Honey Badger would infuse secondary with both swagger, hard hits and cover skills.
But Vegas could also roll the dice and bring in Mathieu, too. Despite being much smaller at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, Mathieu brings the same intense confidence and heat as a tackler but gives teams the added luxury of holding up well in coverage. He played in 94 percent of the Chiefs defensive snaps (998) and finished with 76 total tackles, three interceptions (one pick-six), six passes defensed and one sack. In fact, it seems with his tackling ability and size 6-foot, 205 pounds, he could make the transition down closer to the line of scrimmage and experiment at linebacker. Abram, on the other hand, was targeted 72 times and allowed 57 completions (79.2 percent) for 483 yards and five touchdowns. The Raiders need an impact strong safety and there’s one of the open market who checks the boxes of swagger, hard hits, and — more importantly — cover skills: Tyrann Mathieu.
Not everyone agrees the fit is there, but with Fitzpatrick and Mathieu, the defensive backfield in Pittsburgh is loaded. If Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon ...
However, if the Steelers can make it something close, and still keep Minkah Fitzpatrick long-term, you sign Mathieu. If Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon and Cam Sutton click, it might be the best secondary this team has seen in years. Mathieu's market value is the only thing that makes this situation curious.
Finally addressing starting quarterback, the Colts could now be turning their attention to a certain dynamic safety.
Mathieu would give new Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, a ‘can do it all’, interchangeable defensive back to help anchor the backend of his secondary—even with starters Julian Blackmon and Khari Willis already in the fold. Given some of the Colts’ arguably bigger holes at other critical positions such as wide receiver, tight end, cornerback, and left tackle, Mathieu could be considered more of a luxury signing at this juncture—but boy, would it still be highly impactful for a Colts defense looking to take another step into becoming a truly elite unit under Bradley. He also has the unique ability to generate takeaways, with 9 total interceptions combined over the past two seasons.