Colts: 3 cost-effective moves Chris Ballard can still make before Week 1

2. Sign KJ Wright

The Colts’ defense is garnering hype as a championship-caliber unit, but why is nobody talking about the state of their linebacking corps? Losing three-year starter Anthony Walker to free agency was expected, but Indy bizarrely opted against finding a replacement for him.

To put Walker’s impact in the middle of the Colts’ defense into perspective, he ranks 17th in the league in solo tackles (218) over the last three years. That might not seem impressive to some fans, so think about how many linebackers there are in the NFL and get back to us.

While Walker didn’t offer much outside of tackling (which is still massively important), his presence gave Darius Leonard the freedom to roam and make plays. Though Leonard is as good as they come at the position, it’s not outlandish to think his production could suffer without his longtime running mate.

KJ Wright would be a perfect addition to the Colts’ LB corps.

Could 2019 third-rounder Bobby Okereke fill those shoes? No doubt, but Indianapolis’ depth behind Leonard and Okereke is virtually non-existent and proves they need to sign veteran KJ Wright, who remains unsigned after an outstanding career with the Seahawks.

Wright will turn 32 next month, but he’s still one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL, which makes him a perfect fit in the Colts’ defense. Over the last two years, the former fourth-round pick logged close to a 90% snap share and started all 32 games for Seattle, registering 218 tackles (16 for loss), 21 passes defended and four interceptions in those contests.

There hasn’t been much buzz surrounding Wright’s market of late, so Ballard should be able to seduce him into signing with the Colts fairly easily. However, that’ll have to happen fast because we’d be surprised if Wright didn’t find a new home at some point in the next few weeks.