Colts on the prowl for free agent pass rushers, eyeing Benson Mayowa

Free agency is days away and there have already been quite a few moves made with teams utilizing draft picks to acquire players. The most active teams have been the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams who have been addressing needs prior to the draft. To this point, the Colts only activity has been signing future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri for another season — a season that will likely result in his ascension to the the NFL’s all-time leading scorer.

Indianapolis certainly has a lot of work to do throughout the course of the off-season to fill numerous holes on the team and help address a change to defensive philosophies. One of the biggest needs continues to be finding players who can generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If that weakness seemed apparent in 2017, the roster may be even more poorly suited to generate a pass rush in defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ new 4-3 base scheme.

This off-season has been no different than in previous years where the very best pass rush talent has either been secured by their current team through extension or the franchise tag, or teams have moved those players via trade by finding a partner who has something they needs in return. Arguably the biggest trade of the off-season saw Rams defensive end Robert Quinn move cross country to Miami.

While Indianapolis is not linked to any blockbuster news, Rob Rang reported today that recently released pass rusher Benson Mayowa — formerly of the Dallas Cowboys — has been receiving interest. The Colts are among those teams who have reached out and there is certainly some reason to believe that Eberflus would have familiarity with Mayowa and what he can do as a 4-3 defensive end.

If nothing else, Eberflus knows that Mayowa has shown the ability to get to the quarterback after he put up a 6 sack season in 2016. It could make sense for both sides as Mayowa will have a coach who is familiar with his skill-set and would be going to a team who will likely have similar defensive concepts as he played under before. The Colts would be gaining a player who is still relatively young, does not have a ton of miles on his body, and who could continue to blossom under his former coach.

This is worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of days. It is possible, if not likely, that Mayowa will join an NFL roster before free agency officially begins on Wednesday, March 14th at 4:00 PM ET.