Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has done an interesting thing this offseason. He managed to re-sign quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, but he also might have made the defense worse while doing so. Indy is still waiting on edge rush help, for instance.
More specifically, ascending third-year pro Laiatu Latu needs assistance. A good defense has multiple players who can consistently chase down quarterbacks. Indianapolis has one. They could have two now that Buffalo Bills edge rusher AJ Epenesa is back on the market.
Epenesa was supposed to be moving on to the Cleveland Browns, but the team had some concerns about his recent physical. Those concerns are not known, and might never be, as teams don't normally offer what the issues are because that would be unfair to the player.
Indianapolis Colts have the cap room needed to chase AJ Epenesa in free agency
The edge rusher doesn't have a long history of being injured. He has never missed more than three games in a season since he was drafted in 2020, and he hasn't missed more than two in the last four seasons (and only one total in the regular season in the last two years). He did suffer a concussion last season, as well as a knee and neck problem.
With Cleveland, Epenesa was expected to sign for one season and only $5 million. He isn't elite against the run, but he can pressure quarterbacks, and this is the aspect that Indy needs the most. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn't struggle against the run in 2025, but getting pressure was seemingly a constant issue for everyone but Latu.
Though Epenesa had only 2.5 sacks last season, he had six in each of the previous three seasons. He also had 28 total pressures, six more than in 2024. In other words, he might not have been getting home as much, but he was still affecting what the quarterback wanted to do.
This offseason in free agency, the Indianapolis Colts lost Kwity Paye to the Las Vegas Raiders and, in return, added Arden Key. At best, Key taking the spot of Paye is a wash. While Paye was far from an elite player, he might still be a more well-rounded player than Key, who struggles with missed tackles.
Still, if Arden is decent, the team could have Latu and AJ Epenesa. And fans should assume the former Bills player will stay healthy because that is what he has done in his career. Maybe the Browns simply changed their mind on how they wanted to spend their money, the same way the Baltimore Ravens appeared to do with Maxx Crosby.
The Colts have the money to spend in free agency, as the first years of the Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce contracts have relatively low cap hits. According to Over the Cap, Indy has $26,627,200 in cash left this offseason. Plenty of money to sign AJ Epenesa.