Colts’ Samson Ebukam: Cut or Keep?

Chris Ballard raised some eyebrows bringing up Samson Ebukam unprompted at the Combine. Will they keep the vet edge rusher or let him go?

Chris Ballard was asked about Lou Anarumo at Defensive Coordinator’s impact and change to the defense, and he decided to highlight Samson Ebukam as a player he would be interested in seeing how he would perform in this new scheme.

Ebukam has been the focus of a lot of conversations about potentially being moved this offseason after missing the entire 2024 season, so lets evaluate the case for why Ebukam should or shouldn’t be kept.

Cut

Ebukam is 30 years old and is coming off of Achilles tear. His cap hit is $10.49m for 2025 and he is on the last year of his deal. The Colts have plenty of Edge rushers demanding more snaps like Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, and Tyquan Lewis under contract. Dayo Odeyingbo is a Free Agent and the Colts could prioritize the younger and more versatile player.

The savings from cutting Ebukam is $7.49m, with only $3m dead cap. The risk of keeping Ebukam with other options to take snaps, paying him at that level, all while coming off of a significant injury that can linger are certainly factors to keep in mind.

Keep

Ebukam in 2023 was the Colts top pass rusher on the Edge, with 9.5 sacks and 14.4% Pass Rush Win Rate (28th in the NFL) while providing high end run support as the LEO in Gus Bradley’s scheme. He is a veteran leader of the room, is one of the few players on the roster with significant playoff experience, and is a high level athlete.

While Ebukam’s injury can be a multi year debilitating injury, it was suffered very early in 2024 in camp and should give him a lengthy recovery time. His contract is still only the 32nd highest cap hit of 2025 for Edge, so it isn’t the most ludicrous contract in the NFL . The Colts also only have Laiatu Latu under contract at Edge after 2025, so keeping as many options as possible for potential re-signings could be crucial for the future of the position too.