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Indianapolis Colts Should Make Outside Linebacker Top Offseason Priority

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After Jonathan Newsome was arrested for possession of marijuana over the weekend, the Indianapolis Colts ultimately decided the young outside linebacker was not worth their time anymore. Newsome was released on Monday which reduced the Colts’ outside linebacker depth significantly in the process. For this reason, the outside linebacker position should be one of the Colts’ top priorities.

Newsome was a fifth-round pick of the Colts in the 2014 NFL Draft. After dazzling with 6.5 sacks in his rookie season, he only managed to earn one sack in 2015. On top of his decline in 2015, he also had numerous character concerns to raise some red flags. After his latest arrest, the Colts finally decided they did not want to deal with him anymore.

Newsome’s release means there are only four outside linebackers currently on the roster, most of whom are veterans. Robert Mathis, Erik Walden and Trent Cole are all 30 years old or older. Also, Mathis and Walden were really the only outside linebackers who made solid impacts in each game in 2015. Meanwhile, Cole was relatively non-existent in 2015. The fourth and final member of the current position group is Bjoern Werner, who was the Colts’ 2013 first-round pick. He has been a major bust and is not figured to be a huge part in their future plans.

With how putrid the Colts’ outside linebackers were in 2015, the team already knew it needed to upgrade the position this offseason. However, Newsome’s release obviously makes adding better outside linebackers a top priority rather than simply a need. The recent move makes it inexcusable for the Colts to leave the 2016 draft or end free agency without getting a top talent at the position. While they will monitor the free agent pool for players, the Colts need to focus on draft prospects more. They need to select one talented outside linebacker within the first two rounds of the draft.

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