HEADLINES

E.J. Speed

Colts LB E.J. Speed A Trade Candidate?

September 29th, 2024 at 11:48am CST by Rory Parks

The Colts’ plans to have linebacker Shaquille Leonard anchor the middle of their defense for the long haul took a sour turn when Leonard proved unable to return to form following offseason back surgery in 2022. Indianapolis ultimately waived Leonard last November, and one of the reasons the team felt comfortable in making that move was the presence of fellow ‘backer E.J. Speed.

Speed, 29, was selected by the Colts in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, and he operated primarily as a special-teamer over the first three years of his career. As a result of Leonard’s health issues, Speed began to see more defensive snaps in 2022, and his performance that season was enough to earn him a two-year, $8MM contract to stay in Indy.

In 2023, Speed started a career-high 11 games and appeared in two-thirds of the Colts’ defensive snaps. HIs 65.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus was solid, if unspectacular, though he scored very highly in terms of run defense and posted 102 total tackles. Through the first three games of 2024, he has become a true every-down linebacker, enjoying a 99% snap share and recording 34 total stops.

PFF is still not enamored with his work, as the site presently considers him the 46th-best LB out of 75 qualifiers in 2024. The usual small sample size caveats apply here, but the Colts’ defense as a whole has underperformed, ranking 31st in terms of total defense (though they have yielded fewer points than the raw yardage would suggest and are currently 14th in points allowed per game). 

Between the early struggles of second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson and the porousness of the defense, Indianapolis has gotten off to a 1-2 start. And, as Speed is a veteran on an expiring contract, ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes the Tarleton State product is a “name to watch” at the trade deadline if the Colts fall out of contention (subscription required).

Any number of teams would be happy to plug a tackle machine into the second level of their defense at the deadline, even if Speed is far from the complete defender that Leonard was in his prime. Graziano specifically names the Bills, Patriots, and Raiders as possible landing spots, although New England and Las Vegas appear as if they might be deadline sellers as opposed to buyers as of the time of this writing.

As Mike Chappell of Fox 59 observes, Speed has posted at least 10 tackles in seven straight games, dating back to last year. That is the longest such streak for a Colts player since at least 1987, and the second-longest streak for any NFL player since that same year.

Colts Leaned Toward Deactivating Shaquille Leonard For Rest Of Season

November 22nd, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Shaquille Leonard remains on the waiver wire, though the decorated off-ball linebacker is likely to hit free agency after this afternoon’s deadline. In the unusual position of being cut during his age-28 season, the sixth-year defender is now an interesting piece for contenders to pursue.

The Colts did not believe they were receiving value from the four-time All-Pro and decided to cut bait now as opposed to doing so after the season. This will stand to benefit Leonard, as ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes Indianapolis DC Gus Bradley had informed the veteran he would be a healthy scratch in Week 12. It is also likely the Colts would have continued to deactivate Leonard for the rest of the season, Holder adds.

Leonard said he asked for a November meeting to assess his progress from a two-surgery 2022, per the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins. Granting the meeting Monday, Bradley confirmed the healthy-scratch plan for Week 12. On the players’ off day Tuesday, Chris Ballard indicated Leonard would be cut — a decision the former Colts centerpiece called “shocking.” Coaches had informed Leonard his playing time — down noticeably from his 2018-21 usage — would be reevaluated as the season progressed, and the turnover-forcing dynamo had voiced frustration about the new role in Bradley’s defense.

“I always say that they say [complaints] are OK until you step on toes. I said that two weeks ago and I still stand by it,” Leonard said, via Holder, of his comments regarding playing time. “I don’t know if that played a part. Do I think it plays somewhat of a part in it? Yes, because they could see it as a distraction. But I tried to be respectful with my answer.”

Zaire Franklin leads Colts linebackers in snaps, with 634. Leonard logged 454 in nine games. The improved play of E.J. Speed contributed to Leonard’s reduced time as well, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who doubles down on the notion Leonard will clear waivers today. The Colts re-signed Franklin (three years, $10MM) in 2022 and reupped Speed (two years, $8MM) this offseason. Leonard was attached to the NFL’s second-most lucrative LB accord (five years, $98.5MM). While no guaranteed money remains on the deal post-2023, a team would be responsible for $6.11MM in ’23 base salary were a claim submitted.

Speed will now move forward as Indy’s starting weakside linebacker. Pro Football Focus rates Speed, a 2019 fifth-round pick who has primarily been a backup, as the Colts’ top linebacker this season. When Franklin missed the team’s Week 9 game against the Panthers, Leonard’s playing time did not return to his pre-2022 level. Instead, the Colts used second-year UDFA Segun Olubi more frequently. This effectively displayed writing on the wall for Leonard in Indianapolis, despite the former second-round pick having produced one of the best four-year runs for any player in franchise history.

While Leonard certainly could prove the Colts wrong for their effective demotion in Bradley’s system, the team will save more than $16MM in cap space for 2024. With both Franklin and Speed under contract beyond this year, Indy will take a look at how this more cost-effective tandem performs during this season’s stretch run. Still, Leonard offered one of the more impactful periods by an off-ball linebacker this century. He is the only active player with at least 15 sacks and 10 interceptions over the past six years. It will be interesting to see what role his new team will have him playing to close out the season.

Colts To Re-Sign LB E.J. Speed

March 13th, 2023 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

A bit after losing Bobby Okereke to the Giants, the Colts will spend a bit of cash to keep another linebacker. They are bringing back E.J. Speed on a two-year deal, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

Speed, who saw increased playing time during Shaquille Leonard‘s injury-plagued season, will stay in Indianapolis for $9MM. Okereke signed with the Giants on a four-year, $40MM deal that included $22MM guaranteed. Considering Leonard’s contract, paying Okereke on that level was likely never a strong Colts consideration.

Playing alongside Okereke and Zaire Franklin, the former fifth-round pick recorded 63 tackles (seven for loss) despite playing on just 28% of the Colts’ defensive snaps. Speed, 27, started five games and forced two fumbles during his contract year. The Colts have Franklin locked up for two more years, having re-signed him in March 2022.

While the Colts have let Okereke and Anthony Walker walk over the past three offseasons, they have some Leonard support returning. Leonard, who played just three games during a season bracketed by surgeries, has four seasons remaining on his landmark extension.