Buster sacked

According to Scout.com, the Colts have waived reserve middle linebacker Buster Davis. Presumably, Davis was let go because the Colts signed Adam Seward, a more reliable player at the same position. Seward also offers experience on the strong side, and does much more special teams.

So, the Colts current linebacker situation currently looks like this:

WLB: Clint Session, Jordan Senn, Rufus Alexander
MLB: Gary Brackett, Michael Okwo
SLB: Phillip Wheeler, Adam Seward

I put Seward at Sam because there’s no guarantee Wheeler will win that job, and Seward may be asked to start there. But if there were to be another injury to Brackett, you know Seward would be in there, not Okwo.

So it would appear that the Colts have five definite keepers at linebacker — Session, Senn, Brackett, Wheeler and Seward — for six or seven spots. Brackett, 29 in May, and Seward, 27 in June, are the graybeards, but don’t look like they are in decline.

So will the Colts draft a linebacker? Or two? That depends on two factors. Do they feel they can find prospects better than Alexander and Okwo? And will they need new starters to replace free agents? The Colts tend to keep middle linebackers, and let outside linebackers walk. Here’s what season the guys are signed through:

Rufus Alexander 2009
Gary Brackett 2009
Michael Okwo 2009
Adam Seward 2009
Jordan Senn 2010
Clint Session 2010
Phillip Wheeler 2011

So the Colts have some flexibility outside. Look for them to draft a long-range prospect — a kid with all the tools who may just be lacking in experience, perhaps because he went to a small school. Western Illinois’ Jason Williams certainly fills that bill.


Inside, both of the obvious options (Brackett and Seward) are set to be unrestricted free agents after this season. Brackett is likely to re-sign for a number of reasons, but in the unlikely case that both leave, Wheeler would most likely step in and the Colts would be looking for an outside guy.