Indianapolis Colts: Full Outside Linebacker Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis

One of the most interesting units on the 2015 Indianapolis Colts lies on defense, at outside linebacker. 

If you've paid any attention to the Colts over the last few years, you know that calling any defensive position "deep" or a "strength" sounds fishy. The Colts have improved defensively under head coach Chuck Pagano, but it's still been a weakness in high-profile playoff losses.

Pass rush has been a particular sore spot for Indianapolis, which struggled to get consistent one-on-one pass rush from the edge with Robert Mathis out for the season in 2014.

But going into the 2015 campaign, the Colts have a full depth chart, perhaps too full. While it's too soon to call the position a strength for Indianapolis, it's certainly one of the team's deeper positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Player	Age	Exp.	Notes
Robert Mathis	34	13	Returning from Achilles tear, league-high 19.5 sacks in 2013
Trent Cole	32	11	+27.4 grade from Pro Football Focus over last two years
Erik Walden	29	8	Team-high 16 quarterback hits in 2014, second-most sacks (6.0)
Cam Johnson	25	3	Missed all of 2014 with triceps injury, has impressed in OTAs
Bjoern Werner	24	3	Last among 29 starting 3-4 OLBs in NFL in Pass Rush Productivity (PFF) in 2014
Jonathan Newsome	24	2	Team-high 6.5 sacks in 2014, led all NFL rookie edge-rushers
Zack Hodges	23	R	Undrafted free agent, Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team AP FCS All-America in 2014
Cody Galea	23	R	Undrafted free agent, potential ILB/OLB combo

With what will likely be five open roster spots, at most, the Colts will have some key decisions to make this fall. Even if they keep the five expected to make the roster, there's a question of playing time and potential practice squad decisions.

The AARP Club Starters

You can't talk about how good the Colts outside linebackers can be without talking about the two veterans that should start if both are healthy: Robert Mathis and Trent Cole.

Of course, getting both healthy is no small task at this point in their careers.

Robert Mathis is 34 and coming off of missing an entire season with an Achilles tear, while Cole is 32 (turning 33 in October) and is switching to a new defensive schemes with much less front-seven talent.

Quite frankly, there's a chance that we never see Mathis or Cole put up double-digit sack numbers again. In fact, history says it's very unlikely.

Player	Year	Team	Age	Sacks
John Abraham	2013	Arizona	35	11.5
John Abraham	2012	Atlanta	34	10.0
Warren Sapp	2006	Oakland	34	10.0
Michael Strahan	2005	New York Giants	34	11.5
James Hall	2010	St. Louis	33	10.5
Calvin Pace	2013	New York Jets	33	10.0
Jason Taylor	2007	Miami	33	11.0

At the same time, there's also a chance that the two have a rebound year together, giving the Colts two individuals that can win one-on-one battles on the edge. The team lacked that for much of last year, and it showed in their results. Over the last three seasons, the Colts have gone 12-3 against playoff teams when getting multiple sacks in a single game, while going 0-6 when tallying just one sack or fewer.

Cole still has some left when playing the run, although he's not the most reliable tackler. Mathis can make plays against the run when he penetrates early and disrupts the backfield, but he struggles setting the edge at times.

But really, the two are pure pass-rushers.

There's no need to drop them back in coverage or run a bunch of stunts with them if they're healthy. Just let them go after the quarterback.

Subtle Production: Erik Walden

When talking about the Colts' potential outside linebackers for 2015, discussion often revolves around a few central subjects. 

First, there's excitement for Cole's signing and Mathis' return. Second, there's hope for Jonathan Newsome's continued development. Third, there is disappointment in Bjoern Werner's career arc thus far and some lingering hope that he could turn it around.

While these are probably the most important storylines for 2015, it also ignores the player who was one of the Colts' most consistent defensive starters and arguably the most reliable player in the team's front seven last season: Erik Walden. 

Walden has been something of a punch line since getting a four-year, $16-million contract back in 2013, the epitome of Ryan Grigson's overspending for mediocre or bad players in free agency. 

But while Walden has never—and never will—become a dominant pass-rusher, he's been a valuable role player in the Colts defense because of his versatility. Walden was one of two Colts players (Vontae Davis being the other) to receive positive grades from Pro Football Focus in run defense, pass rush and pass coverage last season.

Walden still managed to rack up six sacks (second-most on the team) and 36 total pressures (also second-most on the team). Out of 29 qualified starting 3-4 OLBs in the league, Walden finished 10th in Pro Football Focus' Pass Rushing Productivity metric, which measures pressures per snap. 

Yes, a lot of that production was created by defensive coordinator Greg Manusky's creative scheme, but production is production.

Walden's run-stuffing ability is fairly average, even if the "set the edge" cliche has oft been applied to him by the Colts coaches. But that's what defines Walden to some extent: He's average. 

But he's average across the board, which is valuable. If Cole or Mathis goes down with an injury, Walden can start without creating a gaping hole. If you want to use him situationally, he can plug into almost any sub-package with ease. 

Is Jonathan Newsome the Next Big Thing?

As soon as Jonathan Newsome was drafted by the Colts in 2014, he was compared to Robert Mathis.

