Tag: Darius Leonard

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield continues our position lists with the NFL’s 11 best linebackers.

Positional value.

That is a phrase and an idea we hear so often around the game of football, particularly during the draft and free agency. With an emphasis on the passing game, what players at each position can do — on both sides of the football — when the quarterback drops to throw is of utmost importance.

In addition to running backs, perhaps no position has seen its value altered in the modern NFL than linebackers. The days of serving as a between-the-tackles thumper are in the rear-view mirror, as today’s second-level defenders have to play more like safeties, and match the athleticism of tight ends, running backs and even receivers in coverage.

With that emphasis on mind, what these players do against the pass stands out. Here are the NFL’s top 11 linebackers — another one of our positional lists on the way to our countdown of the NFL’s top 101 players.

The NFL’s top 13 safeties

The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders

The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks

Touchdown Wire ranks Fred Warner over Darius Leonard

Our friends over at Touchdown Wire ranked The Maniac as the second-best LB in football.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been arguably the most productive player at his position since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2018.

While some hold the opinion that The Maniac is the best linebacker in the league entering the 2022 season, our friends over at Touchdown Wire beg to differ.

Instead, they ranked San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner over Leonard in their annual positional rankings ahead of training camp.

No matter who makes the rankings, there are always going to be arguments over the placement of players.

For the last two seasons or so, the argument for the best linebacker in the NFL starts with these two players. Both are elite at their positions and are certainly deserving of the top spot in the league.

Both are also the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL after each received market-setting extensions during the 2021 offseason.

While Touchdown Wire lauded Leonard for his opportunistic play style, they believe Warner’s abilities in coverage are what separate him as the best linebacker in football.

Leonard isn’t bad at all in that phase of the game. In fact, his 2021 season might be the best he has been in coverage during his young career. Leonard allowed a passer rating of just 84.3 on 66 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. He also racked up four interceptions, which were tied for the most among linebackers.

Leonard is a difference-maker in the middle of the Colts’ defense and no matter where he’s ranked, he’ll continue to be the heart of the unit moving forward.

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7 best salary cap bargains for the Colts this season

These are the best salary-cap bargains for the Colts in 2022.

The Indianapolis Colts have been a team that knows how to get production at a great value since Chris Ballard arrived as general manager in 2017.

While some of the contracts they’ve signed have reset the market at certain positions, the front office has still found a way to find players on cheaper deals while still getting strong production.

Whether it be through free agency or getting production from players still on their rookie deals, the Colts have had a nice balance of production without having to overpay.

Entering the 2022 season, here are the seven best salary-cap bargains for the Colts using figures from Spotrac:

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield continues our positional lists with the NFL’s best linebackers.

Positional value.

That is a phrase and an idea we hear so often around the game of football, particularly during the draft and free agency. With an emphasis on the passing game, what players at each position can do — on both sides of the football — when the quarterback drops to throw is of utmost importance.

In addition to running backs, perhaps no position has seen its value altered in the modern NFL than linebackers. The days of serving as a between-the-tackles thumper are in the rear-view mirror, as today’s second-level defenders have to play more like safeties, and match the athleticism of tight ends, running backs and even receivers in coverage.

With that emphasis on mind, what these players do against the pass stands out. Here are the NFL’s top 11 linebackers — another one of our positional lists on the way to our countdown of the NFL’s top 101 players.

The NFL’s top 13 safeties

The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders

The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks

ESPN ranks Darius Leonard as the NFL’s top LB

The Maniac reigns supreme.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been impressing everyone since he first stepped onto the field as a second-round pick during the 2018 season.

Now, The Maniac has three All-Pro First Team and three Pro Bowl selections under his belt while racking up the numbers in several categories. He’s been the heart of the Colts defense and earned himself a payday that made him the highest-paid player at the position.

Entering the 2022 season, ESPN ranked Leonard as the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL.

Leonard remains a splash-play generator. His combination of eight forced fumbles and four interceptions in 2021 led this group by a wide margin. The Colts gave Leonard a $99.2 million extension before last season because of his ability to get the ball back to his offense with length and explosion.

“He can flip the game at any moment,” a high-ranking AFC executive said. “That worries you more as an opponent than a traditional linebacker because he gets his hands on the ball all of the time.”

Through four seasons, Leonard has 11 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 15 sacks. As a rookie in 2018, the Colts used him in a role that allowed for more blitzes, resulting in seven sacks. His sacks have decreased every year since then, due in large part to how Indianapolis uses him in space and coverage more often.

