Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Kenny Moore II Becomes Indispensable Again, Reclaims Spot Among Top NFL Slots

Starting point is 00:00:00 the Indianapolis Colts defense could look drastically different next year, depending on what they decide to do this off season. 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, what's up, everyone? Thanks for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's show is brought to you by GameTime.

Starting point is 00:00:47 Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off of your first purchase. What's up, friends? This is Jake Arthur from HorseshoeHuddle.com. And today we are putting a bow on our free agency preview. One of our most recent episodes, we brought to you the offensive players that are going to hit free agency, who we think the Colts should prioritize and bring back, who they can probably afford to let walk, and what the impact is going to be in the middle,

Starting point is 00:01:14 essentially. And today we're looking at the defensive side of the ball. Even more impactful players on that side. Definitely some guys they need to think about bringing back. A few key contributors they already have brought back this offseason, signed into contracts, and then guys that they can probably just let walk or maybe just be camp bodies next year. So let's dive into it. As we mentioned the other day, the Colts kind of sitting pretty when it comes to the salary cap space. Spotrack has them at an estimated $72.7 million. That is the fifth most so far. And as we know, the Colts are never going to have a big shopping spree when it comes to free agency.

Starting point is 00:01:56 They're not going to spend more than what they think a guy should command in the free agency market. Now, obviously, a guy is worth what teams are willing to pay him, but we have rarely seen it be the Colts that are going to go and just break the bank on a guy that's at least not already in the building. So with that said, the Colts tend to invest in their own. A lot of their money goes back into their own pockets, signing guys to contract extensions. And I mentioned at the top, a few guys already have got extensions.

Starting point is 00:02:32 Linebacker Saguna Luby, linebacker Cameron McGrone, and safety and special teamer Trevor Denbo. All of those guys did get fresh one-year contracts last week, I believe it was. So those guys, you can cross them off the list. They were projected to be free agents. Otherwise, kind of going from most impactful at the top, you're looking at nose tackle Grover Stewart, nickel corner Kenny Moore II, safety Julian Blackman, defensive lineman Taven Bryan and Taequann Lewis,

Starting point is 00:02:59 defensive end Jake Martin, defensive end Jannard Avery, and safety Henry Black. So you're looking at a pretty significant amount of snaps on there. Grover Stewart, of course, was suspended six games, but kind of showed exactly why you need to resign him in that six-game absence. Those kind of is not a good scenario for him, but you get six games off to rest in the middle of the season and then you get, you know, five or whatever more at the end of the season to go ahead and, and really kind of let it all hang out and put your best foot forward and put your best tape

Starting point is 00:03:36 out there because after all you are fresh after that six game layover, Kenny Moore, really great example as well. That's someone who we, I think a lot of us were surprised was even still on the roster to start the season. But he kind of had a rebirth with this team, was really reinvigorated and had a great season. Julian Blackman, he was healthy the majority of the year, got hurt late in the season, was knocked out against the Falcons there in week 16, I believe it was. Unfortunate loss on the field for the Colts against the Falcons, but also losing him for the season. We saw, especially in those last couple games, they were really, really missing him. That young secondary really was hurting without his leadership and his

Starting point is 00:04:24 communication back there. And then the rest of the guys were really rotational. Taven Bryan kind of caught the ire of a lot of fans during Grover Stewart's absence. Tyquan Lewis, one of his better seasons. Only the second time in his career he's played every game, so that was great to see. Jake Martin was nice for the Colts to be able to stash a guy with that much experience and a good take throughout his career as like their sixth, seventh pass rusher on the outside. So that was a good move by them. Jannard Avery,

Starting point is 00:04:58 he unfortunately got hurt before the season even began, but he was having a really good training camp. And then Henry Black, the safety, he didn't get in for any action this year, but was a part of a couple transactions throughout the season. So the Colts were wary of what they had. So pretty important guys to know, of course, Grover Stewart and Kenny Moore are the ones you're really looking at. With Julian Blackman, I don't think the young safeties really proved themselves in his absence that the Colts could go on without him. Now, they probably could. Nick Cross is going to keep getting better with experience.

