INDIANAPOLIS – The raw numbers are there. You can look it up.
Over the past three seasons, no one in the NFL – linebacker, defensive end, safety, no one – has piled up more tackles than Zaire Franklin. He has 489, 46 more than Baltimore’s Roquan Smith.
No one has more solos (289, two more than Jacksonville’s Foye Oluokun).
And no one has more double-digit tackle games (28, four more than Smith). His 29 games with at least 10 tackles are an Indianapolis Colts’ franchise record, two more than Shaq Leonard, who saw a back injury sabotage what might have been a Hall of Fame career.
Raw numbers can be tricky. Maybe a slew of receptions, completions or tackles disguise a player’s true value.
Franklin isn’t buying it. He recently finished reading “I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game and Glory.’’ The author: Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis.
“From Day One, I was told a linebacker’s job is to hit the ball,’’ Franklin said Wednesday. “I just finished Ray Lewis’ book. He said if he had 10 tackles, he had a good game.’’
So, Franklin has had more than a few games since emerging from a throwaway draft pick – round 7 in 2018, No. 235 overall – to one of the emotional leaders of Gus Bradley’s defense.
The 28 double-digit tackle efforts since ’22 have come in 47 starts. He’s had at least nine tackles on eight other occasions.
Bradley was asked if raw tackles can be overrated. Maybe they’re less impactful if the ball carrier is pulled down 5 or 10 yards down the field.
Like Franklin, he pushed back.
“I don’t know,’’ Bradley said. “I mean, there’s certain positions in our defense that are going to be around the ball a lot. The linebacker is going to be around the ball a lot and have a lot of opportunities.The strong safety is going to have a lot of opportunities, but you have to take advantage of those opportunities as well. I think that’s what Zaire is doing.’’
Franklin’s 144 tackles lead the league. Strong safety Nick Cross ranks No. 6 with 130 and weak-side ‘backer E.J. Speed is No. 7 with 129.
The opportunities certainly have been there during a challenging season. The defense has faced 934 plays, second only to the 3-11 Carolina Panthers (939).
The Colts’ team-wide inefficiency – the offense’s inability to stay on the field and the defense’s penchant for not getting off it – has resulted in the defense being on the field an average of 33 minutes, 18 seconds, most in the league.
But no one should dismiss Franklin’s impact and contributions. He’s a five-time team captain and the personification of overcoming late draft entry.
Franklin’s influence transcends the locker room, meeting room and playing field. He was the Colts’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2023 on the strength of his off-field impact in Indy and his hometown of Philadelphia, primarily through Shelice’s Angels, a giving foundation named after his mother.
Since 2018 and through week 16 of this season – Sunday against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium – it’s all been about giving back and getting better.
“Every year I’ve come in trying to expand my game and find ways to impact the game,’’ Franklin said. “Tackling is, in my opinion, a measure of hustle and determination and just being around the ball.’’
It’s debatable if Franklin is in the midst of his best season.
He broke Leonard’s recognized club record with 167 tackles in 2022, then bumped the mark to 179 last season. He’s on pace for roughly 170 tackles this year.
But Franklin has 2.5 sacks – he had a career-best 3 in ’22 – to go along with 2 interceptions and three forced fumbles, both career highs. There also are six tackles for loss and five passes defensed.
In Sunday’s crippling loss at Denver, he had nine tackles, including six solos, two tackles for loss and an interception. And yes, a missed tackle on fullback Nate Adkins’ 15-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix.
Bradley pointed to Franklin’s interception as proof of his growth. He described it as a “greedy opportunity.’’
“And they don’t happen very often in a game,’’ Bradley said. “But the interception that he has was a greedy opportunity where if everything came together and he felt that he could trust what was going to happen in the backend, he could take a chance. And he did that.’’
The NFL apparently has noticed Franklin’s busy stat line. In the latest Pro Bowl voting – balloting continues through Dec. 23 – he’s third among inside linebackers, trailing the Ravens’ Smith and Philly’s Zack Baun. Four make the altered Pro Bowl.
“I mean, I would say that everybody on the team has personal goals and certain things that you want to achieve,’’ Franklin said. “Obviously, first and foremost, my goal is to help lead this team and be the best leader, best teammate that I can be. And part of doing that is raising my level of play, being the best version of myself. Every year I just come in and try to be the best version of myself every day . . . and hopefully that will be recognized.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.