The Indianapolis Colts acquired linebacker Sio Moore from the Oakland Raiders for a late-round draft pick. Indianapolis will be sending a sixth-round pick to Oakland for the third-year linebacker.
Moore, 25, will be entering his third season after being drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has played in 26 career games (22 starts) and has compiled 105 total tackles. Moore has accumulated 7.5 career sacks and forced two fumbles.
Moore gave a farewell message to Raiders fans via Twitter:
“This has been more than a home for me… So much if my heart is in the bay… My teammates RaiderNation Yall are family to me. Will miss Yall.”-- @MrOakTown55
This is a surprising move by the Raiders because of their lack of depth when it comes to pass-rushers. In 2014, the Raiders only sacked the quarterback 22 times, and Moore accounted for three of them. The sack leader was Justin Tuck with five.
Scott Blair of CSN Bay Area reported that the 25-year-old fell out of favor with new head coach Jack Del Rio. “The coaching staff didn’t like his attitude in recent weeks, and he was pushed further and further out of the mix,” said Blair.
Moore is coming off hip surgery he had in January, and hasn’t seen much action in the preseason. He was mainly featured with the special teams group.
For the Colts, Moore gives them more depth at the linebacker position. He won’t come in and start right away as they have D’Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman as inside linebackers, and Trent Cole and Erik Walden as outside linebackers. That also isn’t accounting for Robert Mathis who is coming off an Achilles injury and should be ready by Week 1 against Buffalo.
However, if any of them suffer an injury, needs a breather or just under performs, Moore gives Indianapolis a very serviceable replacement. One cause for concern is his transitioning to the 3-4 defensive scheme, something that isn’t always seamless. But in the end this a very low-risk, high-reward for the Colts.