Why Colts must look at these 3 players to bolster a depleted linebacker room

Zaire Franklin is long gone, and the Indianapolis Colts have been thus far unable to replace the hole he left behind. General manager Chris Ballard is almost certainly keeping his eyes on the draft to upgrade the Colts' linebacker group, but that may not be enough to replace someone like Franklin.

Colby Wooden's addition in the trade helps the Colts defensive line, another area of need that Ballard was expected to address this summer, either in free agency or the draft. That said, while this helps give the D-line a boost, the linebacker vacancy remains. 

It could get even thinner if Ballard allows another eight-year veteran to sign elsewhere, unless he is brought back: Germaine Pratt. He makes the list of remaining free agent linebackers the Colts can swing for. That said, there are two other options the Colts could target to fill Franklin's vacancy, and one of them has a connection to Lou Anarumo.

Two former Lou Anarumo players land on list of free agent linebackers Colts should target

Logan Wilson

Anarumo continues to reassemble those who played under him with the Cincinnati Bengals — Cam Taylor-Britt being the most recent, who just signed with the Colts. Logan Wilson represents another former Anarumo defender from the Bengals days that the Colts could benefit from, and at a low cost.

Wilson played under Anarumo for five seasons in Cincinnati before a short stint with the Dallas Cowboys, and was a starter at linebacker in both locations. A reliable starter is what Indianapolis desperately needs right now.

In 83 career NFL games, Wilson has 565 total tackles and 19 tackles for loss, on top of 11 interceptions, 26 passes defended, 5.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. This is the sort of contribution the Colts would love to have. Wilson was at his best with Anarumo; he could be again.

Bobby Wagner

Going after someone like Bobby Wagner would go against Ballard's philosophy for the Colts, wanting to get younger and faster. That said, Wagner is still one of the league's best linebackers despite heading into his 15th season. Unsurprisingly, Wagner was rated as the No. 9 linebacker in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) last season — there's no question he's still got it. 

Even at 35 years old last season, Wagner produced stellar numbers: 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits in 17 games, and he was healthy through it all.

He may be up there in years, but Wagner has shown no signs of slowing down his production, despite not being as fast on his feet as he was in his early Seattle Seahawks days. The Colts would immediately benefit from Wagner's production and a strong, Super Bowl-winning veteran presence. 

Germain Pratt

Pratt, another former Anarumo player with the Bengals, came over to the Colts mid-season last year and did an excellent job holding down the fort at linebacker alongside Franklin.

Pratt remains a free agent and presents another low-cost option for the Colts to bring back for not only depth reasons, but also because the Colts have an empty linebacking group at the moment. Pratt isn't an All-Pro player, but he is solid and reliable. 

Pratt racked up 101 total tackles, five tackles for loss, eight passes defended, one interception, and one forced fumble in 12 games for the Colts, and all 12 games were starts. A strong veteran presence might do the Colts well, especially if they look to the draft to add to their linebacker group. Plus, his familiarity with Anurumo is a bonus.