Could the Colts make another defensive free agency splash to add another starter—only this time, at the 2nd level?
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell (subscription), the Indianapolis Colts are among the ‘ideal landing spots’ for still unsigned Arizona Cardinals free agent linebacker Kyzir White:
Kyzir White, LB
2024 team: Cardinals
Why he’s still a free agent: Once a safety, White can be a tweener in some NFL defenses, which might see him as more of a weakside linebacker than the middle linebacker role he played in Arizona over the past two seasons. Teams prioritized paying three-down linebackers Nick Bolton and Robert Spillane early in free agency, but even while White has been an every-down linebacker, he might not have a ton of teams seeing him as that sort of player in their own defenses.
Why teams should be interested: He’s fun! White makes a ton of tackles; his 11.9% tackle share last season ranked 16th in the league, an impressive figure given that Budda Baker ranked third by the same metric. White’s missed tackle rate was reasonable (5.5%), and he had 2.5 sacks and eight knockdowns as a blitzer.
White has been a favorite of coach Jonathan Gannon, as he followed the former Eagles defensive coordinator to Arizona in 2023. A reunion with the Cardinals would probably make the most sense for all parties involved, especially given that his market hasn’t really developed to the point where he would be out of the mix for Arizona. The Cardinals brought in Akeem Davis-Gaither from the Bengals on a two-year, $10 million deal, but that shouldn’t necessarily close the door on White in Arizona. If it does, a team with a creative defensive coordinator should find a useful role for him.
Ideal landing spots: Cowboys, Colts, Texans
Originally a 2018 4th round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers (whose Bolts’ tenure coincided with then Chargers offensive coordinator [now Colts head coach] Shane Steichen), the 6’4,” 205 pound linebacker had later pro stops with the Philadelphia Eagles (2022—once again reuniting with Steichen as the former Philly OC), before playing for the Cardinals the past two seasons.
He’s coming off of a 2024 season for head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense, a former Colts defensive backs coach (2018-20), in which he recorded 137 tackles (60 solo), an interception, 3 passes defensed, 2.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery during all 17 starts.
Per PFF, White received just a +48.8 overall grade last season, which was ranked 156th among 189 total qualifying linebackers.
To Barnwell’s point, the Colts have a starting linebacker opening next to reigning NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro Zaire Franklin—as fellow starter E.J. Speed is also a free agent. The Colts could turn to 2nd-year pro Jaylon Carlies as a potential option, who played well as a sub-package linebacker in coverage when called upon during his rookie debut (10 games, 6 starts).
The Colts could also turn to the early NFL Draft to fill the linebacker hole with a cheaper and more cost controllable option than White, or even Speed for that matter.
White is an interesting thought for some of the standout stats Barnwell cited, but the PFF overall grade paints a more negative picture—and the Colts may be better off pursuing younger and more cost efficient alternatives when it’s all said and done.
