Latest news with #ZaireFranklin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Could Colts injury woes push Bengals into a Germaine Pratt trade?
The Cincinnati Bengals remain highly unlikely to find a trade partner for Germaine Pratt. Pratt, after all, has an $8 million cap hit attached to his trade request from earlier this offseason. Tack on his age, what he put on film last year and how obvious it seems that he won't be back and it feels more like he's headed toward being cut. Advertisement Still, what if a team like the Indianapolis Colts gets desperate? Those Colts now have former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in the same role. But this goes beyond that simple connection. RELATED: Shemar Stewart's contract beef with Bengals revealed in report Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin had ankle surgery and could miss everything up until training camp, if not into it. Jaylon Carlies, another linebacker, continues to work his way back from shoulder surgery, too. Despite these factors and losses in free agency, the Colts didn't draft a linebacker until the seventh round this year. Advertisement So, perhaps this situation lends itself to helping a Pratt trade happen. Perhaps it escalates if Franklin isn't full-go soon or other injuries occur. It would help if the Bengals would be willing to modify any sort of deal to get Pratt out the door. But knowing them, it's probably unlikely they would give up cash in the process. After drafting Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter, though, it still feels like the Pratt bridge has burned and collapsed, opening the door for ideas like this. RELATED: Bengals takeaways and thoughts on Jermaine Burton, contract drama This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Could Colts injury woes push Bengals into a Germaine Pratt trade?
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts' OTAs: The big question at linebacker
Indianapolis Colts' OTAs: The big question at linebacker Indianapolis Colts, let's take a look at one big question facing each position group. Up next are the linebackers. The Indianapolis Colts will begin Phase III of the offseason programs on May 28th, which means the start of voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Rather than only doing individual drills as the Colts have been doing, they will now be permitted to do 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 team drills, although no live contact is allowed. So with this important part of the offseason schedule about to begin, I wanted to highlight one big question facing each position group. Up next are the linebackers. Below you can find our previous position previews. Do the Indianapolis Colts have enough depth at linebacker? This was a position where throughout the offseason, I kept waiting for an addition to be made. That didn't mean I was expecting a high-profile addition, but I thought there would be some competition brought in for Jaylon Carlies. However, the only outside additions included signing Joe Bechie after the draft, who has mostly been a special teams player, signing UDFA Solomon DeShields, and perhaps drafting Hunter Wohler, although he is listed on the team site as a defensive back. Carlies put together a very solid rookie season as the Colts' third linebacker in their 4-3 scheme at that time, along with making two starts. He was a very reliable tackler and limited YAC in the passing game. As a former college safety, he can add some needed coverage abilities to the position. With that said, Carlies has 242 career defensive snaps. Assuming he can step into a full-time starting role seamlessly comes with some risk. Also, behind him and Zaire Franklin on the depth chart, there is very little defensive experience. 'It's a position we've been pretty good drafting and developing. I give our coaches and scouts a lot of credit for that," GM Chris Ballard said via the Indy Star. "Don't forget now, E.J. Speed, it wasn't like he came on right away. No, it took him a little time. Zaire Franklin did not come on right away. Great special team player but eventually became a linebacker that was a good player." In Lou Anarumo's scheme, we are going to see more blitzing from the linebackers, not to mention there will be more disguising of coverages at the second and third levels. In this defense, there will be a greater reliance on the defensive backs than the linebackers. But even so, the Colts are going to enter the 2025 season with question marks at this position--until shown otherwise--given the lack of experience around Franklin.
Indianapolis Star
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Zaire Franklin undergoes ankle procedure, will sit out Colts offseason program
INDIANAPOLIS -- Zaire Franklin won't be on the field when the Colts veterans join the rookies for organized training activities practices later this month. That's because he's healing an ankle at the moment. The Colts captain and reigning Pro Bowler had a clean-up procedure on his ankle this spring. "We just got it cleaned up," coach Shane Steichen said. "It'll take some time, but hopefully he'll be back by training camp." Both of the Colts' projected starting linebackers underwent surgeries this spring. Last year's fifth-round pick, Jaylon Carlies, is working back from a surgery to fix the shoulder issue he played with last season after he came back from injured reserve. The Colts hope to have both back for training camp. They'll need them at a position that could be the thinnest on this year's roster. Franklin is coming off a seventh pro season in which he broke his own franchise tackles record with 173 to lead all NFL players. The 28-year-old also turned in a career-high 3.5 sacks and five pass breakups to reach his first Pro Bowl and become a second-team All-Pro. Franklin did struggle in coverage at times and finished tied for fourth in the league in missed tackles, according to Sports Info Solutions. He's set to play as critical of a role as ever in Lou Anarumo's defense this season. The first-year defensive coordinator has a tendency to play exclusively two linebackers and sometimes only one, when he deploys bear fronts and dime packages in the secondary. And Franklin is the only linebacker on the roster with real defensive experience. Indianapolis let EJ Speed and Grant Stuard to leave in free agency and has only brought in one linebacker from the outside this offseason in Joe Bachie, who was primarily a special teamer with the Bengals but who did spend time in the linebacker room for Anarumo's unit. Colts mailbag: What are the plans at linebacker and guard? Is a trade coming? The Colts are planning to compensate for their linebackers in coverage better with the addition of free safety Camryn Bynum. Three years ago, the Colts announced a clean-up ankle procedure around the same time of year for Shaquille Leonard, who wound up having a nerve issue that connected the ankle to his back. Leonard was never his All-Pro self again, playing sparingly in 2022 before declining in 2023 and being released.
