This offseason, the Indianapolis Colts lost four members of their 2025 defensive line rotation. General manager Chris Ballard is attempting to reload the unit with a group of low-cost veterans and rookies.
He acquired two edge rushers on the final day of the draft and brought in five other veterans via free agency or trade. The total cost of those five players amounts to about 18 million dollars in 2026. One of the new players is Michael Clemons.
Clemons finished his rookie deal with the New York Jets last year. In terms of total contract value, he was the most expensive of the new players, although projected starting edge rusher Arden Key has a higher yearly salary.
Michael Clemons could find a role with the Indianapolis Colts as a specialist
The Jets chose Clemons in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He played in all 17 games as a rookie, but never really built on some early flashes. Despite an increased workload by his third year, Clemons never surpassed the 36 tackles he made as a rookie.
In theory, the Colts should put a decent group of starting defensive linemen on the field in 2026. But age, injury, and inconsistency all threaten to sabotage Lou Anarumo’s plans for his defense. Though DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have been solid citizens in the middle and despite Arden Key’s potential on the edge, Laiatu Latu is the only sure thing Indianapolis has going for it.
Michael Clemons has never been a dominant pass rusher. He has never been great against the run either. He has been good at times and invisible at other times throughout his career. But in the Colts’ first preseason game against the New England Patriots, we may have gotten a glimpse of the way Clemons can genuinely help this team in 2026.
Early in the game, he lined up both on the edge and in the middle of the line. When he was shading the tackle or in the B gap in passing situations, Clemons blew past bigger guards several times and generated a strong inside push. That was something that Neville Gallimore provided on a sporadic basis over the past few years. Gallimore is one of the defensive linemen who left this offseason.
Michael Clemons doesn’t exactly look the part of an interior lineman. He has great length – 6’5” with very long arms – and is lean – with a listed weight of 263 pounds. In his entire career, totaling nearly 2,000 defensive snaps, he lined up inside on fewer than 100 of them.
But against the Patriots, it was hard to ignore the fact that he looked dangerous inside. The fact that more than one-third of his snaps came either over the tackle or in the B gap suggests that Anarumo sees the value in that deployment. With the Jets, the overwhelming majority of his snaps came lined up outside the tackle.
Clemons is not going to be a force against the run from inside the box. And though he may work his way into the edge rusher rotation behind Latu and Key, the Colts might prefer to see what their younger guys can do first.
Caden Curry, the 16th edge rusher taken in last year’s draft, looked promising against New England … albeit against second- and third-string blockers. George Gumbs and Jaylahn Tuimoloau have talent. They all need a lot of work.
As an edge rusher, I’m not sure Michael Clemons has a lot more to show the Colts. But sliding inside, where his quick first step can cause trouble for slow-footed guards and his long arms can block throwing lanes, Clemons could find new life as an interior pass rush specialist.
That is not exactly something he has been known for. Clemons recorded 8.5 sacks with the Jets in four seasons. But maybe he was playing the wrong position in New York. He is certainly not an every-down defensive tackle. But a change of scenery might pay off for both the player and the team.
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