Starting point is 00:05:34 I don't really know what to say about Rodney Thomas. He kind of took a step back, but that's a good group in there. There's definitely some the Colts need to bring back, and then kind of some in there that would just be nice to have back, but in all it can sort itself out during training camp. So coming up, we'll talk about who the Colts really, really need to bring back. Buying tickets to your favorite events should not be stressful. Game time is the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all of the sports, music, comedy, theater, all that stuff near you. With killer deals on last minute tickets and their best price

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Starting point is 00:08:43 the regular cost. It's never been more important to get prepared than today. Go to jaysmedical.com and use offer code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order. All right, guys. So I think a lot of us probably had the same group of defensive free agents that we think the Colts really, really got to keep. Now we're going to start with Grover Stewart. And he is a guy who we mentioned this with Michael Pittman Jr. in the offensive show. Their absence is what really earned them their money this year. So the Colts overall weren't great against the run this year with or without Stewart. I'll be honest. I'm not going to make

Starting point is 00:09:23 it seem like Stewart was like some huge great wall of China that just made the entire difference in the world. Like there were guys around and they were kind of dropping the ball as well. When the Colts have been really good against the run, we've seen it from, you know, the cornerbacks are really good at tackling safeties, everybody. But it takes, it takes everybody being good at tackling, and they just didn't have it this year. But there was a clear difference of when Stewart was and was not there. So in the sixth game absence for him, while he was suspended for PEDs, the Colts allowed over 150 yards per game and they gave up 150 yards per game legitimately like it was tough teams that were no good at all at running the ball were able to do it uh you know i mentioned tave and brian was in there a lot of the time uh gus bradley and nate ollie tinkered back and forth

Starting point is 00:10:19 with it being eric johnson or tave and brian it was usually t usually Taven Bryan primarily. Adetome, Adebwari got in there as well. But there really was just no substitute for Stewart. In the games that the Colts did have him, they were down to 108 yards per game on the ground. So you're looking at a difference of about 40, 42 yards there. It's very, very telling. They were still giving up too many yards on the ground with him out there, but a lot of big gains were had when he was on the sideline or DeForest Buckner was on the sideline. So it goes to show that Stewart is a very, very key piece, a critical element to the run defense, but the Colts need to put more around them and they need to invest in guys who are really ready to tackle. You see Juju Brents being absent caused kind of a big issue at cornerback as well. So Stewart easily made his money. You're probably looking at something

Starting point is 00:11:18 around 10 million per year for him. That's about where he was in his last contract. And that's still where the figure makes the most sense when you look at today's contracts for nose tackles. Kenny Moore, again, huge bounce back year for him. He was a great leader for a very, very, very young secondary. You know, you talk to guys like Jalen Jones and Juju Branson, they point at Kenny Moore for an example of, you know, who is a great guy to watch, Nick Cross as well. So Moore came back, only missed the one game,

Starting point is 00:11:51 had 93 tackles with eight for loss, one and a half sacks, three interceptions, six pass breakups, and two touchdowns. Obviously had the two pick sixes against the Panthers. That was a huge difference in the game. If you look at that, I mean, not considering this is a 5'9 cornerback, those are numbers for like a linebacker. This guy is critical. He's very, very involved and is always around the ball.

Starting point is 00:12:18 We saw him being very instinctive again, which was always, to me, his biggest asset. He was always like the smartest guy on the field. And when you're missing a guy like Shaquille Leonard, or they had to depart from Shaquille Leonard because he just wasn't the same player, you really hope for a guy like Kenny Moore to come back and be himself. And so that definitely helped with Kenny being kind of reinvigorated in the defense. Beside him, the really other mainstay veteran presence in the secondary was Julian Blackman at safety. Now, this was up until late in the year, really like his first full season being healthy.

Starting point is 00:13:04 He did, of course, go on IR at the end with a shoulder injury. But he had a career year as a result, 88 tackles, five for loss, team-leading four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and eight pass breakups. This guy was everywhere. Zach and I mentioned this as well when we talked about Shaquille Leonard being gone. You're looking for someone who can come in and make plays in a variety of ways, and they can just affect the ball so many different ways. And really, Blackman and Moore

Starting point is 00:13:31 were your two guys that you were really looking at for that. So Blackman, yet another guy who, once he went down, we saw how valuable he really was. That loss to the Texans was huge, not having him back there. You know, the first play of the game, big touchdown to Nico Collins. You go back later in the game, wide open touchdown, short yardage to the fullback in the back of the end zone. It's possible that with Blackman, those plays don't unfold that way, or at least not both of them.

Starting point is 00:14:03 So Blackman, his veteran leadership and his communication, just his veteran savvy was very well missed. And I think the Colts need to bring him back. And then one more guy who pretty much just has a lifetime one-year contract every single year, just give him something new until he's ready to hang him up as Taequann Lewis. This was a really good story. A guy coming off of back-to-back seasons with torn patellar injuries. And the patellar injury, there's been research before. I don't know, renewed research, but I've read research before that that is the most difficult injury for football players to come back from and like be themselves again and play at a high level. And it happened to him in two different needs and two consecutive seasons.

Starting point is 00:14:50 The guy came back, was there for training camp and put together just the second full season of his career, 17 games in that he had career highs in four sacks, nine tackles for loss and three pass breakups. So that's a guy, you know, you see three pass breakups so that's a guy you know you see three pass breakups from a rotational defensive end that's a smart guy that's someone who is they know if they're not going to get to the the backfield the ball carrier the quarterback get your hands in the passing lanes that's just a smart crafty player and for my money the Colts always have room for a player like that I thought this was a perfect role for him this year. Obviously not a starter.

