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Way Too Early 2025 Key Free Agency Outlook

With the NFL Draft over and rookie minicamp completed, we head to OTAs the next two weeks and then mandatory minicamp begins the first week of June.

By Kurt Breidenstein

Indianapolis Colts v Carolina Panthers
Indianapolis Colts v Carolina Panthers / Eakin Howard/GettyImages
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Defensive Players

Defensive End Dayo Odeyingbo

The first contract year of his career has arrived for Dayo. After a slow start from his Achillies injury suffered at Vanderbilt, Dayo had his best season to date. Not only did he play all 17 games but he finished with a career-high 8 sacks. His ability to swing both on the edge and interior have helped bring value to not only the position but the team itself. Ballard loves to keep around valuable rotational defensive lineman (see Tyquan Lewis) and Dayo is no different.

Linebacker EJ Speed

Speed signed his second NFL contract this past offseason and is due for his potential 3rd in 2025. Speed had a terrific season last year and he really stepped up after the Colts released Shaq Leonard. Speed finished second on the team behind Zaire Franklin in tackles with 102 tackles. Don’t expect his role to change any this coming season as he will continue his starting role and fully expect him to sign a fresh extension sooner rather than later.

Safety Julian Blackmon

Blackmon started the season strong and finished on the IR with a season ending shoulder injury. He signed a late one-year deal after most of the safeties signed some underwhelming contracts and it appears that the safety market might be dealing with the same issues that the running backs were dealing with. I do believe Blackmon is wanted and valued by Ballard and this organization, but he truly wanted to see if he could get more somewhere else after taking visits with Buffalo and San Francisco. The Colts secondary has been very inconsistent this past season and Blackmon has a terrific opportunity to grab a long term extension with a career year.

Cornerback Dallis Flowers

Even after missing 3 quarters of the season with a ruptured Achillies, Ballard continues to have belief in him and his abilities. As mentioned with Blackmon, the inconsistency with the secondary last season gives Flowers an opportunity to make an impact on the team. The core has a lot of youth even with Kenny Moore returning, if he can get healthy, he could really separate himself along with JuJu Brents as the other outside starting cornerback. Don’t expect him to go back to being a returner as Anthony Gould is expected to take over so health will be key for Flowers if he expects to get his second NFL contract.

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