Last week, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicted that Los Angeles Rams free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would sign with the Indianapolis Colts. While this article appears to be nothing more than idle speculation, it raises the question of whether or not signing Suh would actually be a savvy move for the Colts. The 6’4”, 313 pound nose tackle is coming off a season for the Rams in which he recorded 59 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 4 passes defensed in all 16 starts for Wade Phillips’ defense. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription), Suh was the 20th best rated interior defender with a +82.6 grade overall—including a +86.7 run defense grade. At age 32, Suh isn’t quite the same caliber of player he once was, as the 2nd overall pick of the Detroit Lions in 2010—en route to then becoming a 3x First-Team All-Pro, 2x 2nd-Team All-Pro, and 5x Pro Bowler. In his earlier career, Suh was truly dominant, as a defensive tackle who consistently commanded a double team and terrorized both offensive lineman and quarterbacks alike along the interior with sheer brute strength and surprising quickness. However, even now, the 10-year veteran could still help a team as an impact starter and remains one of the better defensive tackles in football. If there was maybe one position where the Colts could withstand to add a proven player and depth, it might be at defensive tackle too—specifically nose tackle. That being said, there are also concerns that go beyond Suh’s pure production on the football field—where he would almost certainly help. Namely, his overall character and sportsmanship. Suh has always had a bit of a temper/anger issue on the field, which has led to unsportsmanlike antics both during plays and after the whistle. He’s also been considered to have a ‘lone wolf’ locker room mentality at times, and is now more or less a football mercenary at this stage of his career—with no real football home. That being said, some of that may be overblown. After all, Suh was named a team captain by his former Miami Dolphins teammates as recently as 2017. He was such a “malcontent”, too, that the Los Angeles Rams advanced all the way to last year’s Super Bowl. My stance on Suh is simply this: I’m not going to grandstand for the Colts to sign him, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be opposed to Indianapolis adding him either—especially if it comes at the expense of another AFC contender like the New England Patriots potentially signing him on a “sweetheart deal”. If the Colts could get Suh on a team-friendly, 1-year deal to help provide a proven impact starter along the interior, it would only help their defense—particularly against the run. If he can keep it between the lines, too, he could also provide the Colts defense some much needed toughness and a bit of a nasty streak (with the hope that it’s more like how Quenton Nelson plays, flirting with the ‘line’ at times, as opposed to being downright dirty). The Colts locker room, and really strong locker rooms in general, should be able to handle one or two ‘rough around the edges’ players. That’s what a truly great culture can do. However, the other downside is that it could limit reps for some of their younger defensive lineman such as Tyquan Lewis, Grover Stewart, and Jihad Ward, so it comes at a developmental cost. Nevertheless, the Colts already showed that they’re serious about competing for a championship this year by signing another fellow veteran, Justin Houston. Signing Suh though could potentially show that the Colts are truly ‘all in’ for next season.<doc-sep>It’s the middle of May, and there are some good NFL free agents still available. There are veterans who, if healthy, can help certain teams. However, there’s only one impact free agent left who would undeniably help any team. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, strangely, is still free. Suh isn’t the same player who once signed a six-year, $114 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. But he still was worth $14 million to the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams last season, and even at age 32, he can provide short-term help. [Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today] But when will Suh finish this Bryce Harper/Manny Machado waiting game, and who will land the one final big piece of the NFL offseason? Where does Ndamukong Suh fit best? The odd part about Suh’s free agency is that there hasn’t been much chatter about possible landing spots. Suh did randomly tweet out this near the end of April ... Well this is interesting🤔 pic.twitter.com/mD7LS13ykT — Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) April 26, 2019 Since April 25 he has tweeted twice. Once to complain about the infamous Kentucky Derby disqualification, and the other to promote Nike. Assuming all 32 teams could use Suh — while reasonable arguments can be made about Suh’s effectiveness at age 32 and some scheme fits around the league, it’s hard to pinpoint a team that wouldn’t be better with Suh in a big role — then price matters. Teams like the Rams are practically out because of cap space. The Rams have $5.4 million according to Spotrac. The New Orleans Saints, who are desperately chasing one more Super Bowl with Drew Brees, might be a great fit, but they have only $8.2 million in cap