The Indianapolis Colts made a splash with their signing of former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston. It appears they had initially been planning to bring in defensive end Dee Ford.
The Chiefs had been shopping both players this offseason. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Indianapolis was interested in trading for Ford before ultimately signing Houston:
Colts inquired about trading for former Chiefs’ LB Dee Ford; ultimately held on to draft-pick compensation and instead opted to sign former Chiefs’ LB Justin Houston.
The Colts interest in Ford is certainly understanding. They had more assets than any other team going into the offseason.
So it should come as no surprise to hear they had some big potential acquisitions secretly in the works. There is no question trading for Ford would have been a blockbuster deal for both sides.
Ford is coming off a stellar 2018 campaign after registering 55 tackles and 13.0 sacks. As a result, his prospects were looking rather bright on the trade market this offseason. His status as a budding, premier pass rusher fielded plenty of interest from teams around the league.
Although the Colts' deal for Ford fell through, they still managed to somewhat make up for it by signing Houston. The veteran should help stabilize this young linebacker corps for Indianapolis moving forward.
While Houston may be entering the final stretch of his career, his status as a four-time Pro Bowl should give this defense an added boost by the time the 2019 NFL season rolls around.
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