Colts Hosted Former Gus Bradley DL Darius Philon for Free-Agent Visit

The Indianapolis Colts continue their due diligence in scoping out the free-agent market during NFL Draft Week and have hosted another former defender who has played under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

Per ESPN's Field Yates, the Colts recently hosted free-agent defensive tackle Darius Philon.

The Colts hosted free agent DT Darius Philon on a visit. He has familiarity with DC Gus Bradley after playing for him in Las Vegas.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 27, 2022

Philon was originally a sixth-round pick (No. 192) by the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers out of Arkansas in the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also seen time with the Arizona Cardinals (2019) and Las Vegas Raiders (2021).

Philon (6'1", 286, 28 years old) spent 2017-18 with the Chargers and 2021 on the Raiders with Bradley as his coordinator. If the Colts do sign Philon, he would be the third former Bradley defender to join the Colts this offseason, joining defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Brandon Facyson.

The Colts need more depth at defensive tackle, as the only players behind starters DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are Chris Williams and R.J. McIntosh. The latter hasn't played since 2019, and Williams saw 62 defensive snaps in 2021.

In 65 career games (21 starts), Philon has 107 tackles (21 for loss), 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered, 4 pass breakups, and 24 quarterback hits.

Most recently in 2021 with Las Vegas and Bradley, Philon played in 11 games and had 27 tackles (5 for loss), 2.0 sacks, 2 fumbles recovered, and 2 pass breakups. His season ended in Week 18 due to a patellar knee injury.

In Bradley's scheme with the Raiders, Philon played in 277 defensive snaps at defensive tackle (202), defensive end (39), nose tackle (35), and even a snap at linebacker (1).

Serious late-season knee injury aside, another issue of note was when Philon was let go by the Cardinals in the first year of a two-year deal in 2019 after an arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He allegedly threatened to shoot a woman outside of a strip club, according to TMZ.

The Colts currently have $13.4 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. Philon's contract last year with Las Vegas was for one year and $990,000.

Do you want the Colts to sign Philon? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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