Colts Called Out for Neglecting Big Need

Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts were expected to address the linebacker position at some point.

The group had some issues in coverage and with tackling last season, and they lost E.J. Speed and Grant Stuard in free agency. Plus, second-year player Jaylon Carlies was the assumed starter at WILL, but without any competition for the role.

The draft came and went, with the Colts electing not to add a linebacker until their final pick, selecting safety convert Hunter Wohler in the seventh round.

As we look at the home stretch of the offseason, linebacker remains perhaps the Colts' biggest question mark.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus agrees, questioning if the Colts have done enough for the position this spring.

"Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed started at linebacker for the Colts last season, each playing more than 1,000 snaps," Sikkema wrote. "Franklin earned a 60.3 PFF overall grade, while Speed recorded a 56.3 mark. Speed is no longer in Indianapolis, so in steps Jaylon Carlies, who earned a higher 70.0 PFF overall grade, but on just over 200 snaps. The second level remains an area of concern for the Colts' defense."

For the holes that exist in Franklin's game, he's still an above-average linebacker who's shown signs of improvement, particularly in the mental aspect of coverage. Franklin is a polarizing player with fans primarily due to his words and actions off the field, but he is still deservedly the team's starting MIKE. He wasn't named a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro in 2024 for nothing.

Where the true holes in the Colts' linebacker room exist are the lack of depth and the fact that Carlies is essentially being handed the starting WILL job.

Carlies showed a lot of really good things last year as a rookie -- he earned the Colts' top grade (70.0) among linebackers, per PFF -- and probably is the best man for the role, but not bringing anyone else in to push for that spot goes against the competition aspect that general manager Chris Ballard preached all offseason.

The Colts did see Speed and Stuard depart in free agency, which vacated 1,240 defensive snaps and 414 on special teams from last year. However, the plan (for now) appears for Carlies to replace Speed and Segun Olubi to replace Stuard on defense, while newcomers Wohler and Joe Bachie contribute heavily on special teams.

Following the draft when the Colts were expected to use a draft pick on a clear contributor at linebacker, Ballard did explain that things didn't work out in that department.

“Yeah, it just didn’t work out," Ballard said. "We drafted JC (Jaylon Carlies) a year ago, who we really like. We thought when he played last year, it was really good. We’ve got some other guys on the roster that we really like. We think we will be OK in that area.

"You’ve got to understand that, Lou (Anarumo), it’s a little different than we’ve done in the past, where we had a MIKE, WILL, and a SAM," Ballard explained. "Now, we are just playing with a MIKE and a WILL. So, not as many guys are as needed as in the past.”

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