Starting point is 00:15:29 You know, you have Quidipe and Samson Ebicom, Dio Dangbo in there, but Tyquil Lewis is your next guy in there. I thought that was a really valuable asset. So coming up, we're going to talk about the rest of the guys and where they maybe fit into this whole thing. The NFL regular season is wrapping up, we're going to talk about the rest of the guys and where they maybe fit into this whole thing. The NFL regular season is wrapping up, but there is still time to get in on the action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. That's $150 back in bonus bets, win or lose. The app is super easy to use, and there's just so

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Starting point is 00:16:40 Who should they probably bring back and just let him duke it out in training camp. So we're looking at the rest of these guys. Taven Bryan, Jake Martin, Jannard Avery, and Henry Black. So when you're looking at Taven Bryan, he did help for a good chunk, probably like the first half of the year. He was able to make some occasional splash plays, get disruptive in the backfield. He's always just kind of been a one-trick pony as an interior pass rusher. He's just got a really good jump off the line that a lot of guys don't have.

Starting point is 00:17:14 Obviously never been much of a run defender, and I think the Colts really tried to fit a square peg into a round hole when Grover Stewart went out. I think most people knew that Taven Bryan wasn't the guy to replace Grover Stewart. They didn't really have anyone to do that with, but it made Bryan look bad in my eyes. And eventually he stopped kind of showing up and making those splash plays. And so I think at this point, you kind of just let him walk. You have a guy like Adetome Adebuare, who should be more than capable of continuing to grow.

Starting point is 00:17:50 We saw plenty of growth from him throughout training camp into the season. So if you're looking for empty snaps to give to someone, that's one place I would go. Eric Johnson continues to need snaps. McTelvin Aguim is a guy, if they want to try and bring him back, I really thought he brought a lot to the table in training camp. Maybe they could kind of kick the tires on that again. Jake Martin and Jannard Avery, that seems like kind of a package deal.

Starting point is 00:18:18 Two very similar type players. Avery has probably a little bit more of an edge when it comes to setting the edge and defending in the run game, but both players are really good, I think, at their role, at least. They're not like, you know, starter, starting level players anymore, but Avery, I was really disappointed that he got hurt and we weren't able to see what he could do throughout the season, so I would bring both of those guys back and just kind of let them duke it out and be bottom of the roster edge defenders, you know, throughout the season, unless you find upgrades somewhere, which is fine.

Starting point is 00:18:55 Isaiah Land is a rookie this year who fits into that as well. That's someone who they would be competing with. Titus Leo, another one, the rookie who landed on IR. So why not just throw all those guys together? They're quality players. They're going to be your bottom edge rushers anyway. Probably not always going to be active on game day. So I have no problem just kind of bringing those guys back on one-year vet minimum deals and let them go at it. And then Henry Black, that's an experienced safety there. He's played in the NFL before, I think primarily with the Packers.

Starting point is 00:19:28 Good to have a guy like that, but Nick Cross is still going to be there. You've got Marcel Dabo, who this will be year three for him. Maybe it's finally time he makes the roster. I don't know. We'll see. It's a crowded group. He was never really, as a veteran, never really able to make the roster. I don't know. We'll see. It's a crowded group. He was never really, as a veteran, never really able to make the lineup, even when they needed it. Ronnie Harrison kind of stepped up late in the season and filled that void. So we'll see. They could afford to let him walk. Any of these four that I just mentioned, they could really let walk. But I see the value

Starting point is 00:20:04 in especially bringing back Martin and Avery and just kind of letting them fall into the mix of these four that I just mentioned, they could really let walk, but I see the value in, especially bringing back Martin and Avery. I'm just kind of letting them fall into the mix throughout the rest of the season. So I think that is it for me today. Everyone short one today. You could probably hear the voices. Kind of fading as, as you know,

Starting point is 00:20:18 I mentioned on social media, Zach and I really weren't able to close out last week. We've just been sick, and our voices were not able to really go the distance, as you can hear. So, you guys, after this, remember to go check out Locked On Sports today, which is the first ever nationally streamed 24-7 channel on YouTube. We got it here at Locked On. So go ahead and check that out.

Starting point is 00:20:44 You'll be referenced over to it after this video, actually. And if you don't already follow at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL, and as that kicks to on Twitter, also subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, we would also love your ratings and reviews. And with that,

Starting point is 00:21:00 we will see you guys tomorrow morning to talk all about Gus Bradley.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Kenny Moore II Becomes Indispensable Again, Reclaims Spot Among Top NFL Slots

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