Indianapolis Colts Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Sign Brian Schwenke

March 13th, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts continue to make depth signings as the day progresses, with their latest coming over from a division rival. Brian Schwenke agreed to terms with the Colts on a one-year deal, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The Colts announced the move.

A fifth-year interior offensive lineman, Schwenke visited the Colts earlier today, joining defensive end Margus Hunt as UFAs to trek to Indianapolis and reach agreements to join the team. Schwenke spent four seasons with the Titans and drew interest from other teams but will end up on a Colts line that has some uncertainty.

While Anthony Castonzo, Jack Mewhort and Ryan Kelly are entrenched starters, the right side of Indianapolis’ front isn’t solidified. Schwenke will likely compete for the right guard position while serving as depth behind Kelly. The Colts have several young players vying for time on the right side of the line, so Schwenke — who started 25 games as Tennessee’s center from 2013-15 — should factor in here. A clear line of demarcation in the former Boston College snapper’s career came when he broke his leg in October of 2015. The Titans then moved Schwenke to guard after signing Ben Jones last year.

Both the Jets and Seahawks pursued Schwenke this offseason, but the soon-to-be 26-year-old blocker will stay in the AFC South.

Colts To Sign Margus Hunt

March 13th, 2017 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts hosted Margus Hunt on a visit today and saw enough to sign the edge player to a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Hunt saw action as a rotational player for the Bengals last season but never ascended to becoming a regular starter despite Cincinnati having invested a second-round pick in the 6-foot-8 Estonian. The lanky defender played 322 snaps for Cincinnati last season but hasn’t started a game yet as an NFLer.

An SMU product, Hunt has 1.5 career sacks. He profiles as outside pass-rushing depth for a Colts team that’s spent time rebuilding that area over the past few days. Indianapolis added Jabaal Sheard and John Simon to UFA deals late last week and also signed possible depth piece Barkevious Mingo to a one-year contract.

Hunt will transition from the Bengals’ 4-3 to the Colts’ 3-4, one that will have much younger presences on its edges in 2017 than it did previously. The Colts featured Robert Mathis, Erik Walden and Trent Cole as their primary outside linebackers last season. The latter two are free agents, and Mathis retired after the season. Walden is looking for a new team after announcing the Colts aren’t planning to bring him back.

Colts Re-Sign RB Robert Turbin

March 13th, 2017 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Bobby Turbo is back in Indy. The Colts have re-signed Robert Turbin to a two-year deal worth up to $4.1MM, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

Turbin had one of his most productive NFL seasons in 2016, running for 164 yards and seven touchdowns. The 27-year-old also collected a career-high 26 receptions to go along with 179 yards and one score. He’s now slated to battle it out for playing time with veteran Frank Gore and Josh Ferguson. It’s a safe bet that the Colts will explore some upgrades at the position as well.

Turbin missed the cut on my top 15 list of free agent running backs, but he did garner honorable mention. We haven’t heard much on him since the legal tampering period kicked off six days ago, so there might not have been much of a market for him outside of Indy.

Colts To Meet With LB Kevin Minter

March 13th, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent linebacker Kevin Minter is taking a visit to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Surprisingly, this marks the first known free agent visit for the Cardinals free agent.

Minter was one of several high-profile free agents for Arizona this offseason. I had Minter ranked No. 22 on my Top 50 rundown of this year’s free agents, a list based on potential earning power. With relatively little buzz in the first week of free agency, it’s possible that he’ll fall short of fiscal expectations. In terms of ability, Minter was our third-ranked linebacker, behind only Dont’a Hightower and Zach Brown.

The Colts have already gotten to work on remodeling their front seven. Late last week, the Colts inked former intra-divisional rival John Simon to a three-year deal with a base value of $13.5MM. Hours later, they snagged former Patriot Jabaal Sheard, who could slot in at either linebacker or defensive end. Linebacker Erik Walden, meanwhile, is making the free agent rounds and could wind up signing elsewhere – perhaps with the rival Titans.

Last year, he racked up 81 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in 16 games.

Titans Host Erik Walden On Visit

March 13th, 2017 at 12:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts free agent linebacker Erik Walden is visiting the Titans today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Walden indicated last week that the Colts wouldn’t be re-signing him, an unsurprising decision given that Indianapolis is attempting to get younger on defense (new general manager Chris Ballard told veteran safety Mike Adams the same thing). Walden, 31, signed a four-year deal with the Colts prior to the 2013 campaign, and ended up appearing in 60 games for the club. After averaging only four sacks per season from 2013-15, Walden put up 11 quarterback takedowns last year, but still graded out as one of the six worst edge defenders in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Titans have already gotten out of the race for inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, but Walden would give Tennessee a veteran presence on the edge. After playing more than 70% of the Colts’ defensive snaps a year ago, Walden would serve in a rotational backup role for the Titans, who already employ Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. Tennessee ranked 14th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate last year.

Dontari Poe To Visit Jaguars

March 12th, 2017 at 4:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Defensive tackle Dontari Poe will next visit the Jaguars as part of his free agent tour, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Poe wrapped up his visit with the Colts without agreeing to a deal, although Anderson reports the meeting “went well.”