space. Teams like the New England Patriots ($6.5 million) and Atlanta Falcons ($2.3 million) are out of the running unless Suh gives a massive discount or they get really creative. Story continues The Colts make the most sense. They still have $58.4 million in cap space; a big one-year deal wouldn’t bother anyone but owner Jim Irsay’s accountant. But the Colts seem to be sticking to their plan of not being big players in free agency this offseason. The Houston Texans ($35.5 million in cap space) and Seattle Seahawks ($26.9 million) seem like logical fits. The Dallas Cowboys, at $14.6 million, might be able to make something work if they wanted. Again, every NFL team would improve with Suh. But nothing has happened yet. When might Suh sign? One obstacle was passed last week. After May 7, any free agent who signs with a team doesn’t count against the compensatory draft pick formula. Once Suh’s free agency stretched into late April, it made sense for teams to wait until that date passed. There’s no big rush for Suh now. There’s no rush to gobble up a piece of the available cap space like the first week of NFL free agency. It’s hard to believe any team will spend much on the available free agents, other than Suh. Players usually want to get acclimated with a new team, so it would seem that it won’t be too long before he signs. Some team is going to add a valuable piece in May, which is a rarity. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh remains unsigned. (AP) – – – – – – – Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>The Colts have signed safety Khari Willis Marvell Tell III to rookie deals, leaving only cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, receiver Parris Campbell, and linebacker Bobby Okereke unsigned. We have signed 2019 draft picks S Khari Willis and CB Marvell Tell III. https://t.co/CxdOg6YStC — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 13, 2019 Khari Willis is the Colts’ fourth round pick out of Michigan State, a player who the Colts moved up to take. Willis stands 5’11” and 213lbs, and his leadership qualities make him seem quite a bit bigger still. He is the epitome of the kind of character guy the Colts want to pursue. In his time with the Spartans, Willis played in 46 games and had 196 tackles, 4 sacks, 20 passes defended, and 4 interceptions. He was a team captain in 2018 and Third Team All-Big Ten. Marvell Tell III is the Colts’ 6’2” 195lb fifth round pick and played in 37 games for USC. During that time he notched 221 tackles, 1 sack, 18 passes defensed, 5 interceptions, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick. Tell was also a team captain in 2018 and received All Pac-12 honorable mention. Tell played primarily at safety for the Trojans, but will get time for the Colts at the cornerback position, likely as a situational nickel cornerback. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.<doc-sep>
The Indianapolis Colts should make a late free agency splash by adding defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the mix. The Indianapolis Colts entered this off season with a ton of cap space to work with and a roster seemingly ready to compete. Most of us expected the Colts to use free agency to put their team over the top, but they mostly sat back and waited for value. Wide receiver Devin Funchess and edge rusher Justin Houston were their only major free agent additions this off season. For the long-term, this was probably the best plan of attack. Getting caught up in free agency and making significant long-term commitments is rarely a winning plan of attack. General manager Chris Ballard is one of the best in the business and he clearly believes in being patient and looking for value. Spending big in free agency is simply not his forte. All of that being said, the Colts still have a ton of cap space to work with and could easily improve their roster with a couple of shrewd moves late in free agency. In particular, Ndamukong Suh stands out as an ideal target for this team. Suh has long been one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. While he is not as dynamic as he once was, he is still an extremely talented player who can impact a game on the inside. He is coming off of a strong season with the Los Angeles Rams, where he really made a huge impact down the stretch for the Rams’ defense during their Super Bowl run. I would not call defensive tackle a major area of need for the Indianapolis Colts, but there is certainly some room for improvement on the inside. Denico Autry and Margus Hunt make up a solid starting duo, but injuries have always been an issue for Autry and Hunt is probably best served as a rotational player. On top of that, the Colts are not exactly loaded with depth behind Autry and Hunt. Bringing Suh into the mix would immediately solidify the defensive tackle position for the Colts. He could start alongside Autry, while Hunt provides quality depth at the position. Suh would immediately raise the potential of the Colts’ defense, as he would likely make a big-time impact both as an interior rusher and against the run. I will admit that signing Suh would be a bit out of character for Ballard, but the need is there and they have the cap space to work with. Plus, at this point in free agency, they would likely be able to bring Suh in on a one-year deal. Simply put, this would be a low-risk move with massive upside.