Colts Trade DT Ollie Ogbu To Eagles For CB D.J. Johnson

Here I was enjoying the last quiet weekend of the summer until the Colts open training camp next week. Then, from out of no where, the Colts make a roster move that forces me to do actual work.

The nerve.

In a move that signals the Colts complete desperation in wanting to upgrade the corner position, they have sent DT Ollie Ogbu to Philadelphia in exchange for corner D.J. Johnson.

Both players entered the league as undrafted free agents, and in Ogbu's case he is a better fit for a team running base 4-3 with a (and pardon the generic terminology here, but I'm keeping this relevant to fans familiar with these words) a Tampa-2 style front featuring an A gap nose tackle and a B gap defensive tackle in the middle. At 6'1, 290 pounds, Ogbu was better suited for the type of defense the Colts ran for most of the Polian Years: The Tampa-2. With Chuck Pagano taking over for Jim Caldwell and installing a base 3-4 scheme, it was unclear what position along the line Ogbu would play. He certainly was not a nose tackle, and the Colts seem to have a bounty of 3-4 defensive ends, especially after recently signing Jason Shirley.

Thus, Ogbu became trade bait, and now he's going to a contending team that runs a base 4-3 scheme on defense. Should he make the Eagles' 53-man roster, Ogbu will be working with an outstanding defensive line coach who will use him well in their "Wide 9" front. We wish nothing but success for Ogbu... unless he plays the Colts.

Per PFT's Evan Silva, the Colts are Johnson's sixth team since he entered the league in 2009. At 6'1, 191 lbs, Johnson will enter a crowded but underwhelming group of corners. With the exception of Jerraud Powers, Indy isn't that good at the corner spot. This is a truth that seems to irk Powers whenever someone like me brings it up, but that's cool. He should be irked.

Maybe Johnson just hasn't find the right "fit" and finally find a home in Indy. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

It's worth noting that Johnson has spent much of his career in the NFC East. His first two years were with the Giants, and he spent last year on the Redskins roster. Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson was once in the personnel department for the Eagles, the team that traded Johnson. So, it's likely that Grigson knows what he is getting in dealing for D.J.