Colts Named Landing Spot for Super Bowl Champion Pass Rusher

One of the biggest offseason signings for the Indianapolis Colts was defensive end Samson Ebukam. He signed a three-year, $24 million contract to join the Colts.

But Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox still proposed Indianapolis finding more help at edge rusher through a trade early this season.

Knox labeled the Colts as a potential landing spot for Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett.

"Indianapolis could also make sense for Barnett," Knox wrote. "The Colts also have a fairly underwhelming edge-rushing rotation, and former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is now Indy's head coach.

"Yannick Ngakoue led Indianapolis with 9.5 sacks last season, but he was not re-signed and landed in Chicago in early August."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus reported on August 28 that Barnett and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, are "gauging the market" for a potential trade in an effort to get out of Philadelphia.

McManus wrote that the Eagles initially plan to keep Barnett, but his playing time will probably be limited.

More than likely, that will continue to leave the veteran pass rusher disgruntled. It wouldn't at all be surprising to see him moved through a trade before the deadline on October 31.

The Colts could use some additional pass rushing help. As Knox noted, Ebukam is replacing Ngakoue. Although Ebukam posted career highs across the board last season, he's never had more than 5 sacks in a season. 

Barnett could be helpful in not only adding depth, but he could also be a nice compliment to Ebukam along the edge for Indianapolis.

Barnett hasn't had more than 2 sacks in a season since 2020. But he's reached 5 sacks in a season three times during his six-year career. In 2019, he had 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits.

Last year, Barnett missed practically the entire season because of a torn ACL he suffered in Week 1. 

During his last full season in 2021, Barnett had only 2 sacks but a career-high 46 combined tackles. He also had 7 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits in 16 games.

In addition to the Colts, Knox named the Arizona Cardinals a potential landing spot for Barnett.