Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts have been searching for viable depth under their star-studded defensive tackle duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart since the pairing took off.
From Taylor Stallworth to Taven Bryan and everyone in between, impactful reserves across the interior have been hard to come by for general manager Chris Ballard and the rest of this front office. That is, until this past offseason.
Former Cowboys third-round pick Neville Gallimore and Colts 2023 draftee Adetomiwa Adebawore blossomed into a legitimate reserve duo at defensive tackle this past season. With DeForest Buckner out for an extended period before ultimately ending the season on injured reserve, these two served as worthwhile backups, even playing a part in the Colts defense’s massive late-season turnaround in run defense.
This is the seventh installment of an ongoing article series that’ll cover each Colts rookie from the 2025-26 season.
Expectations — As is the case with most late-round draft selections, impactful rookie year expectations are often relegated to being special teams-related, though, of course, NFL teams prove every year that they have something up their sleeves.
Alabama’s Tim Smith (6’4”, 302 lbs) was more or less viewed as the good ole draft-and-stash prospect, a player thought higher of than most who’s willing to bet on late, but also doesn’t warrant an early-career outlook.
Rookie Season — Smith was always regarded as a practice squad player early on who could blossom into more, and that’s precisely why he spent the majority of his rookie campaign on the practice squad. He got some minimal run during the team’s preseason slate, but was quickly seen as a player who wouldn’t see the field in the regular season, whether that’s on defense or special teams.
Although he logged zero snaps in the regular season, Smith quietly progressed behind the scenes on the practice squad before eventually being elevated to the active roster in early November.
Future Outlook — Tim Smith’s future currently goes as far as the 2026-27 season will take him, given that he recently signed a future contract to stay in Indianapolis for at least another season.
As alluded to, the Colts may have finally found their reserve tackle duo in Neville Gallimore and Adetomiwa Adebawore. If Gallimore leaves in free agency this offseason, the door is wide open for Smith to prove that he’s ready now, not later.
The Indianapolis Colts aren’t banking on an unforeseen breakout from Tim Smith, but if he chooses to blossom overnight, they surely won’t decline the offer.
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