March 1, 2026, 7:56 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
One Indianapolis Colts<\/a> defender is considered a “top sleeper free agent” by executives coming out of the NFL combine.<\/p>\n Following NFL combine week,\u00a0ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler<\/a>\u00a0and Dan Graziano emptied their notebooks and shared everything that they heard with free agency on the horizon.<\/p>\n This included some info on under-the-radar free agents who could end up having relatively strong markets. Among those players mentioned was Colts<\/a>‘ defensive end Kwity Paye.<\/p>\n “He could be the fourth rusher on the market behind\u00a0Trey Hendrickson<\/a>,\u00a0Jaelan Phillips<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Odafe Oweh<\/a>,” wrote Fowler. “He has 30.5 sacks over 74 starts.”<\/p>\n Paye has been very durable over his career and provided a steady presence. In four of his five NFL seasons, Paye has recorded at least 34 quarterback pressures, and he has three seasons<\/a> with six or more sacks.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n Not to be overlooked either are Paye’s contributions in the run game, where he’s been quite stout.<\/p>\n Spotrac<\/a> is projecting that Paye earns a three-year deal in free agency worth $53.62 million. That’s good for an average of $17.9 million per year.<\/p>\n Will the Colts re-sign Kwity Paye?<\/p>\n Defensive end is the Colts’ biggest need this offseason. Along with Paye being a free agent, so are Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis.<\/p>\n In addition to that, more pass-rush juice is needed up front. As a collective unit, the Colts ranked 30th in\u00a0ESPN’s<\/a>\u00a0pass rush win rate.<\/p>\n However, my guess is that Paye signs elsewhere. GM Chris Ballard said<\/a> at the NFL combine that he wanted to prioritize the front seven, specifically getting younger and faster at those positions.<\/p>\n