Indianapolis Colts Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Notes: Bush, Oliver, Gary

April 7th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Rory Parks

Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is meeting with the Giants tonight, and the visit will last until Monday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. New York, armed with the Nos. 6 and 17 overall picks, will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch in the draft given the uncertainty surrounding its QB position. Despite that uncertainty, Big Blue could very well use both first-round selections on defensive playmakers, and Bush, one of the best LBs in the draft, would be a good fit with the 17th-overall selection.

Now for more draft rumblings from around the league:

The Eagles have three picks in the first two rounds of the draft, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com expects the club to be very aggressive in trying to trade up. That will be especially true if Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver starts to fall, as Shorr-Parks believes Philadelphia will want to move up the draft board to land him. The team either has hosted, or will host, Oliver on an official visit.
The Raiders recently met with Oliver and Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that the Colts have met with Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.
After losing out on Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers still have a major need at the WR position. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes there is a good chance the club uses its No. 36 overall pick on a wideout, and he names A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel as legitimate possibilities. San Francisco either has hosted, or will host, both players.
We learned several weeks ago that Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins would meet with five teams, including the Broncos and Redskins, and Rapoport tweets that those visits will take place this week. Denver and Washington are among the clubs doing their homework on all of this year’s top passers.
The Bengals are reportedly considering using their No. 11 overall pick on a QB, and while Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com believes it is unlikely Cincinnati goes that route, she concedes it is a definite possibility (Twitter link).

Colts Re-Sign J’Marcus Webb

April 5th, 2019 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts re-signed tackle J’Marcus Webb, according to a club announcement. Details on the deal are not yet known.

Webb hooked on with the Colts in July of last year after a rash of injuries decimated their offensive line. Webb wound up as the club’s Week 1 starter, but a hamstring injury suffered in that game brought his season to an early end.

Despite injuries to Webb, Denzelle Good, Anthony Castonzo, and others, the Colts’ offensive line turned in a brilliant season. The Colts allowed just 18 sacks in 2018, the fewest in the league. They also had an impressive streak of allowing zero sacks on Andrew Luck 239 consecutive snaps, spanning across five games.

Webb, 31 in August, has 65 career starts to his credit between stops with the Bears, Vikings, Raiders, Seahawks, and Colts.

Colts Claim Derrick Kindred Off Waivers From Browns

April 2nd, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have claimed Derrick Kindred off waivers, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The safety was let go by the Browns on Monday, and the Colts pounced on the opportunity to add him and his inexpensive contract.

Kindred, 25, is set to make a little more than $2MM in 2019. At that price, he’s a relative bargain for a club that has been largely reluctant to part with its ample cap space this offseason.

Since entering the league as a 2016 fourth-round pick, Kindred has appeared in 42 games for Cleveland. Last year, he had a perfect attendance record and registered 45 tackles, one interception, and a forced fumble. The Browns’ decision to release him leaves the club with a hole at strong safety that it could look to fill via the draft.

The Colts, meanwhile, add a youthful and reasonably talented DB who will provide useful depth for the recently re-signed Clayton Geathers, who has a troublesome injury history. Kindred can also contribute on special teams.

Colts Notes: Funchess, Mathis

March 30th, 2019 at 6:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts made it very clear they were looking for a number two receiver this offseason. Ever since the season ended with a loss to the Chiefs in the second round of the playoffs, the front office and coaching staff had emphasized the need for a consistent second option behind T.Y. Hilton. The Colts mostly rotated lesser-known role players like Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers as their number two last season, and needed to upgrade. When free agency opened they went out and got their guy, signing Devin Funchess to a one-year deal worth up to $13MM.

Speaking to the media from the owners meetings this week, Colts coach Frank Reich revealed he banged the table for Funchess. When GM Chris Ballard first approached Reich about signing Funchess, Reich said he was immediately all-in, according to Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star. “I was like, ‘Please, let’s get this guy.’ That was the guy we really wanted to get,” Reich explained. Funchess was up and down during his time with the Panthers, but has always been high on talent. Funchess will provide the Colts’ receiving corp with the big bodied receiver they were lacking opposite the smaller Hilton, and will be a nice weapon for Andrew Luck in 2019. The Colts are clearly confident in his ability to improve his consistency, and Reich seems genuinely excited about the addition.

Speaking of the Colts, Indianapolis is making a notable change to their coaching staff. Robert Mathis will no longer be a full-time coach, according to Keefer. The Colts’ legend had served as an assistant coach helping out with the team’s pass-rushers the past two seasons. Mathis will now transition into a role as a consultant, giving him more time to develop his private training business. Mathis spent 14 years in the NFL, all with the Colts, and racked up 123 sacks. He’s also the league’s all-time leader in forced fumbles.

