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2 takeaways from Colts' signing free agent DE Micheal Clemons
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- 2 takeaways from Colts' signing free agent DE Micheal Clemons
The Indianapolis Colts have made their second outside addition of free agency, and it is another pass rusher.
The Colts are reportedly signing former New York Jets defensive end Michael Clemons to a three-year deal worth $17.5 million.
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Here are two takeaways from this latest Colts move
Where does Micheal Clemons fit in the Colts' defense?
Ideally, Clemons will be a rotational member of the defensive end unit. At 270 pounds and with experience lining up inside, he could take on the Tyquan Lewis role within the Colts' defense moving forward.
On paper, Clemons' production won't leap off the stat sheet, but this should be an upgrade over Lewis. As noted by Zach Hicks , Clemons' overall pass rush win rate was 2% higher last season than Lewis, and his pass rush win rate on true pass sets was almost 7% higher than Lewis' was.
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Still more work to do at defensive end
As mentioned, the Colts' two outside additions so far are defensive ends, but Chris Ballard cannot be done addressing this unit. Clemons and Arden Key are both rotational players who can take over for Lewis and Samson Ebukam , both of whom are free agents.
However, what the Colts still need is a starting-caliber option to line up across from Laiatu Latu . The free agency pool at defensive end is thinning out, so perhaps the draft becomes an option -- although the Colts do not have a first-round pick. But either way, more pass rush juice is needed at this position.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL free agency: Observations Micheal Clemons addition for Colts
