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Stay or Go: Colts Free Agency 2017 Edition

By Luke Schultheis

Aug 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Darius Butler (20) celebrates with safety Mike Adams (29) after intercepting a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Darius Butler (20) celebrates with safety Mike Adams (29) after intercepting a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) reacts during warm ups before the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) reacts during warm ups before the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Trent Cole, Outside Linebacker

Having signed a 2-year, $16 million deal in the 2015 offseason, outside linebacker Trent Cole‘s time with the Colts has been largely a disappointment.

December 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) during the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) during the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The veteran pass rusher combined for just 5.0 sacks over the past two seasons and was arguably more valuable as an ‘edge setter’ against the run.

It doesn’t mean that Cole wasn’t at times a productive member of the Colts linebacking corps–particularly against the run, but the initial thought was that he’d provide a veteran pass rushing presence–which simply never happened consistently enough.

To Cole’s credit, he did recover from a potentially season-ending back injury this past season and played in the Colts final 5 games, recording 14 tackles and 2.0 sacks during that span. In fact, he was arguably one of the Colts most productive linebackers to finish the season.

That being said, the Colts need to get collectively younger and more athletic in their defense–particularly at their linebacking corps.

It would be surprising to see the Colts re-sign the 34 year old Cole, when the Colts need to upgrade their pass rush on the outside with fresher legs.

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