Days 'Til Colts Kickoff: No. 96 Denico Autry

With 96 days until the Indianapolis Colts kickoff in Week 1 of the regular season, we look at a prominent recent No. 96, Denico Autry. Since leaving the Colts in 2021, he's taken every opportunity to make them pay for not re-signing him.

Denico Autry is one of the biggest feathers in the cap of Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard when it comes to free-agent finds. So much so that almost every offseason, a Colts newcomer is dubbed by fans as "possibly the next Denico Autry."

Autry came into the NFL with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2014. At 6'6", 285, he shuffled around the line as a Swiss Army Knife but never really hit a groove through his first four years with the Raiders.

Ballard and the Colts took a chance on Autry during the 2018 offseason, granting him a three-year, $17 million contract as well as an opportunity for significant playing time. Autry fit right into Matt Eberflus' scheme and found a home as a player who could play big end and move inside to tackle as well.

From 2018-20, Autry was the Colts' steadiest defensive lineman, accumulating 20.0 sacks, 32 quarterback hits, and 26 tackles for loss. His combination of length and strength was incredibly frustrating for opposing offensive linemen to deal with, and it worked to the Colts' benefit for three years.

When it came time to revisit Autry's contract status in 2021 during free agency, the Colts were unwilling to match what he wanted, and that ultimately caused him to move elsewhere in the AFC South to the Tennessee Titans.

While both the Colts and Titans negotiated for Autry's services, he chose Tennessee's contract structure, which guaranteed him more during the first two years, over the Colts' offer. That really rubbed him the wrong way and his mission then became to punish the Colts twice a year.

"That makes it real personal," Autry told reporters upon signing in Tennessee. "(The Colts) knew what they had. It is what it is."

Since then, Autry is now 4-0 against Colts and has amassed 8 tackles (2 for loss), 3.0 sacks, 6 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup in those matchups. He is consistently a disruptive force for the Titans in those matchups. 

For his career, Autry has started 75-of-125 games, totaling 260 tackles (68 for loss), 47.5 sacks, 90 QB hits, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumbles recovered, 27 pass breakups, and 1 safety.

DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF

• No. 99: DeForest Buckner
• No. 98: Robert Mathis
• No. 97: Al-Quadin Muhammad

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