With offseason programs now behind us, let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Indianapolis Colts. Next up are the defensive ends.
If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below.
A Year 2 leap incoming for Laiatu Latu?
A big part of the equation when it comes to the Colts generating more pressure on the quarterback this season is Laiatu Latu making that Year 2 leap that so many successful NFL players have made.
On the surface, Latu’s production from his rookie season isn’t going to leap off the page. His 38 pressures–which were the second-most on the Colts–ranked 50th compared to the rest of the defensive ends around the NFL.
However, perhaps a more accurate portrayal of what’s to come for Latu is that he ranked 27th in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric. When there is consistency from a player when it comes to winning their one-on-one matchups, oftentimes the production will follow.
For Latu, a point of emphasis for him this offseason is on shaving off those “milliseconds” as a pass rusher, which will lead to more pressures and sacks.
“This year, I really want to shave off those milliseconds of where I’m getting to the QB because I felt that,” Latu said on Tuesday, via Locked on Colts. “Like a lot of times, my head and my hands I was right there. So really just shaving off those milliseconds and knowing when I can fall back inside, and when they’re working off power. So there’s a lot of stuff I’ve been getting better at.”
The Colts’ defensive ends could really benefit from this new defense
Helping Latu and the rest of the Colts’ defensive front generate more pressure and sacks this season will be Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme. Last season, the Indianapolis defense ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in both pressures and sacks.
However, making things quite difficult on the Colts’ defensive line was that the secondary was often picked apart in the quick game by opposing quarterbacks. This made getting home consistently much more difficult because of how quickly the ball was out of the quarterback’s hands.
With Anarumo’s more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme, those quick game outlets shouldn’t be as readily available, and the variety of looks that the secondary shows can help keep quarterbacks off balance, allowing the front time to create pressure. We should see more movement up front as well, which can help create more advantageous matchups to exploit.
JT Tuimoloau brings an all-around skill set to the Colts’ defensive end position
During his last season at Ohio State, Tuimoloau was a three-down presence on the Buckeyes’ defense, able to make an impact in both the running and passing games.
Among all defensive ends during the 2024 season, Tuimolau ranked 14th in total pressures, and he was sixth in PFF’s run defense grade.
Tuimoloau has been compared to former Bengals’ defensive end Sam Hubbard, who put together some very productive seasons under Anarumo.
“I’m an all-around player,” Tuimoloau said during rookie minicamp. “Big credit to coach (Jim) Knowles, he came in and challenged us to drop, to be man-on-man on certain plays, to stick to redirect, all the above. That was just a way to showcase who I was as a player. I feel like there wasn’t nothing I was limited in doing. He trusted me with everything.”
Along with his ability to impact the run and passing games, Tuimoloau adds some versatility as well, and can line up inside during obvious passing situations if needed. That ability to play from multiple gaps is an important element in Anarumo’s defense.
What Tuimoloau’s workload will look like early on in Year 1 remains to be seen. But he could provide help at defensive end on early, more run-centric downs, and then potentially move inside at times to rush the passer on long down-and-distance situations.
What can we expect from Samson Ebukam as he returns from injury?
An Achilles injury sidelined Ebukam for all of the 2024 season. In 2023 with the Colts, Ebukam tallied 48 pressures, according to PFF, and 9.5 sacks, which led the team. As GM Chris Ballard described, his presence was very much missed last season.
“We missed his physicality,” Ballard said earlier this offseason. “Undeniably, we missed what Samson brought a year ago.”
However, when it comes to Achilles injuries, not only does it take time to return to the field, but even when players are fully back, it takes some additional time to then return to their previous form. And for Ebukam, he is now 30 years old, which only adds to the unknown around what to expect this season.
“It’s a concern, absolutely,” Ballard said of Ebukam coming off the Achilles’ injury, “But when you know who the kid is and what he stands for and the effort he puts into everything, I’m willing to make that bet.”
How does the Colts’ defensive end rotation shake out?
I think right now, we can safely say that Latu and Kwity will be at the top of this defensive end rotation. But at a position that is heavily rotated with four or sometimes even five players seeing regular snaps, how things shake out behind them, in terms of playing time, remains to be seen.
While Tuimoloau has shown in college that he can play all three downs, does he start out with that type of workload in the early going of his rookie season? As mentioned, we don’t necessarily know what to expect from Ebukam as he returns from injury, and the Colts also have Tyquan Lewis, along with Isaiah Land, still on the roster–and numbers-wise, one of them might end up being left off.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Indianapolis Colts roster review: Laiatu Latu and the defensive ends