Colts Have Chance to Sign 'Immediate Contributor'

The Indianapolis Colts have already committed tons of money to their defense in the first month of NFL free agency.

Colts' general manager, Chris Ballard, signed safety Cam Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward to contracts worth up to $60 million each to invest in the secondary. Looking across the defense, the front seven could use some similar investment before the 2025 season.

On the defensive line, the Colts lost starting edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo to the Chicago Bears in the early days of free agency. Odeyingbo was responsible for 16 sacks over the past three seasons and will leave behind a serious hole on the roster.

Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox feels that free agent defensive end Za'Darius Smith could be an ideal replacement for Odeyingbo.

"Za'Darius Smith is one of the top edge-rushers still available and would be an immediate contributor in Indy," wrote Knox. "Though the Detroit Lions released him early in the offseason, he performed well in his half-season with the club. In eight games with the Lions, he tallied four sacks, three tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits."

"We couldn't afford it."#Lions GM Brad Holmes said the team had an "amicable" split with Za'Darius Smith and remains in contact with his agent.

"We would have loved to be able to keep him...we just weren't able to."https://t.co/jYCm9e8AZg
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) March 31, 2025

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Smith is entering his 11th year in the league after spending time with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions last season. His nine total sacks in 2024 shows that he's capable of being an effective player off the edge, no matter his age.

On top of producing top-tier numbers, Smith has been a consistent starter who has hardly missed time due to injury. Smith has started at least 16 games in each of his last three seasons.

Za'Darius Smith gets a sack in his first game with the @Lions!

📺: #JAXvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/f1baYOiUxO
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024

Considering the Colts are relying on Samson Ebukam to successfully bounce back from injury, there's a chance they look toward Smith as a reliable option to boost the pass rush before the NFL draft.

Smith had originally signed a two-year, $23 million deal with the Browns that was set to expire after this season. Any potential contract would likely be around that $10 million mark, a number that would chew nearly half of the Colts' remaining cap space.

If Ballard wants to improve the pass rush, Smith could be a feasible veteran option who would provide quarterback pressure for a relatively low price.

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