Could Colts Pursue Ravens Pass Rusher Pernell McPhee?

According to the Indianapolis Colts brass in last week’s NFL Combine press conferences, the team could still be in the market for another pass rusher this offseason. That player could come in the form of the Baltimore Ravens Pernell McPhee. Per Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun, McPhee is expected to leave the Ravens and look to cash-in on a lucrative long-term contract in free agency:

"“McPhee, 26, is considered a luxury item the Ravens probably can’t afford to retain as his four-year, $2.2 million rookie contract expires,” writes Wilson. “The Ravens are dealing with a tight salary cap situation and have pressing needs at other positions.”“McPhee is expected to command an annual salary between $8 million and $10 million when free agency begins March 10, according to NFL sources,” added Wilson. “Among the teams regarded as potential fits for McPhee: the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.”"

McPhee could join former Baltimore Ravens in Cory Redding and Arthur Jones in a long list of players that have jumped ship to join former Ravens defensive coordinator, now Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano.

Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Since being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, McPhee has consistently been one of the most versatile pass rushers in the NFL. While he’s only actually started 6 games for the star-studded Baltimore Ravens defense in his career, he’s been incredibly effective in a situational pass rushing role.

Last season, rushing from the nose tackle, defensive end, and linebacker positions for the Ravens, McPhee recorded 27 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

The advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus (subscription) also shed a positive light on McPhee, as his pass rushing grade of +23.1 effectively placed him as the 3rd best pass rusher among 3-4 outside linebackers behind only the NFL’s sack leader in the Kansas City Chiefs Justin Houston (22.0 sacks) and fellow teammate and All-Pro pass rusher Elvis Dumervil (17.0 sacks)

In fact, due to his pass rushing prowess, McPhee was actually rated as the 2nd best 3-4 outside linebacker overall with a +26.0 grade, just behind the aforementioned Justin Houston. His total QB hits of 21 actually led the league per ProFootballFocus.

While the Colts are set to receive a pass rushing boost with the return of former All-Pro pass rusher Robert Mathis, who is just one year removed from a 19.5 sack season in 2013, he’ll also be 34 years old and is coming off a season-ending torn achilles injury. It’s not a guarantee that Mathis will be able to make a full recovery given his age and the significance of his injury, as well as some lingering PED questions following his 4-game suspension.

Aug 16, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee (90) on the field during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Baltimore beat Dallas 37-30. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of Mathis, and the rest of the cupboard is fairly barren outside of emerging young pass rusher Jonathan Newsome, who led the team with 6.5 sacks. While Erik Walden was actually a surprise with 6.0 sacks, he’s more of a natural run stuffer than pass rusher, although he was actually tied for 2nd in QB Hits behind McPhee with 16 hits on the season via ProFootballFocus.

However, given his career production, and it appears that last season may have been more of an outlier than the norm for Walden. Otherwise, former 2013 first round pick Bjoern Werner has been largely a disappointment as an impact pass rusher.

Still, if the Colts want to obtain a premier young pass rusher like McPhee’s services, it will cost them a premium on the open market. The Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson projects McPhee to command a salary of $8-10 million annually, which would effectively place him as one of the highest paid pass rushers in the NFL.

With a projected $37.8M of cap space at their disposal, the Colts have the cap room to make a deal work, if they actually want to reunite McPhee with his former defensive coordinator in Pagano and continue “the Ravens to Colts pipeline”. It will cost them a pretty penny however, and rightfully so: