Who's In
- Brandon King (signed as free agent)
- Forrest Rhyne (signed as undrafted free agent)
- JoJo Domann (signed as undrafted free agent)
- James Skalski (signed as undrafted free agent)
- Sterling Weatherford (signed as undrafted free agent)
King joined the Colts after spending five seasons as a special teams ace for the Patriots, where he began his career playing for then-New England assistant special teams coach Bubba Ventrone. The Colts added depth with four undrafted free agents, too.
You'll also see two different coaches working with the linebackers – one a new face in Indianapolis and another a familiar one. Longtime linebackers coach Richard Smith followed Gus Bradley to the Colts, while former Colts linebacker Cato June was hired in March as assistant linebackers coach.
Who's Out
- Matthew Adams (signed with Chicago Bears)
- Jordan Glasgow (free agent)
- Malik Jefferson (signed with Dallas Cowboys)
Adams and Glasgow almost exclusively played special teams, clocking in with 500 and 474 snaps, respectively, on that phase over the last two seasons.
Who's Back
- Zaire Franklin (fifth season)
- Darius Leonard (fifth season)
- Bobby Okereke (fourth season)
- E.J. Speed (fourth season)
Leonard underwent a procedure on his back in early June. "He'll miss some training camp time, but if all goes according to plan, he should be ready to go for the regular season," head coach Frank Reich said.
During Leonard's absence, Speed should have an opportunity to take valuable reps – a year ago, the work he put in during Leonard's camp absence paid off when he played well in the Colts' Week 16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Okereke led the Colts with 130 tackles while Franklin notched his first career interception in 2021.
What To Watch For
Don't discount the ability and opportunity for those four undrafted free agents to make the Colts' 53-man roster. Among them is Weatherford, a native of nearby Cicero, Ind. and an alum of Hamilton Heights High School, who will draw some fan interest in Westfield.
Training Camp Information
The Colts will return to Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield for training camp in 2022. Click here for a full schedule of practices open to fans. Free tickets will be required to attend, which can be obtained here. For more information on Colts 2022 Training Camp Presented By Koorsen Fire & Security, click here.
Statistically Speaking
The list of players in NFL history have eight forced fumbles and four interceptions in a single season:
- Darius Leonard (2021)
That's the list.
Links To The Past
Catch up on stories from earlier this year about the linebackers on Colts.com:
- Darius Leonard undergoes back procedure as Colts open veteran minicamp
- How HBCU experience shaped Darius Leonard
- Darius Leonard among 3 Colts named first-team AP All-Pros
- Darius Leonard earns first-team PFF All-Pro honors
- Why second contract means everything to Zaire Franklin
- Podcast: Why Cato June re-joined the Colts as assistant linebackers coach
- Podcast: Meet Brandon King
- Podcast: Bobby Okereke on Gus Bradley's defense
- Video: Darius Leonard records pick-six of Kyler Murray in Pro Bowl
- Video: Darius Leonard's Pro Bowl experience
- Video: Darius Leonard's top plays of 2021
- Video: Meet new linebackers coach Richard Smith
- Photo gallery: Zaire Franklin's contract signing
They Said It
"My mind is saying as long as he's ready for the regular season. Does he need to play in the preseason, sure, it'd be nice to play a little bit but if that doesn't happen, I'm not worried about it." – Colts head coach Frank Reich on Darius Leonard's recovery
