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3 defensive players Colts must re-sign

By Brad Marr

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 04: George Odum #30 and Kenny Moore II #23 of the Indianapolis Colts are seen after a turnover during the game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 4, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 04: George Odum #30 and Kenny Moore II #23 of the Indianapolis Colts are seen after a turnover during the game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 4, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Linebacker Zaire Franklin of the Indianapolis Colts walks off the field during the game against the Arizona Cardinals. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /

The Indianapolis Colts will have a lot of free agents this offseason, but there are three defenders they must re-sign.

The Indianapolis Colts are entering the offseason with 28 potential free agents. The majority will be unrestricted free agents, which means they’ll have no ties to the team once free agency begins on March 16th at 4 pm EST. Their contract will expire, and the player will be free to sign with any team they please.

The Colts should first look to improve on their already 10th-ranked team defense performance of 2021, by identifying what players to keep on the roster as free agency approaches. Once open, there’s no telling how aggressive Indy will be at signing players from other squads.

Although newly hired defensive coordinator Gus Bradley may be implementing a scheme more fit to a Cover 3 base, rather than the traditional Cover 2 concept the Colts have run for many years, there are still players from Indianapolis that will be great assets to contribute to the team’s success for the defense and special teams.

We’ll be covering three defensive unrestricted free agents the Colts MUST go through every effort to retain on the roster for 2022 and beyond.

Colts must re-sign LB Zaire Franklin

In 2018, Indy drafted Zaire Frankin in the 7th round, 235th overall. Zaire isn’t a defensive staple, but he’s shown to be a strong rotational piece, making plays when needed.

Some things a stat sheet just doesn’t show you, and in this case, it’s Franklin’s leadership ability.  Zaire Franklin went from 7th round draft pick to a two-year captain. Considerably, he’s the “Maniac” of the special team’s unit. Hard to imagine a performance THIS good, No. 2 in the NFL, continuing without their leader.

Zaire Franklin has led other breakout special teams’ players like Matthew Adams, EJ Speed, Ashton Dulin, and even a 2020 All-Pro who happens to also be on this list.

Based on that growth alone, we should see him back on the roster in 2022.

2021 Season Stats: 40 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Int, and 1 FR 

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