The Indianapolis Colts will enter the 2024 season as one of the highest spenders when it comes to the defensive line.
GM Chris Ballard has never shied away from letting it be known that depth along the defensive line was going to be a key part of the defense’s success, and this offseason in particular, his moves reflect that perhaps more than ever.
Over the last few months, we’ve seen the Colts re-sign Tyquan Lewis and Grover Stewart. They added Raekwon Davis in free agency as an outside addition, along with extending DeForest Buckner.
Ballard would also pick up Kwity Paye’s fifth-year option for the 2025 season and, of course, he drafted Laiatu Latu at 15th overall.
According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the Colts will rank sixth in total cash spending along the defensive front. In terms of the salary cap, almost 20 percent of their 2024 cap space will go towards this position group.
The ultimate goal for the Colts is to build a legitimate eight-man rotation, similar to line changes in hockey, as assistant GM Ed Dodds put it recently, with minimal or no dropoff in the level of play between the two units.
“I think it’ll just be a big problem for other teams,” said Paye about the Colts’ defensive front depth. “You know, like you see teams that make it far in the playoffs, the Chiefs, the 49ers, the Eagles, teams like that where they just have a second D-line that could be a first D-line anywhere else.
“So that’s kind of like, I feel like that’s what we’re trying to build here. There’s no dropoff. As soon as the second D-line coming, the O-line doesn’t have rest, like the O-line doesn’t have the chance to regroup for the first team coming in.”
This relentless pursuit of the quarterback from such a deep unit will provide no rest for opposing offensive line units, which hopefully results in a hefty number of sacks and pressures.
Having that many players who can be relied upon also allows for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to be more targeted in when he uses each player and how he builds out the rotations. With a wide variety of skill sets to utilize, Bradley can pick and choose and be very specific about putting each player in situations where they can be the most successful.
The Colts’ are already coming off of a very productive year, totaling the fifth-most sacks in football, which includes four members of their defensive front totaling at least 8.0 sacks of their own.
If there is an area of opportunity for this group, it’s in the consistency in which they get after the quarterback, ranking 22nd in pressure rate and 23rd in total pressures last season.
In the pass-heavy NFL, the name of the game is disrupting the quarterback. When that’s happening, usually good things ensue, and the entire defense benefits from it. Given the investment made by Ballard and the players on the roster, the Colts should have one of the most disruptive units in football this season.
“This is probably the best front line I’ve played with,” said linebacker EJ Speed when meeting with reporters this offseason.
