Colts Bring in 4th Former Viking

Make it five. In addition to Daniel Jones, Camryn Bynum, Mekhi Blackmon, and Laquon Treadwell, the Indianapolis Colts have added another ex-Minnesota Vikings player, this time signing defensive tackle Jerry Tillery from free agency’s second wave.

Indianapolis keeps pulling familiar names from Minnesota’s orbit. From Jones to Tillery, it’s a thing.

Tiller will vie for playing time in 2026 and has forged quite the journeyman’s path as of late.

Another Ex-Viking Joins a Colts Team Building Quiet Depth

The Colts hope to reach the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Tillery to IND

It’s another stop — probably a one-year stay — for Tillery. Yahoo Sports‘ Paul Bretl wrote Tuesday, “The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly making another free agent addition at defensive tackle. According to the Indy Star’s Joel Erickson, the Colts are signing defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. A former first-round pick by the Chargers in 2019, Tillery has appeared in 113 NFL games and made 53 starts.”

“After three-plus seasons with the Chargers, Tillery spent time with the Raiders, one year with Minnesota, and this most recent season in Kansas City. The addition of Tillery provides added competition to the defensive tackle rotation behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.”

The stop will mark Tillery’s fifth team since the start of 2022.

Tillery’s Background

While Tillery is a better pass rusher than run stopper, he hasn’t become a quarterback-pressure specialist. His performance in the NFL has been average — to put it optimistically — and he hasn’t met expectations for a former first-round draft pick. Whether Tillery will see significant playing time with the Colts remains to be seen, but the upcoming draft should clarify his future role.

Here’s his Pro Football Focus scorecard through seven seasons:

• 2025: 49.0
• 2024: 51.6
• 2023: 67.7
• 2022: 49.8
• 2021: 46.3
• 2020: 43.9
• 2019: 35.5

So, you know, mediocre-to-bad, especially for a former 1st-Rounder. And Tillery’s NFL destination resume:

• Los Angeles Chargers (2019–2022)
• Las Vegas Raiders (2022–2023)
• Minnesota Vikings (2024)
• Kansas City Chiefs (2025)
• Indianapolis Colts (2026)

Bretl added on the Tillery addition, “What will Jerry Tillery’s role be with the Colts? The addition of Tillery provides added competition to the defensive tackle rotation behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. My guess is that Tillery will not be a lock to make the Colts final 53-man roster. Over the last three seasons, Tillery has appeared in all 51 regular-season games.”

“Throughout his career, which began in 2019, Tillery has never played in fewer than 15 games in a season. What will Jerry Tillery’s role be with the Colts? The addition of Tillery provides added competition to the defensive tackle rotation behind Buckner and Stewart.”

The Colts’ defense ranked 16th in the NFL per EPA/Play in 2025.

Bretl added, “My guess is that Tillery will not be a lock to make the Colts final 53-man roster. Perhaps the hope is that Tillery can provide an added pass rush presence, competing with Adetomiwa Adebawore and Colby Wooden, who won’t be playing nose tackle with the Colts, for playing time.”

“Tillery can add some more versatility to the tackle position as well, able to play up and down the defensive front.”

The New iDL Group for Colts

How does Tillery project on the Colts’ depth chart? These are the current interior defensive linemen in the house for Indianapolis:

• DeForest Buckner
• Grover Stewart
• Colby Wooden
• Adetomiwa Adebawore
• Derrick Nnadi
• Jerry Tillery
• Tim Smith

That situation should put Tillery firmly on the August roster bubble, especially if Colts general manager Chris Ballard drafts a rookie defensive tackle.

Indianapolis’s Free Agency Transactions

So far in free agency, the Colts have fired up these signings:

• Alec Pierce (WR) IND — IND
• Andrew Ogletree (TE) IND — IND
• Arden Key (ED) TEN — IND
• Derrick Nnadi (DT) KC — IND
• Jonathan Owens (S) CHI — IND
• Juanyeh Thomas (S) DAL — IND
• Laquon Treadwell (WR) IND — IND
• Mo Alie-Cox (TE) IND — IND
• Michael Clemons (ED) NYJ — IND

And they’ve lost these men to new teams:

• Braden Smith (T/G) IND — HOU
• Kwity Paye (EDGE) IND — LV
• Neville Gallimore (DT) IND — CHI
• Nick Cross (S) IND — WAS
• Rodney Thomas (S) IND — SEA
• Samson Ebukam (EDGE) IND — ATL

Tillery will turn 30 in October. The Colts don’t have a 1st-Round pick in 2026 or 2027 due to the Sauce Gardner trade, and in Round 2, the consensus suggests they’ll invest in a cornerback or off-ball linebacker. Frequent mock-draft selections include linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), and cornerback Chris Johnson (San Diego State).