Report: Colts Won’t Retain Free Agent Defensive Leader
The Indianapolis Colts will reportedly not retain free-agent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic.
"Widely assumed with the addition of Samson Ebukam, but Gus Bradley acknowledges today the Colts won't retain DE Yannick Ngakoue, who's still a free agent and had 9.5 sacks last season in Indy," Keefer tweeted Wednesday.
As the information mentioned, this could have been seen as a foregone conclusion once former San Francisco Niners defensive end Samson Ebukam signed with the Colts earlier this off-season.
There is also the matter of both Dayo Odeyingbo and Kwity Paye getting more playing time as the ends on the defensive front. Paye was playing very nicely when healthy in 2022 and Odeyingbo seemed to be hitting a stride as the campaign winded down.
With how badly the 2022 year went for everyone in the Colts facility, change was bound to happen, regardless of which side of the ball. Some of those moves were likely going to be made to clear cap space for extensions and other signings. Given that Ngakoue could cost $10-12 million per year, it’s another reason that this move to let him walk isn’t too surprising.
Regardless of where Ngakoue ends up, he will bring a team-leading 9.5 sacks with him that he posted in 2022 for the Colts. However, even though he led the struggling Colts in sacks, he was exploited heavily in the running game by offenses. This is an area that Indianapolis hopes to bolster on the edge as they focus ahead to 2023.
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