better value. So download the app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get
$50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code LOCKEDONNFL for $50 instantly after you play your first $5. A lot of prize picks run your game.
All right, locked on Colts every day as we're back talking linebackers in free agency.
And again, we talked about Jermaine Pratt at the top of the show, how trading for him
would be an upgrade for the Colts, but how much of an upgrade? Probably not a ton.
We talked about
some of the big name guys out there and how a lot of them are likely to go back to their teens,
but there are a couple guys who I'm kind of interested in. But now let's talk about the
option that makes the most sense in my head, which is go for like one or two of these like
buy low free agent linebackers, get them in here to compete and may the best guy win in camp like even if
zyra franklin lost out in camp fine you know get the best guy on the field because i'm tired of it
being one to two guys versus a bunch of undrafted guys and then just going from there because then
you're one injury away from one of those undrafted guys being on the field and that's not to say too
much about you know you're a saguna lubies and stuff. I think they've been very fun players, but I think it's time for the Colts to really
address the depth at several points on this defense, but in particular at linebacker and
just get in some guys who know what they're doing and who have been around and have been
successful in this league.
So the first guy I have here on the buy low options or on the cheaper free agent options
is Akeem Davis Gaither from Cincinnati
Bengals this one just makes a lot of sense obviously we talked about the top of the show
Jermaine Pratt having that Bengals connection well Akeem Davis Gaither has the Bengals connection
obviously with Louie Anarumo he was also a captain on that Bengals defense now more of a special
teams captain but he played a healthy amount on that Bengals defense the last couple years as well.
A guy who, again, just knows the system, knows what he's doing, and would be a lot cheaper than most linebackers on the open market.
I think that's a slam dunk.
Just get him in here because he knows what he's doing.
And you get a guy who can be like a coach on the field as well at a much cheaper price.
You don't have to give up a pick for him either.
I think getting Davis Gaither in here is like the slam dunk of the offseason, in my opinion.
Like if I were controlling the Colts,
like that's the first move I'd make this offseason
is like, hey, Akeem, what do you want?
All right, cool, come here for one or two year deal.
I just think that makes too much sense for the Colts.
So yeah, Davis Gaither,
a guy who I've been a big fan of for years,
Appalachian State boy, and I love me some App State.
So yeah, Akeem Davis Gaither, I think should be've been a big fan of for years, Appalachian State boy, and I love me some App State.
So yeah, Akeem Davis Gaither, I think,
should be an easy signing for the Colts this offseason.
Another guy that I've been a big fan of for years,
I think I've talked about him a lot on this show as well for some reason, but Divine Diablo from Las Vegas.
Now, he had a really good season a couple years ago,
like his rookie season and the year after his rookie season were really strong, dealt with some injuries, dealt with some inconsistencies
the last two years.
So he's not really finishing off his rookie contract super, super strong, but still a
guy that I really like.
A former safety at Virginia Tech, moved to linebacker under Gus Bradley with Vegas.
They obviously changed defensive coordinators after his first year and became Patrick Graham's
defense.
And I think he's been pretty solid for the most part.
I mean, again, the play has kind of been up and down over the course of his rookie contract.
But overall, I would call him a really solid linebacker.
And I think he's a guy where, you know, he's still like 25, 26.
You can get him in here, have him compete with Jalen Carlisle and have those two former
safeties just bring that coverage aspect to your linebacker core.
I think Devon Diablo would be a really good fit for the Colts.
Troy Dye from the Los Angeles Chargers is kind of in a similar vein.
Now, he's always been a linebacker.
I think he was at Oregon in college.
And he's just a guy, we're getting like athletic, long arms, has had some spot starts in the NFL but hasn't really
gotten his chance you can really pitch to him saying like look you can come in here and Jalen
Carlisle is your competition you have a chance to start for us maybe and I think you can really
sell him on that opportunity and he's a guy who again I think he can be I don't want to say like
a Zach Bond type of find because Zach Bond has been so great for the Philadelphia Eagles this
past year. But
I mean, the Eagles bought low on him. They did not give him a big contract. He was not some
high priced, big time free agent they brought in. He was the guy they bought low on and he came in
and exceeded expectations and became an all pro for him. Now, I'm not saying that's what Troy Dye
is going to be by any means, but there are guys where you can get a big-time impact player
by just bringing in someone else who needs that opportunity.
And Troy Dye could be a guy who just needs an opportunity to really excel in this league,
and I think he can be a plus starter in the right situation.
