Indianapolis Colts Signing Another Edge Piece for Defense

The Indianapolis Colts continue to work on retooling their defensive front seven, as they have reportedly signed free agent defensive lineman Micheal Clemons, formerly of the New York Jets.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, it's a three-year deal worth $17.5 million.

Clemons (6'5", 263, 28 years old) was a fourth-round pick by the Jets out of Texas A&M in the 2022 NFL Draft.

In 65 career games (24 starts) with the Jets, he has totaled 119 tackles (13 for loss), 8.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 pass breakups.

Metrically, Clemons leaves a lot to be desired. In 2025, Pro Football Focus graded Clemons with a 59.9 overall, 58.6 in run defense, 28.7 in tackling, 59.8 in pass rushing, and 61.7 in coverage.

While Clemons has been a polarizing, often considered underachieving player so far in the NFL, he was an intriguing prospect coming out of college.

Along with checking the height and weight boxes, he measured with nearly 35-inch arms and 10-inch hands. He had a 4.85-second 40-yard dash, with a vertical jump of 35 inches and a broad jump of 9'8".

Earlier in the week, the Colts signed another rotational defensive end, Arden Key.

Key (6'5", 240, 29 years old) is going into his ninth year after coming into the NFL as a third-round pick by the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in 2018. He's also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers (2021), Jacksonville Jaguars (2022), and Titans (2023-25).

In 116 career games (46 starts), Key has 192 tackles (39 for loss), 30.5 sacks, 96 QB hits, four forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, and eight pass breakups.

Clemons and Key appear to be direct replacements for former Colts linemen Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis.