At last, the Colts have added some depth at linebacker in free agency, signing veteran ex-Cardinal Akeem Davis-Gaither on a one-year deal, according to a league source, linking him back up with his longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo from the pair’s five-year overlap in Cincinnati.
Here’s what you need to know:
Akeem Davis-Gaither stats
Davis-Gaither joins the Colts off his first season spent largely as a starting linebacker in his six seasons in the NFL, having recorded 13 starts in 17 appearances in 2025. In those games, the former fourth-round pick defended five passes, forced one fumble and logged one quarterback hit to go with 117 total tackles and two tackles for loss.
Across his six seasons, Davis-Gaither hasn’t proven to be much of a force as a blitzer, earning just half a sack in his 88 games – that coming as a rookie in 2020 – and he only even has four quarterback hits and nine tackles for a loss across his career.
In his most active season to date, Davis-Gaither struggled significantly in pass coverage, too, in 2025, giving up 40 catches on 51 times he was target as the nearest defender in coverage according to Next Gen Stats. The Cardinals linebacker gave up 422 yards on those plays, including four touchdowns. Opposing quarterbacks’ rating targeting him was 119.1.
For reference, last year’s Colts starting linebackers who notably struggled at times in coverage lead to opposing QB ratings of 90.0 (Germaine Pratt) and 103.1 (Zaire Franklin) when they were the nearest defender in coverage.
Akeem Davis-Gaither height, weight, age
Davis-Gaither is 6 foot 2, 238 pounds. He will be 29 in September.
Akeem Davis-Gaither contract status
Last offseason, Davis-Gaither signed a two-year deal worth as much as $10 million with Arizona, including a $3 million signing bonus and his $2 million base salary in 2025 guaranteed.
After just one season, the Cardinals released Davis-Gaither earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent. The veteran linebacker signed with the Colts on a one-year deal, according to a league source.
Colts depth chart at linebacker
Ahead of Davis-Gaither’s signing, the Colts only had two linebackers of any note on their roster in 2025 rookie undrafted free agent Austin Ajiake and 2024 fifth-round pick Jaylon Carlies, but neither has much – if any – starting experience. In his two seasons in the NFL, Carlies has appeared in just 13 games, making six starts as a rookie, but he was rarely on the field in 2025 due to injury, logging just two snaps on defense and 25 on special teams in his three appearances.
Ajiake appeared in 16 games as a rookie last season, but none were starts, and he only played 157 snaps with the unit, spending most of his time with special teams (299 snaps).
Earlier this month, the Colts traded away Franklin, the veteran starting linebacker and four-year team captain, to the Packers, and fellow 2025 starter Pratt, who Indianapolis signed midseason last fall, remains a free agent.
What does IndyStar’s Colts insider Nathan Brown think of the move?
With Franklin traded and Pratt on the market, it would seem Davis-Gaither may fill Pratt’s role as a veteran with familiarity in Anarumo’s system, unless they sign Pratt, too, to make for a fierce training camp battle. Given how deep the upcoming draft is in Day 2 talent at linebacker, I would imagine the Colts will target one such player and earmark them as a starter-in-waiting in general manager Chris Ballard’s push to get “younger and faster” in his front seven.
Davis-Gaither is more than a year younger than Pratt with one fewer season in the league, and he’s coming off his lone season in a mostly starting role, but his stats don’t profile as a lead veteran linebacker on a successful defense. Though it wasn’t his best skill, Pratt seemed more effective in pass coverage than Davis-Gaither, and the former would seem as if he might benefit playing alongside a younger more athletic teammate on the second level if the Colts opted to hold onto him.
With a solid secondary already, if the Colts can orchestrate landing a lead edge rusher via trade or free agency to start alongside Laiatu Latu, then Indianapolis having a middling linebacker unit won’t be the end of the world, but after a slew of young, talented linebacker products went off the board in free agency in the last week, the Colts landing Davis-Gaither as their consolation prize at the position falls a bit flat.
Without question, more help will be needed to be acquired here in the coming weeks through one avenue or another.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts sign first linebacker in free agency. Will Akeem Davis-Gaither be a starter, or depth?
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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