Indianapolis Colts: It’s time to bring this former Colt back in free agency

The Indianapolis Colts have frequently been tabbed as a potential big spender in free agency given their cap space, but Chris Ballard will always be open to filling holes on this roster in a very economical fashion.

If Ballard wants to pinch pennies, he could end up bringing back a former Colt in New York Jets pass rusher Tarell Basham.

Basham, a former MAC Defensive Player of the Year from Ohio, was cut just a year and a half into his Colts tenure in 2018 after weeks of inactivity.

Luckily, he landed on his feet with the Jets, becoming a quality rotational pass rusher.

With Justin Houston potentially testing the free-agent market, the Colts can go in one of two directions to replace him. They could either use a huge chunk of their cap space to sign one star, or use their space to allocate several smaller contracts to a group of players that could equal Houston’s stats.

Given his solid season with the Jets last year, the Colts might just end up forgetting about Houston and opting for a cheaper option in Basham.

Tarrell Basham could help the Indianapolis Colts’ pass rush

After failing to make it in Indianapolis, Basham linked up with the Jets, becoming a 3-4 outside linebacker in Gregg Williams’ defense. Basham totaled 5.5 sacks and 18 QB hits in the last two seasons, numbers that look even more impressive when you consider the lack of talent around him.

Basham was second on the team in sacks behind Quinnen Williams despite the fact he had to go up against a murderer’s row of offensive tackles without support from the rest of New York’s poor pass-rushing depth.

While not the fastest defensive end in the world, Basham has shown that he is a quality run defender. The Jets weren’t competent in many facets of the game, but they were able to be respectable against the run, as Basham’s ability to disengage from blocks and line up at several different positions on the line helped make him an important part of that defensive line.

While Basham isn’t going to replace Houston by himself, his numbers have been steadily increasing ever since he was cut from Indianapolis.

About to turn 27 in a few days, Basham’s best football is still in the windshield, and the Colts could try to get the most out of him in his second go-round in Indianapolis.