Report: Colts to Let Pat Angerer Test Free Agency

With free agency less than a week away, teams are starting to put their plan into action as to what direction they are heading.  Yesterday we heard reports that free agent linebacker D'Qwell Jackson is visiting the Colts and that the Colts had actually had some discussions about bringing back running back Ahmad Bradshaw.

Today, via a report from the Indianapolis Star's Mike Chappell, we found out what we all had assumed - that the Colts will let inside linebacker Pat Angerer test free agency without making an effort to re-sign him.  Chappell's report comes right from Angerer's agent, Jack Bechta, and it echoes what most Colts fans already assumed - that we likely have seen the last of Pat Angerer in a Colts uniform.

If so, his legacy is nothing to be ashamed of.  Drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft by Bill Polian and the Colts organization, Angerer played in all 16 regular season games of both of his first two seasons in the league, notching a combined 236 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 5 pass deflections and 1 interception in those two seasons.  In 2011, Angerer recorded 148 tackles to rank among the best in the league in the category.  In the past two seasons, however, with Chuck Pagano bringing his hybrid 3-4 defense to Indianapolis, Angerer's playing time decresed - both due to play and injury.  He played in 11 games in each of the past two seasons, recording a combined 91 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass deflections, and 1 interception.  In 2013 he recorded 63 tackles as opposed to just 28 in 2012, but he still wasn't great and, eventually, his season was ended due to an injury.  For most of his past two seasons in Indy he struggled with injuries - playing through most of them.  His reputation among the Colts was that of an extremely hard worker and tough football player who was willing to fight through numerous injuries to get on the field and play.  There is nothing wrong with that.

It was one injury in training camp of 2012, however, that really put Angerer behind, and it was an injury that allowed Jerrell Freeman - a free agent signing that offseason out of the Canadian Football League - to step in and start, a spot he hasn't relinquished since and he has become a very good starting inside linebacker for the Colts.

It was widely assumed that Angerer wouldn't be back.  He was a liability in pass coverage and wasn't as good in Pagano's 3-4 defense as he was in the 4-3 defense the Colts ran before that, and he dealt with several injuries in the past few years.  He is due to become a free agent on March 11, and it seemed like it was over for him once he was placed on injured reserve late in the 2013 season.  According to Mike Chappell citing Angerer's agent, the Colts will let Angerer go to free agency and won't make an attempt to re-sign him.  While this doesn't officially rule out a return to the Colts, it makes it very, very slim and it's safe to assume that his time as a Colt is done.