The Indianapolis Colts have made plenty of significant decisions over the first few weeks of NFL free agency. The team handed two $60 million contracts to Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward to improve the secondary while signing Daniel Jones to be competition for Anthony Richardson.
With all the new faces coming in, many familiar ones have opted for a fresh start elsewhere. Players like Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Dayo Odeyingbo all left the Colts in the first week of free agency. The most recent starter to head out is linebacker E.J. Speed, who will join the Houston Texans for 2025.
Speed, who will turn 30 this summer, spent six years in Indianapolis after he was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. Over the past two seasons, Speed has started 26 games. In his career, Speed appeared in 92 games for the Colts.
In a recent interview with Houston reporter Aaron Wilson, Speed discussed his departure and how he’s looking forward to playing against Indianapolis twice a year.
“[Playing the Colts twice a year] will be lit,” Speed said. “Playing against some of those guys like JT (Jonathan Taylor) and AR (Anthony Richardson), I always got to play against them in practice, but I never got to bring them down, so it will be fun. I love Lucas Oil. I love the fans. I love Indianapolis, just taking a chance on me as a Division II kid in the fifth round.”
“For whatever reason, it came to an end, and now I’m in Houston. They took a chance on me, so it’s time to give them everything I’ve got. Situationally, going back to Indy, playing my guys that will be super fun. They’ll tell you the same thing. I’m a competitor. I talk a lot of trash in practice. Now, I get to back it up in games.”
Speed places himself among the biggest trash-talkers in the league. The Colts will undeniably miss his energy on the field, especially on fourth-and-short situations when he seemed to always step up and make a play.
Speed made 142 combined tackles in his final season with the Colts, finishing 12th in the league. Even though he brought guys down often, his missed tackles became an issue that plagued the entire defense. In 2024, Speed missed 26 tackles according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked last among 189 eligible linebackers.
Aside from the Texans, Speed was reportedly fielding offers from the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. Now that he’s got a fresh start, Speed says he wants to be “the best in the league” as he helps the Texans push for a Super Bowl.
“Of course, I played these guys twice a year so I know their goals,” Speed said. “Their goal is to go win a Super Bowl. They’ve got a loaded team. They’ve got rookies that did their thing this year. They’ve got veterans who did their thing this year. They’re right on the cusp of doing what needs to be done, but everybody knows that Sunday is the only time you can prove everything.”
The Colts’ offense will get two opportunities to shut down Speed and the Texans’ defense. After losing to Houston twice last year and once in 2023, it’ll mean more to avoid a five-game losing streak to their AFC South foe.
