The Indianapolis Colts attempted to bring in free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe in an attempt to upgrade their defensive line but their search will have to continue elsewhere as Poe reportedly agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
When Poe left his visit with the Colts earlier this week, he did so without a contract. The Colts were still in the mix for the 26-year-old but it seems his demands were a bit out of the desired price range for general manager Chris Ballard.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Poe agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Falcons. Even with roughly $30 million in salary cap space left, the Colts didn’t want to drive up the price.
With Poe out of the picture, the Colts will now have to turn their attention elsewhere in the market to find an impactful defensive tackle. There are a few names out the worth looking at.
The most intriguing, and likely most expensive, name out in the market currently is former New York Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. His free agency period has been relatively quiet but there is plenty of interest from several teams.
Just 24 years old, Hankins has shown much promise and while his switch to a 3-technique left much to be desired, he has proven that he is a strong force against the run, which is an area the Colts need a lot of help with.
Hankins is reportedly seeking $8 million per year in a multi-year contract, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Seeing the Colts miss out on Poe at his contract doesn’t bode well for Indianapolis.
The Colts already have a meeting scheduled with veteran John Jenkins on Friday so he could be in the mix to be added to the defensive line.
Another name to keep an eye could be 30-year-old Sen’Derrick Marks, who was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in all 16 games this season recording 3.5 sacks and 22 total tackles in 542 total snaps.
With Poe out of the picture, the Colts will turn their focus on the remaining defensive tackles in the market with Hankins likely as the top target. Even though they missed out on a big name, there is still time to improve that position.