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
After spending big on defense in free agency, Colts continue to invest in revamped unit
INDIANAPOLIS — JT Tuimoloau knew he was in rare air. As a teenager at East Side Catholic High School in Seattle, his dream was to play in the NFL. But unlike most teenagers, his talent at the prep level put him in rooms few others his age could enter. Before the Indianapolis Colts selected Tuimoloau with the No. 45 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night, the blueprint was laid before him years prior when he crossed paths with Seahawks legends Cliff Avril and Bobby Wagner — and an underdog still trying to prove himself at the highest level. Advertisement That underdog? Zaire Franklin, the Indianapolis Colts' second-team All-Pro linebacker. But back then, he was a recent seventh-round pick training at Ford Sports Performance in Seattle with Avril and Wagner. Tuimoloau was there, too, having already soaked up a few years of knowledge from the two Super Bowl champs, and he was eager to learn from Franklin, as well. Neither could've predicted that one day they'd call each other NFL teammates, but that day came Friday. 'It's crazy I was able to train with Zaire Franklin,' Tuimoloau said. 'We always made it a point because I wore No. 44 (at Ohio State), and he did (as well in the NFL), and he was just always saying, 'Make sure you rep the number well!'' Tuimoloau represented it so well that Colts GM Chris Ballard made him their top defensive draft pick in this year's class and another significant piece to Indianapolis' revamped defense. The 21-year-old earned three straight first-team All-Big nods and capped his college career with 12.5 sacks during the 2024 season, with 6.5 of them coming in the Buckeyes' four College Football Playoff games that culminated with their first national title in a decade. 'It's a long ride, but, man, I'm just blessed I was able to go through this,' Tuimoloau said. 'I've always said I'd be doing my younger self a discredit if I wasn't grateful for this moment.' Three months ago, the Colts opted not to re-sign defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and replaced him with Lou Anarumo, who was the Bengals' defensive coordinator for the past six years. Indianapolis' defense was porous under Bradley, finishing 28th in the NFL in points allowed per game in 2022 and 2023, and 24th in 2024. Those results led to wholesale changes, including a more aggressive approach in free agency from Ballard. He secured impact free-agent additions in cornerback Charvarius Ward and free safety Cam Bynum, yet their acquisitions have flown a bit under the radar thanks to the Colts' ongoing QB competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Advertisement Whoever is named the starter, Ballard gave them a talented target to throw to by selecting Penn State tight end Tyler Warren on the first day of the draft. But on Day 2, he was back to retooling his defense. Tuimoloau helps fill the void that starting defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, who played the most snaps of any Colts defensive linemen in 2024, left when he joined the Chicago Bears in free agency. Similar to Odeyingbo, Tuimoloau can play inside or outside, Ballard said, and his short-area explosiveness paired with his violent hands should help him make an immediate impact. 'You can never have enough,' Ballard said of drafting edge rushers. 'You just can't, especially as the season gets (going). It's 17 games. … That's a long season. You gotta have as many defensive linemen that (you) can.' Apparently, that same logic can be applied to cornerback, since 35 picks after taking Tuimoloau off the board, Ballard drafted Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley at No. 80. The 22-year-old had a sixth-round grade, per The Athletic's lead draft analyst Dane Brugler, and he's undersized for what Ballard typically looks for in a cornerback. But Ballard said he couldn't care less about rankings outside of those he composes alongside his scouts, and he was sold on Walley's speed, ball skills and versatility. 'I've played every single coverage you can play,' a giddy, yet confident Walley said Friday. 'I feel like I do got a very consistent level. I feel like I prepare myself to be able to go on the field and play all of the different positions very consistently. That's playing man, that's playing the deep path, the flat — no matter what it is, I feel like I can pretty much do it all.' Walley started 42 of the 49 games he appeared in at Minnesota, playing on the boundary and in the slot. He racked up 34 passes defensed and seven interceptions, highlighted by 12 passes defensed and two interceptions en route to a second-team All-Big Ten nod in 2024. Advertisement The most impressive part? Walley played through a wrist injury during his final college season, but his film hardly looked like it. That mentality carried over to his pre-draft process, where Ballard appreciated his grit. 'In a time when people don't want to work out, I mean, we have guys ducking it,' Ballard said. 'He does everything with a wrist (injury) and runs 4.37 (40-yard dash), with a cast on his wrist. He does everything, every drill, and it shows up on tape.' Holes still remain as Ballard and the Colts shift their focus to Day 3 of the draft, most notably at right guard, weakside linebacker and backup running back. But Ballard has been particularly aggressive this offseason attacking the team's need areas. I'd expect more of the same on Saturday. (Photo of Tuimoloau: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Colts DC Lou Anarumo at UCLA Pro Day
Report: Colts DC Lou Anarumo at UCLA Pro Day Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was reportedly in attendance at the UCLA Pro Day recently. Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was in attendance at the UCLA Pro Day recently, according to Kai Dizon of the Daily Bruin. This time of the year, it's incredibly common for teams to have representatives at the various Pro Days that are taking place, but it always feels particularly noteworthy when it's a coordinator or the head coach who are more selective in where they spend their time. The top-ranked UCLA defender on PFF's big board is linebacker Carson Schwesinger. This, of course, is still a big need that the Colts have to fill. They need depth at linebacker and someone to start next to Zaire Franklin. In a recent mock draft from Jordan Reid of ESPN, he had the Colts selecting Schwesinger in the second round: "The Colts need to find an instinctive and rangy running mate next to middle linebacker Zaire Franklin," Reid wrote. "Schwesinger is exactly that, as he's a savvy run defender who can step downhill when needed. He also has a great feel in pass defense, possessing the hip mobility to operate in space." Another name from the UCLA defense to know is defensive end Oluwafemi Oladejo. This is a position where depth is again a need after losing Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency. There is also quite a bit of production that is lost as well, with Odeyingbo having led the team in pressures last season. Linebacker Kain Medrano and defensive tackle Jay Toia are two other UCLA draft prospects on PFF's big board.
