Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - SIGNING: Arden Key Brings Energy and Experience to Indianapolis Colts' Edge Room

Starting point is 00:00:01 The Indianapolis Colts bolstered their pass rush by signing Arden Key to a two-year deal. 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. Welcome to Locked-on Colts, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Now, the number one podcasting network around. Hello, everyone. My name is Zach Hickshaw, resident film nerd of Horseshoehuddle.com.

Starting point is 00:00:35 The Indianapolis Colts have been pretty active. here on the unofficial day one of free agency signing alec pierce to a long-term extension at four years obviously they're still negotiating with daniel jones and while all that was going down they also have signed arden key to a two year up to twenty million dollar deal eleven million dollars of that is fully guaranteed uh so at least two years eleven million dollars and guaranteed money to arden key and yeah this is a move that bolsters their edge depth to a team that just doesn't have anybody currently on the at edge rusher. So in today's mini bonus episode, we're going to dive into Arden Key's career, also his latest season with the Tennessee Titans, and then also talk about his fit and what I saw

Starting point is 00:01:19 on film from watching a couple hundred of his snaps the last couple hours of today. But to start it off, Arden Key, 6'5, 240 pound edge rusher can rush a little bit inside and out, but I think calling him an edge rusher is more honest at this point in his career. former third round pick from the Las Vegas Raiders really did not have a good start to his career with the Raiders, though, was in and out of the lineup, wasn't really productive at all. And it took him going to the San Francisco 49ers after the third year of his career to really find his game. He really peaked in the NFL in those years with the 49ers. Then he jumped over to Jacksonville. And then even his first year with the Tennessee Titans as well, he was very productive in that three-year stretch.

Starting point is 00:02:02 We've seen him kind of go downhill a little bit. these last two seasons, but I think he's been a little bit miscast as a starter for the Titans the last two years. I think he's better fit as a rotational guy, but we'll get into that more in the second segment of today's show. Before his career, he has 35 sacks in 235 pressures in 2652 pass rushes, and that's over his eight-year career. Again, there's been a little bit of regression the last two years, but I don't think he's been abhorrent on the field. I think he's just been like a below-average player as a starter for the Tennessee Titans. Last year he finished with five sacks,

Starting point is 00:02:39 28 total pressures, and a 10.2 pass rush win rate, which was below average among edge rushers. I think it was just behind Quitty Pay on the season, and it was tied with Samson Evocom. So not really the greatest comparisons we're obviously looking at there for where he was at this past season. But I think when you watch a lot of that film with the Tennessee Titans,

Starting point is 00:03:00 you see a player who is very active and experienced as a pass rush, He's just not fully at, like, his athletic peak anymore. He's turning 30 years old this year. He is not a guy who wins with the bend. He wins with pure, like, explosion. He has good explosion, but he doesn't win with, like, what you see with top pass rushers. You know, that ability to turn the corner and really disengage from offensive tackles. A lot of where he gets his wins is by having a diverse pass rushing bag and using that

Starting point is 00:03:30 diverse pass rushing bag to create opportunities for his energy and his effort. to finish sacks. So he's a good cleanup guy. He's a good energy effort guy. You can have some really cool flashes here and there every now and then. But for the most part, he's probably more of a guy that you want in your reserved unit rather than your starting unit. And that's why I think he could maybe fit a little bit better away from Tennessee. But looking at what he did last year again, like the five sacks, a lot of them were hustle and energy sacks. There were a couple good reps against the Houston Texans. I think three of his five sacks came against the Houston in Texans. He also had 17 past coverage reps, which we'll talk about more in the second

Starting point is 00:04:07 segment that I think that that is pretty interesting and valuable when it comes to what the Indianapolis Colts like to do with their edge rushers. Laotu Latu had nearly 70 past coverage reps. And while Arden Key, again, only had the 17, I think he projects fairly well as a player that can drop in coverage, 240 pounds, which is more like linebacker size. You know, you don't want him defending the run as often from that outside, from that edge position spot. And I think he showed some good things and those very few coverage reps that I saw. A lot of them came in the early season games. So I think that there were some decent moments there as well. But yeah, overall, his film was kind of a roller coaster. It wasn't the best thing in the entire world. But I like the

Starting point is 00:04:47 explosion. I think Joel Erickson put it on Twitter that his average time to get off the snap last season would have been the best in the Colts Eddrus room, according to next gen stats. So you can see the explosion on film. You can see the energy. You can see the hustle. You can see the diverse bag of how he attacks. He has swim moves. He has rip moves. He has a cross chop. It's just not overly effective at this point in his career. So they're not getting like a Trey Hendrickson level impact player from this signing. But I think he is a player that can work pretty well in the rotation and be a guy who can fit in fairly well behind Leotu Latu behind whoever they want to have is the other starter alongside Laotu Latu.

Starting point is 00:05:31 So if you're rebuilding this edge room from scratch, I think he's a good player to have in there. He might not fit like the younger and faster mold the cult are looking for, but he certainly fits the faster mold. Very much more explosive off the snap than Samson. I've become and Tyquan Lewis. But we'll see what his overall role looks like with the Indianapolis Colts next season. But coming up, that's what we're going to kind of discuss is talk about,

Starting point is 00:05:54 again, some more of what I saw in film and overall kind of how I think he can fit in Lou Aniromo's system and how this kind of signing is a bit interesting when we look at Lou Anarumos past. But first, workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position that you have to fill still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for. Skills, experience, location, so you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all. In the minute that I've been talking to you, companies like yours make 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide.

