The Colts could withstand to add some additional starting caliber depth at linebacker, and there’s a familiar face that could potentially be available for new DC Lou Anarumo.
According to PFF, Indianapolis Colts new veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo reuniting with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt is the team’s ‘one last offseason move to make’:
Indianapolis Colts: Trade for a familiar linebacker
Outside of Zaire Franklin, the Colts have very little starting experience in their linebacking corps. New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo could target the captain of his former defense in Cincinnati, Germaine Pratt.
The veteran linebacker is technically still under contract, but the writing is on the wall that he will be cut or traded this summer. The price to trade for Pratt would likely be minimal, or the Colts could take their chances following his release. While Pratt’s modest grading profile (60.5 PFF overall grade in 2024) doesn’t excite, his knowledge of Anarumo’s scheme should.
Originally a 2019 3rd round pick of the Bengals, the 6’3,” 250 pound linebacker has spent his entire 6-year career with Cincinnati, but requested a trade earlier this offseason.
During this past season, Pratt recorded 143 tackles (80 solo), 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries during all 17 starts for Anarumo’s former Bengals defense.
Having lost both E.J. Speed and Grant Stuard in free agency, the Colts are arguably a bit thin in their linebacking corps alongside reigning NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro Zaire Franklin, who’s recovering from a recent ankle cleanup procedure.
2nd-year linebacker Jaylon Carlies is the frontrunner for the starting job next to Franklin, but he’s also recovering from an injury—after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
The Colts did recently sign Pratt’s former Bengals teammate, Joe Bachie, but he appears to be more of a core special teams player going forward.
Aside from selecting converted collegiate safety Hunter Wohler in the 7th round of the recent NFL Draft, the Colts surprisingly didn’t address the linebacker position otherwise.
As a veteran linebacker, Pratt makes sense from a production and familiarity standpoint with Anarumo, but after receiving just a +60.6 PFF overall grade last year (including a +53.4 coverage grade), my gut feeling is that if the Colts are going to add a linebacker, it’ll be for someone faster/more athletic in coverage—which doesn’t exactly point to Pratt right now.
He’s also due an $8.2M cap hit next year, which isn’t insignificant for Indianapolis—who currently have $20.2M of projected available team salary cap space.
However, PFF is right that linebacker remains a positional area for the Colts to potentially address, especially with some of their key players currently recovering from injuries.