So Troy Dye is another guy who I've had my eye on for a couple years now, and I think
he'd be a good fit on this Colts defense.
Going to more veteran options here,
we have Cody Barton from the Denver Broncos,
another name that I've been just pounding the table
for the last couple of seasons.
And Barton's a guy who, he's not very athletic.
Like he's not the super athlete
like that Chris Ballard typically goes for at linebacker,
but he's just such a smart cerebral player
who knows how to get to his landmarks,
get his eyes
back to the quarterback and make some plays and again I've watched Franklin and EJ Speed these
last couple seasons in coverage and while I think Franklin's a bit underrated in coverage I don't
think either of them are really plus cover players where I see a guy like Cody Barton I know that he
knows how to get to those landmarks that Franklin and Speed have struggled to get to over the past couple of seasons.
I know that he knows how to make plays on the ball
that maybe other linebackers in Indy
haven't been able to make.
So I really just want that type of linebacker on this team.
Like I'm not saying that Cody Barton
is some superstar guy in coverage,
but he's just a guy who plays good team coverage defense.
And again, the Colts haven't really had that
at linebacker those couple of years.
The middle of the defense has been just exploited constantly in the passing game. So I think a guy like Cody Barton could really help the Colts overcome some of those deficiencies.
Another veteran linebacker here, Robert Spillane from the Las Vegas Raiders, another Raiders
defender. I'm just going crazy with Raiders defenders this offseason, but Spillane, he's not the best cover guy. He's not the most athletic, but the one thing that he does do
really well, great tackler, fantastic tackler, and the Colts couldn't tackle anybody last year.
I don't know. I don't want to go too far. I almost said that I don't know if they could
have tackled me last year, but with my legs, I probably would have tackled myself trying to run
out there against this defense last year, but regardless, Spillane, a really good tackler, really consistent tackler. He's been doing it for
a long time. You kind of know what you're getting with him, which is, again, a limited player who's
not that great in coverage, but you get a team captain type guy who is a fantastic tackler and
an asset in the run game. I think that could really help this Colts defense another by low veteran
as well Kyser White from Arizona obviously Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon are very close they
coached together in Philadelphia and I think Steichen got to see Kyser White up close in
Philadelphia for a couple years there because I think he was in Philadelphia there before going
to Arizona and that's just a guy again, like he hasn't been great the
last couple of seasons, but he's been there, done that. He was a linebacker convert and with the
Chargers, which I think Steichen was there with him there too. So Steichen's been with him in two
different destinations, I believe, with the Chargers and the Eagles. So, you know, there's
a little bit of that Steichen connection. I think he's a guy who's been a pretty good player for the
most part in his career. Not a high-end linebacker but can certainly come
in and fill a role for your defense and I've always been a fan since his West Virginia days
as well so Kaiser White another just by low veteran who I think upgrades your room you don't
even have to start him next season like if Jalen Carlisle beats him out in camp cool like cool he
can be your third linebacker and get a couple snaps here and there,
and we can call it a season there.
But I just think the Colts need to upgrade
pretty much every spot on defense at the back end of the roster.
Like, they just need more veterans who know what they're doing
and have played in this league,
and I think that there's plenty of opportunity to do that.
Like, there may not be the big splash move at linebacker this offseason but if you can get me like Akeem Davis Gaither and Troy Dye or Divine Diablo this
offseason like give me both of those guys and say hey you four guys counting in Franklin and
Carlisle are competing for the two two to two and a half linebacker spots that we have I think you
can have a really good linebacker group by the end of the season compared to what we had the last couple of years where it's like,
oh, the same two guys will always get the snaps. Like you do need to add competition. I think if
you get like an Akeem Davis Gaither and a Divine Diablo in here, you add that competition and it
makes your team better as a result. So let me know what you guys think in the comment section. Like,
would you guys just go big name at linebacker?
Would you maybe go to the draft?
Would you go get Jermaine Pratt?
What would you guys do at linebacker this offseason?
Let us know in the comment section.
Thank you guys for making Locked On Colts your first listen today and every day.
Next, go find Locked On NFL.
First, Madman Tyler Rowland kicks off your morning with a double shot of NFL espresso
and then stop by the barbershop with Tony Wiggins for some real NFL talk.
And if you guys don't already, make sure you're following at LockedOnColts, at JakeArthurNFL, and at ZachX2 all on Twitter.
Also, subscribe to us on YouTube where we list your podcasts.
We love your guys' rags, your views, and we'll catch you guys back here early next week.