Colts' Irving sheds nearly 30 lbs in pursuit of starting job
When the Indianapolis Colts let inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman depart during free agency, they were left with a big hole to fill in the middle of their defense.
One of the candidates to replace Freeman in the Colts' starting role is veteran Nate Irving, and he's apparently making sure he's in the best shape possible.
After being unable to properly participate in training camp due to rehabilitating an ACL injury, Irving played last season at around 260 pounds. But now that he's fully healthy, the 27-year-old has managed to drop nearly 30 pounds in preparation for the upcoming campaign.
"Last year dealing with the (ACL), I never understood how people did it," Irving said, according to Kevin Bowen of the Colts' official site. "My weight ballooned up and that has affects on your knee and your muscles around it."
Irving is expected to battle Sio Moore for the right to start alongside D'Qwell Jackson.
Jackson has been limited so far this offseason because of a hamstring injury, and he's come away impressed with how Irving has improved physically from last season while filling in for him with the first-team unit.
"He's moving more confidently," Jackson said. "You can tell by his movement, his explosion.
"The more experience he gets, the more confident he gets. He's having a great OTA."