If the Indianapolis Colts are without EJ Speed in Week 11, how will they fill the void at the linebacker position without him?
Update: EJ Speed is active for the Colts’ Week 11 matchup with the Jets.
Speed is currently listed as questionable on the injury report with a knee injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was a full participant on Friday.
However, on Saturday, the team would sign linebacker Liam Anderson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Perhaps this was a move that was going to be made anyway, or maybe this addition was made to bolster the depth at the position.
We will find out 90 minutes before kickoff when inactives are released.
But if Speed isn’t available, what will the Colts do at linebacker? This is a position where they are already a bit thin with Jaylon Carlies on injured reserve.
Looking back at the Colts’ Week 7 matchup with Miami can give us the potential blueprint for how Gus Bradley might handle this potential absence.
Without Speed in that game and Carlies exiting with an injury, Grant Stuard would move to the starting nickel linebacker role next to Zaire Franklin. Then when the Colts were lined up in their base 4-3 defense, Segun Olubi came on the field as the third linebacker–joining Franklin and Stuard.
In four games, Stuard has proven to be a sound-tackler, making 19 of his 21 attempts, according to PFF. This has benefitted him against the run but also in coverage, limiting pass-catchers to just 6.0 yards per reception.
Olubi’s only snaps on defense this season came in that Week 7 game, where he recorded three total tackles and allowed one reception for 25 yards.
One of the keys to the game for the Colts’ defense will be limiting Breece Hall in the run game. If the Colts can accomplish that, there is a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the defense, with the Jets offense then routinely having to deal with long down-and-distance situations.
Obviously, a key factor in containing Hall will be the play from the linebacker position. In the last three games, the Colts’ defense as a whole ranks 11th in EPA (expected points added) per play.
(This article was updated to provide additional information.)
