A day after signing former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston, the Indianapolis Colts may be dipping back into the AFC West for additional help up front.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Colts hosted former Denver Broncos first-rounder Shane Ray on Friday, eyeing the free agent as potential depth off the edge.
Houston marked Indy's biggest splash of 2019 free agency, which the Colts entered with the most salary cap space in the NFL, but the team could still be targeting additional pass rushing help following a season in which it ranked 19th in sacks -- an improvement over 2017's ranking of 31st, but an area of need regardless.
Originally drafted 23rd overall by the Broncos out of Missouri in 2015, Ray has had a quiet market, as expected. Limited to 19 games over the last two seasons, he's totaled just two sacks since 2016, undergoing multiple wrist surgeries and prompting Denver to decline his fifth-year option this year. That said, he is still just 25 years old, has almost a full season's worth of starting experience and was apparently healthy at the close of Denver's 2018 season.
A backup to outside linebacker Von Miller during the Broncos' 2015 Super Bowl season, Ray started eight games the following year, recording a career-best eight sacks. He'd presumably convert to DE if signed by the Colts, who run a 4-3 system.