In his season-end press conference, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard talked about how the team needed to finish games better and the pass rush had to improve. Those things are likely coupled together. In order to end games well, a team needs to get good pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Indy does need to get younger in its edge rush group. Laiatu Latu is becoming a star and will just be entering his third season in 2026, but players such as Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis are both 30 years old, and both are free agents. But one player who will likely be available in free agency simply might be too difficult to pass up.
Trey Hendrickson is an elite edge rusher who worked under Lou Anarumo, Indianapolis's defensive coordinator, when both were with the Cincinnati Bengals. Anarumo helped mold Hendrickson into the kind of player who was able to have back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. The edge rusher was a perfect fit in Anarumo's system.
Indianapolis Colts projected to sign Trey Hendrickson in free agency
One analyst believes Indy could immediately improve its pass rush by bringing Hendrickson aboard, and his reasoning is quite sound. NFL Spin Zone's Lou Scataglia doesn't include a price tag in his projection that the Bengals player winds up in Indianapolis, but he doesn't need to.
Scataglia understands that Chris Ballard giving the New York Jets two future first-round draft picks means that the Colts have to be aggressive in free agency. Want to improve the defense? Sign Hendrickson.
The NFL Spin Zone writer says, "Trey Hendrickson reuniting with his former defensive coordinator makes a lot of sense. Lou Anarumo is probably already pounding the table for this move, and the Colts already traded two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner, so Chris Ballard, the GM, has to keep the foot on the gas."
While Indy doesn't have high-end draft capital in order to grab a good edge rusher under contract with another team, that doesn't mean the team could sign one in free agency because Indianapolis does have some decent cash to spend.
This is the case even if Ballard re-signs quarterback Daniel Jones, whose contract might be backloaded due to his torn Achilles tendon affecting his 2026 season. Jones might re-sign on a multi-year deal that doesn't pay him a ton of money upfront.
Or the Colts could release a player like Michael Pittman and save $24 million. That is a chunk of change to save by giving up an overpaid player who has been good in the locker room, but who allows Indianapolis to potentially acquire a game-changing defender.
In 2025, Trey Hendrickson only appeared in seven games due to injury, and he will be 31 years old at the start of the 2026 season. Some teams might be scared off because of his age from giving him a huge deal.
The Indianapolis Colts shouldn't be. Unless Lou Anarumo is hired as a head coach elsewhere. Hendrickson could be signed, would be a great fit with the defense, and would have a high-end impact.