The Indianapolis Colts made a small move Wednesday, signing defensive tackle Sheldon Day to a one-year deal.
After making plenty of noise during the first week of free agency, the Colts will be adding some depth to necessary positions. This was one of those moves as they had a concerning lack of depth at the nose tackle position along the defensive line.
Depth chart
This signing clears up some things that may have already been thought of. With Day joining the ranks, he and Grover Stewart will likely share time at the one-technique while the latter is most likely going to be the starter entering training camp.
This also solidifies who will be working at the three-technique. It was expected to be the shiny new addition in DeForest Buckner and while he can still see some work at the one-tech on third downs, Denico Autry and Tyquan Lewis will join Buckner in the B-gap.
Draft impact
Even after the Colts traded for Buckner last week, they were still thought of as a team that could look to add more depth and talent to the interior defensive line with a Day 2 pick. After signing Day, that likely isn’t going to happen.
Of course, general manager Chris Ballard is obsessed with beefing up the depth on the defensive line. However, they have much more pressing needs to address early in the draft—especially since they no longer have a first-round pick.
Free agency impact
How Day’s signing will impact the salary cap for the Colts isn’t known as of this writing, but it shouldn’t be much. The Colts entered this week with roughly $28 million to work with so they are clear there. Plus it is a one-year deal, which means there are no future implications on the salary cap.
This also likely means the Colts are done adding to the defensive line in free agency and can begin adding depth to other areas like wide receiver and potentially even cornerback.
