Colts Should Be in the Market for 'Fun,' Versatile Free Agent

The Indianapolis Colts have done a great job bolstering their defense throughout the beginning of the new league year, adding starting defensive backs Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum as well as depth pieces in defensvie tackle Neville Gallimore and cornerback Corey Ballentine.

However, one area of the Colts' defense that still needs depth, competition, and perhaps a new starter is linebacker. Zaire Franklin in the NFL's reigning tackle king but leaves some plays on the field to be made. Probable fellow starter Jaylon Carlies was the team's best coverage linebacker as a rookie last year but had some issues against the run and missed seven games with injuries. Last year's starting WILL, E.J. Speed, remains on the free-agent market.

ESPN Senior NFL Writer Bill Barnwell identified linebacker as a need for the Colts and tabbed them as an "ideal landing spot" for Arizona Cardinals free-agent linebacker Kyzir White, along with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

"Once a safety, White can be a tweener in some NFL defenses, which might see him as more of a weakside linebacker than the middle linebacker role he played in Arizona over the past two seasons," Barnwell wrote. "He's fun! White makes a ton of tackles; his 11.9% tackle share last season ranked 16th in the league, an impressive figure given that Budda Baker ranked third by the same metric. White's missed tackle rate was reasonable (5.5%), and he had 2.5 sacks and eight knockdowns as a blitzer."

Barnwell also added, "A team with a creative defensive coordinator should find a useful role for (White)." New Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is known around the league for being creative, aggressive, and "multiple," meaning he could probably find a good use for a player like White.

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White (6'2", 234, 29 years old) came into the NFL as a fourth-round pick out of West Virginia by the Los Angeles Chargers. Since then, he has also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles (2022) and Arizona Cardinals (2023-24).

White actually spent four seasons playing defense for teams where Colts head coach Shane Steichen was coaching offense: 2018-20 with the Chargers and 2021 with the Eagles.

In 92 career games (73 starts), White has totaled 615 tackles (9 for loss), 7.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovered, 6 interceptions, and 23 pass breakups. His 137 total tackles in 2024 ranked 15th in the NFL.

Spotrac.com projects White's market value at a two-year deal worth $11,573,600.

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