Colts Crack Top 10 in PFF Linebacker Rankings
There's no doubt the loss of Shaq Leonard for most of the 2022 season hurt the Indianapolis Colts.
However, his absence gave other players the opportunity to get valuable experience. The Colts linebackers stayed one of the top units in the NFL last season, and with a healthy Leonard they can be an elite unit according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Indianapolis checked in at No. 8 on the PFF linebacker rankings.
The Colts’ linebackers actually held up reasonably well, considering Shaquille Leonard played only 74 snaps in 2022. Bobby Okereke (73.3 overall grade) and Zaire Franklin (57.0) led the way, while fourth-year man E.J. Speed (78.4) performed well in his first year with significant playing time. Okereke left for New York this offseason, but Franklin and Speed remain. Leonard’s health will be the key for this unit.
When healthy, Shaquille Leonard is one of the premier playmakers in the NFL—his 2021 season featured a league-best 91.1 run-defense grade, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions. His presence as a turnover-forcing machine can change games in a heartbeat. His return to full health is as good as anything the Colts could have acquired to improve their defense. -- Dalton Wasserman, PFF
The Colts lost 151 tackles in Okereke, but Speed had 63 tackles in just five starts last season. Franklin may have received just a 57.0 grade from PFF, but his 167 tackles led the team and was fourth in all of football.
The Colts' offseason activity, or lack thereof, could be telling on the plans for Leonard. Despite losing Okereke to free agency, the Colts didn't sign another linebacker and only used one of their 12-draft picks on the position, a 6th-round pick on Titus Leo out of Wagner.
Signs point to the Colts expecting Leonard to be fully healthy in 2023 after starting just one game last year.
2022 was a disaster of a season all around, but the pieces are still in place to revive the playoff hopes that the Colts had going into last year. The Colts have a good linebacker unit and a healthy Leonard makes it elite.