Poe, 26, has also drawn interest from the Falcons, Dolphins, Raiders, and 49ers, and is expected to meet with Atlanta, Miami, and Oakland at some point. While the Colts were reportedly open to a long-term deal, Poe might be more open to a one-year pact that would allow him to rebuild his value before entering the market again in 2018. Clubs are apparently concerned about Poes’s lingering back issues, so a one-year contract would afford Poe the opportunity to prove his health before cashing in next year.

The Jaguars have been active in making defensive line moves this offseason, as they’ve added Calais Campbell on a four-year $60MM deal while releasing Jared Odrick, Sen’Derrick Marks, and Roy Miller. Poe, a former first-round pick, would slot in alongside Campbell, Malik Jackson, Dante Fowler Jr., Yannick Ngakoue, and Sheldon Day on a rapidly-improving front.

Colts Want Long-Term Deal With Dontari Poe

March 12th, 2017 at 10:49am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts are meeting with defensive tackle Dontari Poe today, and while the club is willing to ink him to a long-term deal, Poe may be more open to a one-year pact, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Indy is “trying to get something done” in regards to a contract, Poe tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Poe will visit with the Falcons, Dolphins, and Raiders next, per Poe.

Given the reported level of interest in Poe — in addition the clubs listed above, the Jaguars and 49ers are eyeing the 26-year-old — he should be able to garner a multi-year contract, but if the structure and guarantees of the proposals he’s receiving are not to his liking, Poe could instead accept a one-year deal, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated earlier this week. Given league-wide lingering concerns about Poe’s back (an issue Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweeted about Thursday), Poe may want the opportunity to show he’s healthy before hitting the market again in 2018.

Poe served as a lane clogger in Kansas City but was a dynamo in terms of snaps played, logging more than any nose man during his rookie-deal tenure in Kansas City. But his sack totals decreased, plummeting from 10.5 between the 2013 and ’14 seasons (both Pro Bowl slates) to 2.5 combined in 2015 and ’16.

Brandon Williams set the market for true defensive tackles earlier this week, signing a hefty five-year, $52.5MM deal with the Ravens. Veteran Calais Campbell also scored on the open market, landing a $15MM annual salary on his four-year deal with Jacksonville.

Colts To Let Erik Walden Depart?

March 11th, 2017 at 8:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Erik Walden is operating like a player who knows he will have to find a new NFL home. Despite delivering a career-best season in his Colts contract year, the pass-rusher appears set to leave Indianapolis after tweeting a parting-ways message today (all Twitter links).

We haven’t heard much from the 31-year-old UFA this offseason despite Walden coming off an 11-sack season. But the Colts signed younger talents Jabaal Sheard and John Simon this week and made a potential depth addition in Barkevious Mingo.

While Walden came through with 11 sacks, that represented a big leap from his usual production level. He’d only once before delivered more than three in a season, coming with a six-sack slate for the 2014 Colts. However, he’s two years younger than Lorenzo Alexander, who’d delivered a nondescript pass-rushing career prior to breaking out for 12.5 sacks, so there could be a slower-developing market for Walden. Alexander received two years and $9MM from the Bills. Walden finished a four-year, $16MM Colts deal in January.

Prior to playing in Indianapolis, Walden entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2008. He bounced around until playing two full seasons with the Packers en route to landing that UFA Colts deal in 2013. He only missed three regular-season games for the Colts during his tenure.

Dontari Poe Market Heating Up

March 10th, 2017 at 8:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although he hasn’t yet found a new home, free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe is in “high demand,” tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Poe will meet with the Colts on Sunday, while the Jaguars, Raiders, Dolphins, and Falcons also want to set up visits.

The 49ers and Redskins have also been linked to Poe, who recent reports indicate may have to accept a one-year contract. That might change, however, if the massive defensive tackle can generate enough of a market for himself. Poe, who is now on the open market after the Chiefs opted not to franchise him, ranks as PFR’s No. 17 free agent.

Poe served as a lane clogger in Kansas City but was a dynamo in terms of snaps played, logging more than any nose man during his rookie-deal tenure in Kansas City. But his sack totals decreased, plummeting from 10.5 between the 2013 and ’14 seasons (both Pro Bowl slates) to 2.5 combined in 2015 and ’16.

Colts, Darius Butler At Impasse

March 10th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent defensive back Darius Butler hasn’t been able to reach a contract to stay with the Colts, and will now begin taking visits with other clubs, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Butler, a former second-round pick, had played cornerback for most of his career before transitioning to safety in the middle of last season. He wants to continue playing deep, as he told Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star last week, and that’s presumably how Butler is marketing himself to potential suitors. Pro Football Focus still graded Butler among corners in 2016, and the 30-year-old finished as the league’s No. 20 CB.

Butler, who appeared in 12 games (seven starts) for Indianapolis, ranks as PFR’s No. 48 overall free agent. Among safeties, we placed him fourth thanks to his coverage ability.

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