Edge
Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, JT Tuimoloau, Isaiah Land, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis
This is a hard position to judge, if all goes well then this could be one of the best overall groups for the Colts in the past five or so seasons. Only problem is that things usually tend to go wrong for us. Kwity Paye has not developed his pass-rush production enough to warrant a starting job, with his pff.com pass-rush grade between 58 and 62 the past three years. Laiatu Latu showed some flashes his rookie year, but his main weakness was his inability to finish off sacks. If he can take that next step then he can easily become one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL, but that is a massive if. JT Tuimoloau was probably picked with the intention of taking over Paye’s spot, as he is more of a run-defender with a high floor than a specialist pass-rusher.
Behind them there is the intriguing case of Samson Ebukam, who was the Colts’ most productive edge rusher in 2023 before missing the entirety of last year after suffering a torn Achilles in training camp. The Colts can afford the luxury of easing him into action in a rotational role at first. Tyquan Lewis is entering his eighth season with the team, having battled an absurd amount of injuries but now enjoying his healthiest two-year stretch ever having missed just 7 of 34 games. Isaiah Land has played on just 109 snaps the past two years, and has not showed anything worth getting excited about him developing into a regular contributor.
Defensive tackle
DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Neville Gallimore, Tim Smith, Devonta Davis
The strength of the Colts’ defense, Buckner and Stewart form perhaps the best interior defensive duo in the entire NFL. What else is there to say about them by now? Buckner is a force, both generating pressure (6th highest pass rush win rate among IDL) and stopping the run (9th in stop %). Grover Stewart is not as explosive in the pass rush department but he is an absolute force at absorbing double teams, and ranked 5th in the NFL in total run stops with 32.
The problem with this unit, is that if either one of them goes down with an injury, the Colts don’t have the depth to replace them. Of course, it is impossible to replace players like Buckner or Stewart, but the Colts could at least try to not make the downfall so noticeable. Adebawore barely played in his first two NFL seasons, and when he actually was on the field there were not many flashes that would have you thinking a jump in production is forthcoming. Gallimore will be on his 3rd team in just four seasons, and while he has some experience, he never managed to make a significant impact. Smith and Davis are both rookies, and while I really like Smith and think he can become a serviceable rotational player on the line, there is just not much substance to base that hope on.
Linebacker
Zaire Franklin, Jaylon Carlies, Segun Olubi, Cameron McGrone, Liam Anderson
By far the biggest weakness in the Colts’ defense, the linebacker group. Crazy to think that just a few seasons ago this was perhaps among the best linebacker rooms in the NFL, with Leonard, Okereke, and Walker. Thankfully E.J. Speed was not re-signed and left in free-agency.
Going into next year Zaire Franklin will most likely start once again. There is nothing new under the sun, Zaire misses a ton of tackles, is slow in coverage, and does not create turnovers, all he does is get his usual 8-10 cleanup tackles when the damage was already done. We have gone over this before in several articles now, and it is common knowledge that he is not a good NFL linebacker. Couple that with the fact that he talks and acts like he is the best at his position, and it is not surprising that he is among the least liked Colts’ players in recent history. Carlies and Olubi are an intriguing duo, because they have been serviceable when on the field, but they lack experience. I think Carlies can easily become the starting linebacker for the team. Olubi played on just one game as a linebacker, but he showed much better stuff than I have ever seen from either Franklin or Speed last year.
McGrone and Anderson will most likely only see special teams’ action, unless there is an injury at the position. I have not seen enough from either to cast judgement, but if I were Ballard I would try and get another experienced player at the position to make sure the team does not have to resort to such unexperienced players.
Cornerback
Jaylon Jones, Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore, JuJu Brents, Sam Womack III, Justin Walley
The first splash in free-agency, the Colts got Charvarius Ward, a #1 shadower lockdown cornerback. He helps solidify a group that was desperately missing that top dog at the position, and his signing will help take some pressure off standout Jaylon Jones, who has been among the most pleasant surprises in recent Colts’ history. As usual, Kenny Moore takes over the starting nickel cornerback, hopefully new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can help him recapture the playmaking of his early days.
As for the depth, former 2nd round pick JuJu Brents is now relegated to a bench role, after struggling to stay on the field his first two seasons. He has definitely showed flashes when playing, its just that there always seems to be an issue with him. Sam Womack was serviceable in relief last year when the cornerback room was falling apart, and is a nice piece to have in case of injury. Justin Walley was a bit of a head-scratching pick in the 3rd round of the last draft, but the Colts were really high on him, and he could have been picked to take over Kenny Moore in the upcoming future.
Safety
Camryn Bynum, Nick Cross, Daniel Scott, Rodney Thomas II, Hunter Wohler
The second splash in the Colts’ free-agency moves came in the signing of Camryn Bynum. A three-year starter that can play deep and is an amazing leader in the locker room, I love the signing and think he gives the backfield the perfect complement to the incumbent Nick Cross. Remember when Cross sprained Josh Downs’ ankle in training camp last season and some fans were calling for him to be released? Well now Cross is perhaps the best young player on the team, after leading the secondary in tackles and showing some marked improvements in pass coverage.
Rodney Thomas has some starting experience, but the play I remember him the most for is him completely missing the ball and leaving the Texans’ tight end wide open on 4th and 20 in the final moments of that dreaded 2022-23 season. That touchdown left the Texans’ down one, and in the two-point conversion they targeted Thomas again, and got the two points needed to win the game. Daniel Scott had terrible luck with injuries thus far, so hopefully he can manage to stay healthy and see some action. Hunter Wohler is a 7th round pick who will probably be deployed mostly on special teams right away.
ST
Spencer Shrader, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes, Maddux Trujillo
The Matt Gay era in Indianpolis is over after just two seasons, and in his place there will be a battle between Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo (We could have just kept Chase McLaughlin… sigh). Shrader was the spot option for three different teams last season, the Colts, Chiefs, and Jets. He was perfect (21/21 on FGs, 38/38 on XPs) for those teams, but did not attempt a kick over 50. Trujillo is an UDFA that is the polar opposite of that, as his strength is a massive leg capable of nailing longer kicks, but is really inconsistent on shorter ones. Who knows, perhaps the Colts plan on becoming the first team to roll out two kickers on game day? Rigoberto Sanchez and Luke Rhodes are proven starters at this point, there is no need to worry at all there.
