The Indianapolis Colts appear encouraged on how their inside linebacker competition is shaping up so far at the team’s OTA’s this week.
Having lost starting inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman to the Chicago Bears in free agency, the Colts are currently evaluating who may be the best fit to start alongside veteran D’Qwell Jackson in the middle of their defense.
With Jackson sitting out yesterday for rest precautions, both Nate Irving and Sio Moore took reps together with the 1st unit.
However, by the looks of things, Irving may be the frontrunner between the two inside linebackers for the starting spot all things considered.
The Colts signed him to a 3-year, $9.25M contract just an offseason ago and clearly had high expectations for the 27 year old inside linebacker before injuries took their toll last season.
Irving appeared in 8 games (2 starts), recording 14 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble before a wrist injury prematurely ended his season.
However, Irving may just now be fully recovered from a prior season-ending torn ACL he suffered in 2014 as a member of the Denver Broncos which limited his production:
"“I think with those guys being in the program–another year, another offseason, healthy, I don’t think Nate (Irving) was ever 100% coming off the knee,” said Pagano on Tuesday. “Right now, he feels better than he ever felt from a physical standpoint, since the surgery.”"
However, the Colts competition at inside linebacker may not be limited to just a “two-trick” pony show, as young holdovers such as Josh McNary, Amarlo Herrera, Junior Sylvestre, and even Edwin Jackson also figure to be in the mix:
"“There’s a lot of guys there that are doing extremely well,” added Pagano. “Josh McNary is going to have a full season under his belt. Amarlo (Herrera) and Junior Sylvestre is back out there. And Edwin Jackson, a guy nobody knows about, but when you see this guy play you’ll find out in a hurry that he’s smart, instinctive, and he can run, so we’ve got a good competition going on right now.”"
Not to mention, the team also selected rookie inside linebacker Antonio Morrison with a 4th round pick, who figures to factor into the equation at some point early on.
While Freeman had a standout season for the Colts last year, the team doesn’t appear to be overly concerned with replacing him. That’s likely because of veterans such as McNary and Moore, but some of their younger inside linebackers have also shown promise and potential.
Either way, with Irving fully recovered, it’s shaping up to be a healthy competition for the Colts.