Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. So what might the future hold for him and the Colts?
ESPN recently previewed the offseason for each of the NFL’s non-playoff teams. Among a variety of topics, NFL insider Dan Graziano shared his insights into Odeyingbo and whether the Colts will re-sign him.
While there was nothing concrete in terms of which way Indianapolis might be leaning, Graziano does think keeping Odeyingbo around would be the prudent move.
“Odeyingbo is a young and ascending pass rusher who seems like the kind of player the franchise should keep around,” wrote Graziano. “He had three sacks this season, but he had eight in 2023.”
Odeyingbo finished the 2024 season with 42 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, which led the team. He also brings versatility, able to play up and down the defensive front as needed.
Although GM Chris Ballard was content with the play that the team got from the defensive front this season, Indianapolis did rank 26th in sacks and 22nd in pressure rate, per Pro Football Reference. Losing Odeyingbo’s production certainly wouldn’t help those figures.
Salary cap-wise, the Colts rank right around the middle of the NFL in available cap space. The question is, for a roster that needs an in-flux of competition at a number of positions, does Ballard–who does believe in investing heavily in the defensive front–continue to allocate resources to that position group?
In the last year alone, we’ve seen the Colts pick up Kwity Paye’s fifth year option for the 2025 season, which is fully guaranteed, draft Laiatu Latu in the first round, re-sign Tyquan Lewis and Grover Stewart, and extend DeForest Buckner.
When cornerback, safety, linebacker, and tight end are all positions that have to be addressed in some capacity this offseason, along with Ballard also mentioning the need to add depth and competition along the offensive line and at quarterback, there’s only so much cap space to go around, and that could prove to be the challenge for the Colts.
With Odeyingbo’s production, bringing him back makes plenty of sense and a year ago, it probably would be considered a given. But if Ballard is going to take a different approach in free agency, and really explore outside options as he tries to add competition throughout the roster–all of which remains to be seen–perhaps the Colts look to allocate those cap dollars elsewhere.