Indianapolis Colts: Trent Cole a critical addition

Most of the attention directed at the Indianapolis Colts organization deals with the potential signings of veterans Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, but neither has been signed just yet. However, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Colts are signing a different veteran player, and this man, Trent Cole, will greatly boost their pass rush, which was woefully lacking last season without Robert Mathis.

The Philadelphia Eagles axed Cole earlier this offseason in an expected cap casualty, as they decided to spend less money per year (though more in guaranteed cash) to lock up young, high-upside edge rusher Brandon Graham. Cole is 32 and isn’t anywhere near an upside guy at that age, but he has been one of the league’s most consistent players over the past few seasons as either a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.

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After recording 52 tackles (40 solo) and 6.5 sacks last season in the Eagles 3-4 defense, Cole will be a perfect fit for the Colts defense. While Johnson would be a big addition to the team’s stacked wide receiver corps, adding Cole is much more important than signing Johnson, who would replace Reggie Wayne as the possession guy across from bona fide deep threat T.Y. Hilton.

More teams are becoming open to the idea of stacking up on their strengths, but it’s clear that the Colts really need to shore up their weaknesses on defense and at the running back position. Gore would be a critical addition for this team due to his workhorse, north-south rushing that is consistently impressive, but they desperately needed to upgrade their pass rush after getting nothing out of their outside linebackers (only veteran DE Cory Redding looked impressive last season, though Arthur Jones will surely be a big factor if he’s fully healthy in 2015).

Not only did the Colts field a below-average defense last season due to a weak pass rush that marred the amazing work from the likes of Vontae Davis and Mike Adams, but they also allowed 4.3 yards per carry on the ground. Cole isn’t an elite run defender by any means, but he can help in that regard after having the Pro Football Focus’s ninth-best Run Stop% among 25 qualifiers at the position.

Cole was also ninth in PFF’s Pass Rushing Productivity at the position, and that’s clearly his calling card. Mathis was one of the league’s most impressive players in 2013, but it’s hard to see him coming anywhere near 19.5 sacks after a season-ending injury and increased age. That said, Mathis should still be good for double-digit sacks, and he and Cole can form one of the league’s better and more reliable edge rushing duos.

The only issue here is the fact that Cole is, again, 32, and Mathis is already 34, so the Indianapolis Colts aren’t injecting any youth and will have to address the position again in a couple of years if Bjoern Werner doesn’t break out. That said, if age is the only issue with signing Cole, then the Colts did a pretty darn good job for themselves.

Running back remains the Colts biggest need, since Dan Herron isn’t a true feature back and Trent Richardson just isn’t part of the future for this team. However, it’s also easier for the Colts to address the running back position in the draft than it is for them to find a high-impact edge rusher in the late first round, so if they can’t bring Gore in, then they can always add an impressive young running back from this year’s stocked draft class.

When you look at Cole’s overall body of work, it’s clear that his recent sack totals of 8.0 and 6.5 don’t do him justice. Like Graham, who re-signed with the Eagles yesterday, Trent Cole is one of the league’s most consistent sources of pressure on the outside, and that’s key since teams, especially Philly, know that pressure is king and sacks are overrated. The fact that Cole is also an active run defender who can record over 50 tackles per season as a 3-4 OLB only boosts his value, and it makes him an excellent fit for the Colts.

Ryan Grigson had to go out and nab some sort of an upgrade on defense in free agency, and, without knowing the financial details, it looks like he did a great job. Cole is old, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down and is one of those veteran edge rushers who should be effective despite his age, especially since he isn’t a one-dimensional player. The Colts needed to get a reliable pass rusher, and they achieved that with this signing. As long as they didn’t throw too much (guaranteed) money at him with too many years (a two-year deal would definitely make the most sense), then this should be a win for the Colts.

As always, sometimes deals like this fall apart (see: Gore, Frank), so be sure to keep up-to-date on the latest involving Cole. If the deal goes through, then the Colts are getting a very consistent veteran who will be a big upgrade for this defense.

Next: Wilfork or Knighton for Colts?

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