Colts Now Betting Favorites to Land Tyrann Mathieu
It seems like every offseason, the Indianapolis Colts are connected to many high-profile free agents.
Sure, the Colts typically carry loads of cap space through the offseason — they currently have the third-most at $21.8 million according to OverTheCap — but they almost never splurge on any high-priced outside players. However, the Colts may soon be taking a leap of faith and signing one of these notable free agents.
Recently, OddsChecker declared the Colts as the front-runners to land free-agent defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, most recently of the Kansas City Chiefs. Essentially, the bettors say it's down to the Colts or Philadelphia Eagles.
“Coming into the offseason Mathieu looked to be the second-best safety on the market after Marcus Williams," OddsChecker spokesman Kyle Newman said. "It hasn’t played out like that with so many other teams choosing other options. Still, it’s not every year that an All-Pro DB hits the free-agent market and someone is going to pay him. Oddsmakers believe it’ll either be the Colts or the Eagles, but when it gets to the second stage of free agency anything can happen.”
Safety is the thinnest position on the Colts' roster. They have their two starters in Julian Blackmon and Khari Willis and that's literally it. This is a position in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's unit that can employ three safeties at once, so the need to add safeties is quite important.
While both Blackmon and Willis are quality starters, neither has the cleanest bill of health. Blackmon's college career ended in 2019 with a torn ACL, and then he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury after six games in 2021. Simple stuff doesn't keep him out, but that's two significant injuries. Willis missed two games each in his first two seasons and then six last year.
Mathieu (5'9", 190, 29 years old) would not only provide immediate depth, but the four-time All-Pro would be the Colts' best safety right away and would help provide a young secondary with some extra leadership. Mathieu could also play extensively in the slot, which would allow Kenny Moore II to take on more duties at outside corner.
Most recently in 2021, Mathieu started all 16 games in which he appeared, totaling 76 tackles (2 for loss), 1.0 sack, 3 fumbles recovered, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 defensive touchdown.
Do you want Mathieu in Indianapolis? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
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