Report: Johnathan Hankins visited Colts today

The Colts might not be done in free agency quite yet.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, former Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins visited the Colts today.

Hankins is the best free agent left on the market in the NFL, and he would be a terrific addition to Indy’s defense. The 25-year old defensive tackle has played in 52 games since he was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has started 41 of them, recording 140 tackles, ten sacks, three forced fumbles, and four passes defensed. He started all 16 games in 2016, recording 43 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble.

So far, however, he hasn’t found a new team, and that’s likely at least in part due to the reported asking price of around $10 million per year. Hankins reportedly has a standing offer from the Giants, but this is his first official free agent visit.

The Colts, meanwhile, pursued Dontari Poe earlier this offseason and didn’t get him, and Johnathan Hankins would be a terrific option - some even preferred him over Poe in the first place. Hankins is a force up front and just entering his prime, so he would be a really nice addition to the defense. The question, like always, is about his price. This late in the free agent process his price might have been driven down a bit, but that remains to be seen. Either way, the Colts have the cap room to be able to make it work, as they still have $30.7 million in cap space to work with.

It’s unclear whether Hankins has already left the building after his visit today, in which case he’d have left without a deal. So we’ll have to wait and see whether anything comes of this, but it’s a sign that perhaps the Colts are indeed interested in Johnathan Hankins.