he is a 4-3 defensive tackle that can play 3-4 defensive end... scheme is literally is the best fit for the change... just saying he played with the Giants in their 4-3 defense for his rookie contract... we want him to play as DE in our 3-4/Nickel defense...
He's pretty big, at 325, and could slide inside.
"Hankins, who signed a three-year deal with the Colts in 2017, was the prized acquisition from free agency one year ago but the 26-year-old will hit the market again looking for a new home.
The reason behind his release doesn’t appear to be performance or conduct based but rather
because the Colts are switching to a 4-3 defensive scheme, per Indy Star’s Stephen Holder."
"Jabaal Sheard, John Simon and
Johnathan Hankins all came in and contributed right away even though Ballard didn’t pay top-dollar deals for any of them. Unfortunately, the Colts were forced to cut Hankins after one season as he does not fit well in the
new 4-3 defensive scheme.
Hankins was a major reason why the Colts’ run defense improved from dead last in 2016 to tenth in 2017
according to Football Outsiders. Hankins earned a grade of 85.0 out of 100 from
Pro Football Focus as he made a living in opposing offense’s backfields."