Colts Sign Inside Linebacker Nate Irving

After a quiet period in free agency for the Indianapolis Colts, they are back at it again today, as they announced that they have agreed to terms with inside linebacker Nate Irving.  According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, it will be a three-year deal once officially finalized.

Irving, who visited the Colts earlier this week, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Denver playing for the Broncos after being selected in the third round of the 2011 Draft.  He played in 54 games for the Broncos (12 starts) and recorded 104 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defensed.  He started the first eight games in 2014 in the middle of Denver's defense (recording 46 tackles and a sack of Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck) before suffering a season ending injury.

Irving is particularly good in run defense, which is something the Colts could use help at after getting dominated on the ground in each of their last three games against the Patriots.  The signings of both Kendall Langford along the defensive line and now Nate Irving at linebacker shows that the team is building to try to get better against the run, and Irving should absolutely help that cause.

He'll likely slide in right behind D'Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman on the depth chart, not taking over a starting role but being a key role player.  We've mentioned often this offseason so far the need at inside linebacker, and while the biggest need was in the area of pass coverage, Irving is a good player who should provide good situational football for the Colts, along with providing depth at a position where the Colts really didn't have much.