March 7, 2026, 7:30 a.m. ET
ESPN’s Seth Walder recently put together his list of the most overrated and underrated NFL free agents this offseason. In the overrated category was the Indianapolis Colts’ Kwity Paye.
“Among qualifying edge rushers, Paye finished last in pass rush win rate at the position at only 4.5%,” Walder wrote. “His pressure rate among those same players was in the 12th percentile. Those are damning numbers for down-to-down play. He was in the bottom quartile in both metrics in 2024, too.”
During the 2025 season specifically, Paye would record 38 pressures and four sacks. Compared to the rest of his position group league-wide, Paye ranked 52nd in pressures, according to PFF, 69th in pass rush win rate, and 88th in run stop rate.
A more consistent pass rush around Laiatu Latu was needed. As a collective unit, the Colts ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate.
However, despite Paye’s production not leaping off the stat sheet, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler listed Paye among his “top sleeper free agents” coming out of the NFL combine.
Paye could end up having a relatively strong market.
With Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis free agents, along with the Colts needing more pass rush juice at defensive end, the opportunity to reshape this position group around Latu exists, and GM Chris Ballard should explore doing so.