Bears Eyeing Toledo CB Ka'dar Hollman

March 30th, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Toledo cornerback Ka’dar Hollman also had a private workout with the Texans, reports Wilson. The defensive back has also had visits and workouts with the Dolphins, Saints, Bears, Colts, Eagles, Lions and Browns. While Hollman has boosted his draft stock following a strong Pro Day, he’s still at best a sixth- or seventh-rounder.

[SOURCE LINK]

Colts Tried To Hire Peyton Manning In 2016-17

March 27th, 2019 at 9:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colts owner Jim Irsay attempted to hire Peyton Manning for a front office role, first in 2016 and again in early 2017 after firing general manager Ryan Grigson, and those conversations actually went further than previously indicated. “It did get close with Peyton,” Irsay told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I wouldn’t say super serious close, but enough to kick the tires and say, ‘What are you thinking?’ Because my counsel is there for him whether he comes to the Colts or chooses to do something else. There was definitely some interest on both sides.” Manning has been loosely tied to several front office jobs since retiring after the 2015 season, but he’s thus far resisted every overture.

Colts Sign Justin Houston

March 27th, 2019 at 8:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have reached agreement on a deal with former Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year, $24MM deal, Schefter adds (Twitter link).

The deal includes $18.5MM in total guarantees, according to Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter). That’s a larger-than-expected guarantee for Houston, who did not have a ton of suitors following his release from Kansas City.

The Chiefs tried to trade Houston this offseason, but no club was willing to take on his $15.25MM base salary. On March 10, they released him outright. By cutting Houston, the Chiefs saved $14MM in cap space while absorbing $7.1MM in dead money.

Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014, but his free agent market has been eerily quiet over the last couple of weeks. Now, he’ll join the Colts as he enters his age-30 campaign.

The Colts recently explored a trade for Dee Ford, Schefter notes (on Twitter), but they ultimately held on to their draft picks and landed his former Chiefs teammate.

Houston can still be an effective player, as evidenced by his 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s 14th-best edge defender last year, and his presence should go a long way towards bolstering the Colts’ lackluster pass rush. And, while a 4-3 scheme might not be a perfect fit for Houston, he can still be a disruptor in Matt Eberflus‘ system.

The addition of Houston may also alter the Colts’ draft plans. The Colts may still look for a young edge rusher in April, but having Houston on the roster may allow them to stand pat at No. 26 rather than trading up for an upper-echelon prospect.

Colts GM Discusses Inactivity Early In Free Agency

March 23rd, 2019 at 8:05pm CST by Micah Powell

The Colts entered the offseason expected to make several splashes, given the team’s abundance of cap space. That so far has not happened, with the team opting to re-sign players like Adam Vinatieri and Margus Hunt rather than make a move for big names like Trey Flowers and Le’Veon Bell.

On Thursday, general manager Chris Ballard addressed the team’s relative inactivity early in free agency in an appearance on The Jeff and Big Joe Show on 1070 WFAN in Indianapolis on Thursday.

“If we get to a point, and you can read this as you want to read it, a true difference-maker in the free agent market, I’m good paying for,” Ballard said. “But they have to be a true difference-maker, unquestionably. Not the media saying he’s a true difference-maker, the tape saying he’s a true difference-maker.”

That comment obviously means the team didn’t view the likes of Bell, Flowers and even Landon Collins as valuable upgrades over pieces already in place. With more than $70MM still available in cap space, more than $30MM more than the next closest team, the Colts still have plenty of room to make several moves to upgrade the roster with value moves at the back end of free agency.

The team has been more active recently, inking former Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston to a two-year deal and bringing in receiver Devin Funchess as a big-bodied complement to star wideout T.Y. Hilton.

Colts Meet With Shane Ray

March 22nd, 2019 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts hosted former Broncos edge rusher Shane Ray on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Colts added Justin Houston just yesterday, but it sounds like they’re not done bolstering their pass rush.

Ray didn’t live up to his first-round billing from 2015, but he has shown promise in the past. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four tackles as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.

The Colts entered the free agent season with a major stockpile of available money, but have not spent much of it so far. After allowing Le’Veon Bell and other big names fall off the board, the Colts could get very active in the second wave of free agency with Ray and other low-cost additions.

Colts, Jay Ajayi Not Close To Deal

March 21st, 2019 at 6:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the Colts met with free agent running back Jay Ajayi this week, there’s no deal imminent between the two parties, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, Indianapolis does plan to continue talking with Ajayi, which suggests it could look to sign the ex-Eagle down the line. Ajayi, 25, is arguably the best back still available on the open market after Le’Veon Bell, Tevin Coleman, and Mark Ingram came off the board during the first week of free agency. The Colts don’t necessarily need another running back given their depth chart already includes Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins, and Nyheim Hines, but Ajayi could give the club another dimension in the backfield.

Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors