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Colts defender named among 'top sleeper free agents' by NFL execs
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- Colts defender named among 'top sleeper free agents' by NFL execs
One Indianapolis Colts defender is considered a "top sleeper free agent" by executives coming out of the NFL combine.
Following NFL combine week, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano emptied their notebooks and shared everything that they heard with free agency on the horizon.
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This included some info on under-the-radar free agents who could end up having relatively strong markets. Among those players mentioned was Colts ' defensive end Kwity Paye .
"He could be the fourth rusher on the market behind Trey Hendrickson , Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh ," wrote Fowler. "He has 30.5 sacks over 74 starts."
Paye has been very durable over his career and provided a steady presence. In four of his five NFL seasons, Paye has recorded at least 34 quarterback pressures, and he has three seasons with six or more sacks.
Not to be overlooked either are Paye's contributions in the run game, where he's been quite stout.
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Spotrac is projecting that Paye earns a three-year deal in free agency worth $53.62 million. That's good for an average of $17.9 million per year.
Will the Colts re-sign Kwity Paye?
Defensive end is the Colts' biggest need this offseason. Along with Paye being a free agent, so are Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis .
In addition to that, more pass-rush juice is needed up front. As a collective unit, the Colts ranked 30th in ESPN's pass rush win rate.
However, my guess is that Paye signs elsewhere. GM Chris Ballard said at the NFL combine that he wanted to prioritize the front seven, specifically getting younger and faster at those positions.
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Paye ranked 52nd in pressures, according to PFF , this past season among defensive ends, and 69th in pass rush win rate.
This offseason gives Ballard the opportunity to hit reset at the defensive end position and go in a different direction as he builds that unit around Laiatu Latu .
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL combine: Colts' Kwity Paye among 'top sleeper free agents'