The similarities are easy to spot. Newsome was a small speed-rusher taken from a small school in the fifth round, just like Mathis. Unlike Mathis, Newsome was thrust into a starting role by the end of his rookie year, while Mathis started just one game in his first three seasons.

Of course, Mathis was a primary rotational pass-rusher by his second year, when he racked up 10.5 sacks.

Can Newsome become that kind of pass-rusher for the 2015 Colts? It certainly seems plausible.

Not only did Newsome lead the Colts with 6.5 sacks last season, despite playing relatively light snaps for the first six weeks, but he also led all rookie edge-rushers in sacks. The only first-year player with more sacks was St. Louis defensive tackle Aaron Donald (9.0).

While 6.5 sacks isn't anything to write home about, per se, it's a very positive sign from a rookie role player. It was enough to get NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah to notice, as he listed Newsome as one of several breakout sophomore candidates on his Move the Sticks podcast:

"

Mid-round pick, 28 tackles last year, did have 6.5 sacks very quietly. In the postseason had a nice game against the Broncos. I think he emerges as a double-digit sack guy in Year No. 2 for the Colts. I could see him having 12 sacks and being in Pro Bowl contention there for the Indianapolis Colts.

"

Newsome likely won't become Robert Mathis, who leads the franchise in sacks and is a half-sack away from breaking into the NFL's all-time top 20. Getting a potential Hall of Fame pass-rusher in the fifth round twice would be too good to be true.

"

Trent Cole ✊ Another Beast To Learn From. Plus OG Rob Mathis. Im Bound To Be Great

— Jonathan Newsome (@JNEW_11) March 10, 2015"

Still, Newsome is quite easily the Colts' best chance at having a long-term pass-rushing threat, and this season will be critical in assessing just how good he can be.

Bjoern Werner Redemption Project

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

When people criticize general manager Ryan Grigson, it's because of things like using first-round picks to acquire players like Trent Richardson and Bjoern Werner in back-to-back years. 

While Werner never had Richardson's expectations, he's been extremely disappointing in Indianapolis, culminating in his benching during last season's playoffs in favor of Newsome. The Colts explained Werner's inactive status for the AFC Championship Game as him being "dinged up" and wanting to have more depth at cornerback, but this is a player that should have been starting for the team. 

You don't place a starter on the inactive list for a minor injury in the AFC Championship Game. Of course, the benching wasn't surprising after Newsome had played nearly double the snaps Werner did during the team's win in Denver the previous week.

Frankly, Werner got outplayed by the rookie, something that was concerning for a player who was supposed to have a breakout season with Mathis out.

While Werner was very strong against the run, finishing second in the league in Pro Football Focus' run-stop percentage, he was awful as a pass-rusher. Werner finished with the second-worst pass-rushing grade on the team, with only nose tackle Josh Chapman having a worse grade, per Pro Football Focus. PFF also graded Werner 43rd out of 46 qualifying 3-4 OLBs around the league in pass-rush grade.

Being a strong run defender is nice, but edge players get judged on how quickly they get to the passer. Werner didn't do that well last season, getting most of his pressure off of well-designed stunts or blown pass-protection schemes by the opponent.

Werner and the Colts have cited numerous minor injuries as the reasons for his lack of development, but at some point, the talk has to turn into production on the field. Werner has never looked like the most fluid pass-rushing prospect. Even in college, Werner's production largely came from playing with a talented defensive line and having a relatively quick jump off the ball.

If Werner wants to earn another contract and carve himself out a starting role in the NFL, he has to turn his physical tools into pass-rushing production. Unfortunately, that might be difficult in 2015 if the Colts stay healthy.

Right now, Werner seems to be the fifth-best outside linebacker on the roster, which could make it very difficult to find snaps.

Roster Dark Horses

While the five previously mentioned players will likely be the ones who make the roster, there are several dark horses that have impressed during minicamp and OTAs that could be in play if Robert Mathis isn't healthy by the start of the season.

The first is Cam Johnson, the subject of a trade with San Francisco two years ago that never panned out. Johnson had a chance to make an impact last season with Mathis out, but he was placed on injured reserve after one week with a triceps injury.

Johnson has impressed during the team's offseason workouts thus far, and could be somebody that surprises this season.

The only question is how would he get onto the roster? Johnson could be a practice squad guy if all five of the players above him are healthy, but that would open the team up to losing him to another franchise if he plays well in the preseason. The Colts could cut somebody like Werner or Walden for him, but right now, that seems unlikely.

Still, it's a situation to keep an eye on. 

The other player to watch is former Harvard standout Zack Hodges, who was the Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season. Hodges doesn't have the highest ceiling in the world, but he works hard and got the attention of Jonathan Newsome during training camp:

He's most likely a practice squad candidate, but the Colts need that kind of depth around.

Overall, it's easy to see why there is some skepticism about the Colts outside linebackers around the country.

The group doesn't have one established, in-his-prime pass-rusher, and it's a group with a lot of questions. Whether it's questioning if age will break down a formerly great pass-rusher's body or if a young guy can take the next step, everybody on this list has questions.

Still, it's a group that has a relatively reasonable amount of hope, especially for a Colts franchise that has lacked long-term hope (and depth) on the front seven for some time.