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Starting point is 00:08:21 the Colts big outside signing of the day thus far. They could be signing somebody else as I'm recording this because that is just the nature of the first day of free agency. And yeah, this is an uninspiring signing at its surface. You know, when you look at Arden Key, his production has dipped the last couple years. His past rush win rate went from being above average, his first year in Tennessee to then being average, then below average this past season. So for a team that's looking to get younger and faster on the defensive front, Ardenkechie doesn't really seemingly fit that.

Starting point is 00:08:50 But I do think he upgrades them in terms of being faster and more of a fit for what the Colts want to do going forward. But one thing I really found super interesting is when I was doing. doing my research for this free agency class and looking at the edge rushers. I looked back at Lou Anuromo's time with the Cincinnati Bengals and just as time in general being a defensive coordinator. And one thing I found is that the lightest pass rusher to play over 400 snaps in an Anarumo defense since 2019, actually was Sanson Ebukom last year.

Starting point is 00:09:22 Every other pass rusher that has gotten significant snaps form has been over 260 pounds. So I was kind of thinking going to free agency. Colts would target a bulkier, bigger defensive linemen because that is what Anirmo's past has been. But then there was another part of my brain that was like, hey, Aniromo's kind of been changing his defense to be closer to that Brian Flores style of hybrid defense. We saw last year with the Colts, they were fourth in blitz percentage. They dropped their defensive ends in coverage a lot. Like I mentioned in the first segment, Laotu Latu, nearly 70 coverage reps.

Starting point is 00:09:57 And we saw like even guys like Quiti Pay on Sancton, if you come, getting out and coverage quite a bit. So part of my brain always, like I resisted putting out a video saying they're going to target a bigger edge rusher because part of my brain was saying that like a lighter guy who could drop into coverage a little bit more, maybe thrive in this blitz heavy scheme could be the play. And now we're kind of getting our answer where it looks like the Colts are leaning a little bit more into fluidity, speed, explosiveness and that hybrid ability to drop into coverage and rush the passer. I know Arden Key has less than 150 coverage reps in his entire career, but at 240 pounds, 6-5, very long arms, I think he projects well for a player that can, you know,

Starting point is 00:10:40 drop into these like zone drops and just get his hands into passing lanes. I don't, I'm not saying you want to do that all the time, but I think he's a better, like a better fit for it than like Ebukom or Lewis were last year. So I think this is more in the mold of what Anurmo wants to do with this defense going forward and make them a man coverage focused, blitz heavy with like this hybrid feel with their front seven that we saw with Latu last year, but we couldn't really see with those other guys because they weren't really good fits for what Anurmo wanted. So Arden Key does kind of fit that hybrid mindset a little bit, has the size of a linebacker

Starting point is 00:11:15 with the experience of a defensive end. But again, like if we're really just looking at this overall fit with the Colts, as long as he is a rotational player, I think this signing is. is perfectly fine. And I think it's even a good thing going forward for the Colts. If he ends up being their starter, though, like their full-fledged starter going to the season, then I think we're all going to have our question marks with this

Starting point is 00:11:36 because I don't think he's much of an upgrade at all over a quitty pay. I think he's around the same tier as a quidipay, maybe even like a lesser version of quidipay because pay is at least younger and there is that potential of him going forward. Arden Key, a bit older. He's kind of regressing. So you don't want him in that starting role to really wear him down. but I think if you can have him around 400 to 500 snaps next season with his hybrid ability,

Starting point is 00:12:01 with the energy he brings. I think that's a way you can really maximize him in this defense. But I think he brings you a pretty good floor. Again, that explosiveness and diverse bag rushing the passer is pretty good. He does lack that ideal bend in finishing ability, but he brings the energy that you're looking for out of a reserve unit pass rusher. And I think overall he is an upgrade over Sanson, Ebukon, in Taekwon Lewis, even if he's not the full-time answer that they need.

Starting point is 00:12:26 So yes, I think this move at this moment, I'm going to say is a good thing for the Colts. If he is just an upgrade over Ebukam, I will take it. As long as that's what it is, though, if he is the quidipay replacement, then I'm going to have my concerns because I just don't know if I would have him as a starter. So to kind of summarize, I like the potential of this. I like the inside out past rushing ability. I wouldn't rush them inside as much as the Titans did. was honestly hilarious watching the Titans defense last year where they have this 240 pound

Starting point is 00:12:57 edge rusher rushing from a three tech position or even a one tech position on like third and two calls like I don't know why teams didn't just run at them every time they did that. So I wouldn't rush them inside as much as the Tennessee Titans did last year. But I think he has that ability. I think he can be a good asset in these like blitz heavy schemes and stunt calls because he has that explosiveness and quickness that you're looking for. And I think he can be just an excellent piece. of a defensive line. He just can't be the biggest piece or one of the bigger pieces.

Starting point is 00:13:27 Let him be an auxiliary player, not the primary focus, and I think we're in a good place with Arden Key. So a lot of my overall grade and reaction to this signing will hinge on what else the Colts do in free agency and the NFL draft. But as of right now, I like the overall fit in this defense. It's an interesting aspect to go this more hybrid style of pass rusher rather than where Louis Aniromo has been in the past with bulkier edge rushers. So we'll see what this does for the rest of the plans going forward. But Arden Key is an Indianapolis Colt, two years, up to $20 million, but $11 million guaranteed.

Starting point is 00:14:02 And we'll see what he can bring next season for this team. But thanks again for tuning in today to this bonus episode of Locked on Colts. We'll be back. We're planning to be back tomorrow, but we might be back later tonight if they make more signings with more bonus episodes and maybe even full content, if it is a big signing. So make sure you subscribe to our show and get all those latest episodes. And if you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur and a fellow and at Zach Hicks 2 all on socials.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - SIGNING: Arden Key Brings Energy and Experience to Indianapolis Colts' Edge Room

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