Yes, yes, we know. Grab Nate Clements and Lance Briggs, with Asante Samuel and Adalius Thomas as the backup plan. Feel free to get in line with the 31 other teams looking at the same guys.
What players that we might actually get are folks looking at in Free Agency?
Myself, I'm keeping an eye on:
DT Ian Scott - 25-year old run stopper could replace Payne. Given that he's the rotation guy behind two young guys, Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson, its not hard to see Chicago not willing to pay him what he's worth. Since he's a run-defender and not a sack master, his profile is a little lower and he'd almost certainly going to be interested in a place where he'll be the clear #1 from the start.
OLB Cato June - Some of you who remember me complaining about June being overrated might be surprised to see this. However, the Indy defense has gotten a healthy dose of reality since then to burst much of that bubble. My contention was more about him not being a Pro Bowl caliber player (he got in last year) - but that doesn't mean he's a scrub. Given that we have more beef in our front 7 (he'd be playing behind Mario Williams instead of Dwight Freeney), I don't think we'd have to be as worried about him getting run over. He might have some extra Colt-killing knowledge, too. The Colts are going to be more worried about getting Freeney back, so there's a real possibility he hits the open market. A smart team would get a deal with him done fast, while he's still the 3rd best OLB option (behind Adalius and Lance). He's 27, so he could be around for a while.
FS Deon Grant - Continuing with my theme of raiding division rivals - the Jags' 28-year old free safety would be a heck of a lot better than CC Brown. I know a lot of folks want Landry, and that's cool, since Landry could play either safety spot for us. Grant should be able to be signed fairly easily with teams distracted by Ken Hamlin.
CB Roderick Hood - this 25-year old Eagles' nickleback is the closest thing to a possible starting cornerback on the market (apart from Nate and Asante). He's used to playing for almost nothing (on a rookie FA contract) so it shouldn't take much to make him happy, especially if it comes with a reasonable assurance of a starting spot. Since he hasn't played much, he doesn't have the dazzling stats that would guarantee a high price tag. However, a year ago, he started 6 games after Lito Sheppard got knocked out and racked up a respectable 40 tackles, 15 pass defensed and 3 INTs. He's got pretty good speed, and has done some kick returns as a result (career long 53 yards)
What players that we might actually get are folks looking at in Free Agency?
Myself, I'm keeping an eye on:
DT Ian Scott - 25-year old run stopper could replace Payne. Given that he's the rotation guy behind two young guys, Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson, its not hard to see Chicago not willing to pay him what he's worth. Since he's a run-defender and not a sack master, his profile is a little lower and he'd almost certainly going to be interested in a place where he'll be the clear #1 from the start.
OLB Cato June - Some of you who remember me complaining about June being overrated might be surprised to see this. However, the Indy defense has gotten a healthy dose of reality since then to burst much of that bubble. My contention was more about him not being a Pro Bowl caliber player (he got in last year) - but that doesn't mean he's a scrub. Given that we have more beef in our front 7 (he'd be playing behind Mario Williams instead of Dwight Freeney), I don't think we'd have to be as worried about him getting run over. He might have some extra Colt-killing knowledge, too. The Colts are going to be more worried about getting Freeney back, so there's a real possibility he hits the open market. A smart team would get a deal with him done fast, while he's still the 3rd best OLB option (behind Adalius and Lance). He's 27, so he could be around for a while.
FS Deon Grant - Continuing with my theme of raiding division rivals - the Jags' 28-year old free safety would be a heck of a lot better than CC Brown. I know a lot of folks want Landry, and that's cool, since Landry could play either safety spot for us. Grant should be able to be signed fairly easily with teams distracted by Ken Hamlin.
CB Roderick Hood - this 25-year old Eagles' nickleback is the closest thing to a possible starting cornerback on the market (apart from Nate and Asante). He's used to playing for almost nothing (on a rookie FA contract) so it shouldn't take much to make him happy, especially if it comes with a reasonable assurance of a starting spot. Since he hasn't played much, he doesn't have the dazzling stats that would guarantee a high price tag. However, a year ago, he started 6 games after Lito Sheppard got knocked out and racked up a respectable 40 tackles, 15 pass defensed and 3 INTs. He's got pretty good speed, and has done some kick returns as a result (career long 53 yards)