According to the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, the Indianapolis Colts are ‘genuinely interested’ in New England Patriots ‘edge defender’ Jabaal Sheard.
The 27 year old is one of the best defensive ends/outside linebackers set to hit this year’s free agent market:
I heard today the #Colts are genuinely interested in OLB Jabaal Sheard. Again, take it w a grain of salt. But I like that possible move.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 9, 2017
Originally a 2011 2nd round pick of the Cleveland Browns, the 6’3″, 265 pound edge defender is coming off a season in which he recorded 33 tackles and 5.0 sacks in 15 games (8 starts) for the New England Patriots–helping them to win Super Bowl LI.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription), Sheard was their 36th best ‘edge defender’ with a + 79.6 grade overall this past season and was rated as their 20th best free agent of 2017:
"Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard (93) against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports20. Jabaal Sheard, EDGE, New England PatriotsA year ago, Sheard was coming off the best season of his career for the Patriots, and though they dialed back his playing time a little this year, he still played just seven fewer snaps over the entire season than he did in 2015 (albeit with an extra game in the Super Bowl giving him an extra 94 possible). Sheard is a capable player against the run and pass, and can play across different schemes and roles. He may never be an All-Pro, but he can be a valuable part of a team’s defensive front."
The 6-year veteran has appeared in 89 career games (59 starts), recording 170 tackles, 36.0 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 18 passes defensed–having spent the last two seasons with the New England Patriots.
Of course, with any Patriots free agent, a potential suitor has to worry about whether they will be getting the same type of production, as New England and specifically, head coach Bill Belichick have proven to have a systematic way of maximizing the talent and potential of their players.
Therefore, there’s some definite ‘buyer beware’ here.
Nevertheless, the Colts could use help all over their defense as a whole–particularly on the edge.
Specifically, the Colts franchise’s sack leader, Robert Mathis, recently retired, while last season’s sack leader, Erik Walden (who’s also said to ‘set the edge’ for the Colts defense), is going to become a free agent himself. Otherwise, veteran Trent Cole won’t be brought back.
Sheard has been a very productive ‘edge defender’ in the NFL–even initially with the Cleveland Browns earlier in his career.
Only 27 years old, he’d provide the Colts with a youthful impact player at outside linebacker going forward.
However, any team paying him like he’s a ‘star’ rather than a ‘solid’ edge defender is going to be in for a rude awakening.
It doesn’t mean that Sheard can’t make sense for the Colts, but it should be on a multi-year deal that’s reasonable given that he’s a good, but not great edge defender.