It was a bit of a slow week for the Indianapolis Colts on Bleacher Report’s routine article urging all 32 NFL teams to sign current free agents, trade for players before the trade deadline, target a 2025 free agent or look ahead to a certain player in the 2025 NFL Draft.
No current Colt was suggested to join another team, and Bleacher Report’s staff actually felt that Indianapolis did not need to add anyone to its roster ahead of a Week 9 contest against the Minnesota Vikings.
However, Alex Ballentine still listed the Colts’ biggest positional needs as interior defensive line, cornerback, safety, tight end and edge, per usual.
And Ballentine stuck to those needs, encouraging the Colts to focus on the defensive side of the ball in the 2025 offseason.
In free agency, Ballentine wants to see Indianapolis sign current Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Malcolm Koonce.
“Malcolm Koonce is going to be one of the most interesting free agents of the 2025 cycle if the Raiders don’t re-sign him. He went on a tear last season and looked like a breakout candidate with six sacks over the final four games of 2023,” Ballentine wrote.
“Unfortunately, he’s missing the entire season with a knee injury. That throws his free agency value into questions and could make him available on an affordable one year deal. That would be a great addition for Indianapolis to make. Laiatu Latu is making progress as a rookie but he came into Week 8 as the team’s sacks leader with two. More help is needed on the outside.”
The fourth-year pro was ruled out for the 2024 season before ever seeing regular season action with a non-contact knee injury, but his three prior seasons in the NFL proved that he is capable of being a disruptive force off the edge.
Koonce played linebacker for his first two seasons with the Raiders and made no starts, despite appearing in all 17 games during his sophomore campaign. However, Koonce made the positional change to edge before the 2023 season and finally found his footing.
He started in 11 of 17 games, compiling eight sacks, nine tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits. Four Colts put up at least eight sacks in 2023, but Samson Ebukam has missed the entire 2024 season and Dayo Odeyingbo will be a free agent after this season.
The Colts’ 2024 sack leader is Odeyingbo with just three through the first eight weeks of the season, and Koonce could easily slide into the same role Odeyingbo would have played for the Indianapolis defense, and perhaps be even better given his affinity for forcing fumbles in addition to his high-pressure rate.