Leonard sometimes can struggle with sturdiness and tackling in the box, one exec told me, and he also started 2021 slowly because of an ankle injury. His elite instincts easily make up for that, however.

“He’s already the most disruptive linebacker, and he can do things to clean up his technique and get even better,” a veteran NFL defensive player said. “Sometimes you’ll see him standing straight up before the ball is snapped instead of in a linebacker position and you’re like, ‘What?’ But then he takes the ball away and you’re like, ‘Oh, OK.'”

One thing to keep an eye on: Leonard had back surgery in July and will miss part of training camp recovering.

Leonard was dealing with an ankle injury throughout the majority of the 2021 season. He still put up gaudy numbers en route to his third All-Pro nod. His eight forced fumbles led the NFL.

The Colts are expecting Leonard to be ready for the start of the regular season, but even if he misses some time during training camp, he’ll remain the heart of the defense upon his return.

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Colts LB corps ranked second-best in NFL

Pro Football Focus sees an elite LB unit in Indy.

Led by Darius Leonard, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker unit was ranked second-best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

As Leonard and Bobby Okereke play the majority of the snaps in the middle of the defense, the tandem has proven to be quite productive during their run together over the last three seasons.

Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about the ranking:

While Bobby Okereke’s grade has fluctuated over the years, Darius Leonard — the star of the Colts’ defense — has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasn’t quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons.

Okereke has flashed some of that high upside throughout his career. As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, the Stanford product will be looking to cash in on a new deal by playing with more consistent production.

Leonard is currently the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL and is coming off of a 2021 campaign that saw him earn his third All-Pro and third Pro Bowl nods. He did so while playing through an ankle injury for the majority of the season.

The Colts also re-signed Zaire Franklin to a three-year deal. He plays the SAM backer role while E.J. Speed has filled in nicely on special teams and as a depth piece.

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4 Colts named to Pete Prisco’s 100 best players list

There were four Colts named to Pete Prisco’s top-100 players list.

The Indianapolis Colts had four players named to Pete Prisco’s list of the 100 best players in the NFL entering the 2022 season.

Three of the players were ranked within the top 40 while there were several honorable mentions as well.

Here’s a look at the Colts who made the list and what Prisco had to say about them:

Nerve in Darius Leonard’s back caused ankle injury?

A nerve in Darius Leonard’s back may have caused the ankle/calf issues.

While there hasn’t been much clarity on the injury situation surrounding Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, we may have a bit more information.

Earlier in the spring, Leonard was on the sideline for OTAs, and the initial thought was that it was due to the nagging ankle injury he dealt with during the 2021 season.

Then, it was revealed during minicamp that Leonard was undergoing back surgery—an issue that hadn’t previously been known. The fifth-year linebacker told Pat McAfee that the back issue was causing problems with the healing of the ankle.

But head coach Frank Reich told the media that, to his knowledge and understanding, the two injuries weren’t all that connected.

“My understanding from talking to the trainers is at one level, yes everything is connected at some level or another but my conversation with the trainers was maybe some connection, but they are different injuries,” Reich said during minicamp.

However, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported Monday that a nerve in Leonard’s back was causing issues with his calf, which in turn kept the ankle injury lingering.

Leonard is expected to miss some of training camp, but it’s encouraging that the team believes he will be ready near the start of camp rather than in the middle of it.

With Gus Bradley bringing his defense to Indy, Leonard already missed some crucial install time during the spring. He’s smart and talented enough to make up that time during training camp, but Colts fans have some PTSD when it comes to ankle and calf issues.

There is still over a month and a half before the Colts return to Westfield for training camp, and it’s then that we’ll have a better idea of Leonard’s status.

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10 things we learned about the Colts this offseason

We learned a lot about the Colts this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up minicamp last week and with it, the offseason training program.

As the team goes its separate ways for the next month and a half before returning to Westfield for training camp, we learned plenty about the storylines that will take place at Grand Park beginning in late July.

Here are 10 things we learned about the Colts this offseason:

Darius Leonard donates $15K for caskets of Uvalde shooting victims

Darius Leonard donated $15,000 to help pay for the caskets of the Uvalde shooting victims.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, his wife Kayla and The Maniac Foundation donated $15,000 to help pay for the caskets of the 21 victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, TX.

Leonard, who underwent a back procedure Tuesday, said “‘I knew that I wanted to do something to help those suffering,” according to Mike Chappell of Fox59.

The Maniac Foundation “is dedicated to transforming communities through education, wellness, serving families in need and other charitable causes.” It was established in 2020 by Leonard and his wife, Kayla.

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