Fresh off of signing offensive lineman Todd Herremans, the Colts will have another former Philadelphia Eagle coming shortly to Indianapolis. Only as of now, it’s only for a visit. That’s right, one-time Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher, now turned free agent Trent Cole is set to visit the Indianapolis Colts soon:
Next stop will be the Colts.
— Trent Cole (@Pro_Hunt58) March 8, 2015
On the eve of free agency, #Colts will be hosting Trent Cole & Kendall Langford for visits, I’m told. GM Ryan Grigson scouted Cole in Philly
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2015
Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) celebrates a tackle against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
Whether he’s allowed to leave Indianapolis without signing a contract is another story entirely. The 10-year veteran has consistently been one of the NFL’s more productive pass rushers with the Eagles. The former 5th round pick of the Eagles in 2005 has 85.5 career sacks, which is the 48th most in NFL history.
However, his production has dipped somewhat in recent seasons, as he had 6.5 sacks last season, which is a bit lower than his normal yearly production. Still, with pass rushers always held at a premium, Cole remains a solid and productive pass rusher even at 32 years old. While he’s best suited for a 4-3 defensive scheme at 6’3″, 270 pounds, Cole is still capable as a hybrid rushing linebacker in a 3-4 defensive system that the Colts deploy.
The Colts could use another pass rusher too, as Robert Mathis is getting a bit long in the tooth and is coming off a season-ending achilles injury. There’s no question that Jonathan Newsome showed initial promise as a rookie with a team-high 6.5 sacks, but a great defense ideally has a handful of productive pass rushers, not just two. Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson said so himself at his NFL Combine press conference:
"“I was always brought up if you have 12 pass rushers, give me 13, Grigson said. “You know, you can never have enough pass rushers and that’s ‘Scouting 101′. The hard part is actually finding them, and then findings ones that you know, the handful of them that are clean and really good. Clean in, I mean they don’t have any off-the-field, any warts, they’re hard to come by. You sometimes have to gamble later or maybe take a junior that has limited production and that’s where true scouting comes into play.”“But I feel like, we have some guys coming back from injury,” Grigson added. “That, you know, there’s a cluster of guys…you hope just one or two of those guys shake out because we feel like they have some real ability. Of course, you know Mathis, but we have a lot of high hopes for a lot of guys in that position group. But you know if there’s a pass rusher that gets your blood pumping, you know in the draft…you have to consider him, no matter where your needs are.”"
It’ll be interesting to see if Cole gets Grigson’s heart pumping enough to make him the newest member of the Indianapolis Colts, when he visits soon. Cole would join a long list of former Philadelphia Eagles, who have gone on to play for the Horseshoe since Grigson was appointed the team’s new General Manager.
Nov 23, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) celebrates his sack during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Titans, 43-24. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports