A general manager only has so many chips. Ryan Grigson is hoping he doesn't lose a few more on Bjoern Werner.
Bjoern Werner could define Ryan Grigson’s legacy
With Robert Mathis suspended and Ryan Grigson’s record in question, the Colts need last year’s first-round pick to pay off in year two.
Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts general manager is in an interesting position. He has taken plenty of licks from the media and fans despite the Colts going 11-5 in each of the last two seasons. Last year, the Colts even came from behind to win their first playoff game since Peyton Manning left, and there's no reason to believe the team will topple from atop the AFC South any time soon. After all, their rivals are the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans.
But question marks remain. There's the much-maligned trade of this year's first-round pick for Trent "2.9-yards-per-carry" Richardson. There are also the contracts given to free agents like Erik Walden, Greg Toler and LaRon Landry for much more than anyone expected. The first round pick of Werner, then, stands as a potential tipping point of public opinion, giving Grigson a feather in the cap or blemish on the resume.
An early disappoinment
Werner was a pass rushing prospect out of Florida State when the Colts selected him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at No. 23 overall. It was easy to see why they targeted him. The team was long in the tooth at pass rusher, with Dwight Freeney (32-years-old at the time) and Robert Mathis (31) keying the defense. The maxim goes that a team can never have too many pass rushers, and aging veterans made it necessary to find a young sack artist.
Grigson earned poor grades from most NFL analysts shortly after drafting Werner. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar gave the Colts a “C-” and wrote:
It’s difficult to see where Werner fits on a 3-4 defense. He’s not athletic enough to play linebacker. He’s not quite big enough to play defensive end in a three-man front. Werner is a heady player who is going to work hard to improve. But will Werner make many impact plays for the Colts?
In the end, Grigson decided to let Freeney walk to the San Diego Chargers and chose Werner as the replacement. Freeney suffered a torn quad in September and registered just a single half sack on the year. However, Werner's season was not much better. The 6'3 linebacker went down with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot in late September, and looked overmatched on the field before his injury.
Werner played in just 352 of a potential 1,235 defensive snaps for the Colts, which means his early development will continue on the field in 2014. Werner had just four hurries in his last seven games of the season, so even toward the end of his rookie year he still had yet to flash the potential he showcased at Florida State. In 15 total games (including the playoffs), Pro Football Focus gave Werner a positive pass rushing grade in only three of them. In fact, his pass rushing was just barely better than his run defending (-1.5 vs. -1.6).
Low snap counts toward the end of the season reveal that the Colts coaching staff still didn’t fully trust him to make an impact when it counted. So while some believe that Werner turned a corner as the season progressed, there is no doubt that 2013 was largely viewed as a disappointment for the linebacker.
“A great situation for him”
Despite the loss of Freeney and the minimal impact of Werner, the Colts’ defense still showed strength in 2014. The team ranked fourth in the AFC in total points allowed (336), and much of that is owed to Mathis, who set a career-high and led the NFL with 19.5 sacks. Then came the news that Mathis was suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Despite Mathis’ claims that the violation was due to a doctor’s error, the Colts now face the loss of both of their pass rushing threats from only two seasons ago for a significant stretch.
This puts an even greater pressure on Werner to make a major leap forward in 2014. The primary agenda for Werner this offseason has been to add significant strength, something the Colts’ coaching said that he has made his top priority, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
“We (coaches) would tell each other when watching tape, ‘He needs the offseason to get stronger, build himself properly,’” linebackers coach Jeff Fitzgerald said. “He’s done a really good job. He stayed here in the offseason. He went to Germany, I think, for a week. He was not gone long. So I’d walk down the hall and pass by him. He was like the only guy around. So, he made a commitment to stay put and he looks a lot better. He just moves better and he’s carrying his weight better. He’s stronger.”
Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky believes that Werner is in an ideal position to make the leap that the Colts need of him. The opportunity is there. The continuity in the coaching staff is there. (This is Manusky’s second season as DC.) Werner, who was praised for his intelligence coming into the league, now has had a full year with the playbook and with his coaches.
“From his stamp, I thought he did a real good job last year when he first came in to stand up and do what he did,” Manusky said. “To this year, it’s just knowing the defense and to feel comfortable in the defense. Now, it’s just his ability to get to the passer, which you want him to do that in these OTAs, but he’s never really going to get there because you don’t have the pads on. But he’s been doing a great job at least from the calls and signals and getting everything lined up and knowing exactly what he’s supposed to do. It’s a great situation for him.”
A great situation for Werner, but it’s a tenuous one for the Colts. Until Werner shows he can deliver on the team’s first round investment and step up while Mathis is away, he will remain another one of Grigson’s risky bets. And a guy can only lose so many chips.
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