With Frank Reich now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, there’s a good chance that he takes a few players with him in free agency.
While the Indianapolis Colts are unusually deep into a coaching search, Frank Reich, the coach Indy fired this past season, has already been named head coach of the Carolina Panthers. It didn’t take long for Reich to land a new job and he inherits a Panthers team that finished 7-10 in the struggling NFC South. Carolina has quite a few talented young pieces but the roster also has some holes that need to be filled.
Commonly seen in the NFL, coaches like to look to their old squads for talent. The familiarity makes going to a new destination together natural. That’s why Brandon Facyson came to the Colts when Gus Bradley became defensive coordinator and also why some players left Indy and went to the Chicago Bears with Matt Eberflus. That’s just how the NFL, and sports in general, works. Coaches even take assistant coaches too.
With Reich now leading the Panthers, it’s only natural that he goes after some of Indianapolis’ players in free agency. Reich coached the Colts for four and a half seasons. Aside from Jeff Saturday, Frank Reich is the only coach many of these guys know. For that reason, it makes sense that they would want to follow him. So which Colts players are Reich and the Panthers most likely to go after?
3. Bobby Okereke could leave Colts for Panthers
Bobby Okereke has been a really good linebacker for Indianapolis for four seasons. The majority of the time, when Indy drafts a player and develops them into a quality starter in the league, they find a way to give them a contract extension. Unfortunately, that’s unlikely to be the case for Okereke. While he has proven himself as an inside linebacker in this league and has been phenomenal for Indy, the Colts pretty much have to let him walk in free agency.
With Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin already under contract and excelling on the field, Okereke is likely the odd man out. But he will have a lot of suitors in free agency. He could reunite with Matt Eberflus in Chicago, or he could join Reich in Carolina and help contribute to the Panthers’ young and talented defense.
Carolina has a fair share of talent defensively with guys like Brian Burns, Shaq Thompson, Jeremy Chinn, and Jaycee Horn. Adding Okereke to that defense would certainly help them improve and would give Reich a strong defensive unit to start with.
2. Parris Campbell could follow Frank Reich to Carolina
For the first time in his four-year career, wide receiver Parris Campbell played a full season. That was a big goal and milestone for Campbell because it’s something that he didn’t come close to doing in his first three seasons. In his first three years in the league, Campbell only played 15 games because of several unfortunate injuries. Staying healthy in 2022, Parris showed that he can be a productive weapon in this league.
Although the Colts struggled offensively this past season, Campbell stepped up and was the team’s No. 2 receiver. In 17 games, he finished the season with 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns. All those numbers were second for Indy only to Michael Pittman Jr. Now that Campbell has established himself, he’ll have the opportunity to enter free agency where he could either return to the Colts or join a new team.
It makes sense for Indianapolis to try and re-sign Campbell. Indy’s pass-catching group is improved but it’s not good enough to just let Parris Campbell walk. However, Campbell is likely to receive interest from other teams and the Panthers will probably be one of those teams now that Frank Reich is the coach.
Carolina currently has DJ Moore, who is really good, Terrace Marshall Jr., Shi Smith, and Laviska Shenault Jr. Adding Parris Campbell to this group would be beneficial for whoever is going to be the quarterback in Carolina, and Campbell’s familiarity with Reich’s system should be very helpful.
1. Will Yannick Ngakoue leave the Colts?
Yannick Ngakoue will likely have a lot of suitors in free agency this offseason, and since Frank Reich is now with the Carolina Panthers, they will likely be a part of the race. Ngakoue is coming off a season where he led Indianapolis with 9.5 sacks. He helped the Colts have one of their most productive pass-rushing seasons in recent years, and that’s why several teams will be interested in him.
However, that’s also why Indy needs to try its hardest to re-sign Yannick Ngakoue. He has proven himself as a consistent pass rusher, recording at least eight sacks in all seven seasons he’s played. Ngakoue has been a part of five different NFL teams, and one thing remains constant, he finds a way to get to the quarterback. That’s a skill that is greatly appreciated in the NFL.
That’s also why Ngakoue will probably have a lot of suitors, specifically contending teams. Being able to pressure the quarterback is something all teams need to close out games and that really becomes the case late in the season. The top teams in the league will pay edge rushers a lot of money each season just for the sacks they’ll get in January and February. Indy will either have to prove themselves to Ngakoue as a contender or have the money to convince him to stay.
The Panthers aren’t necessarily a team that’s ready to compete for a Super Bowl but they do have Frank Reich, and maybe he could convince Ngakoue to come join him in Carolina and line up opposite Brian Burns and help the Panthers have a top defense.
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