To the shock of everyone but general manager Chris Ballard, the Indianapolis Colts have been active in the early days of the free agency legal tampering period.
One of the most notable moves included the team signing former San Francisco 49ers defensive end Samson Ebukam to a three-year deal. Ebukam will receive $11 million in the first year and a maximum of $27 million.
Signing Ebukam all but signals that the team is out on pending free agent Yannick Ngakoue. Ebukam’s sack production does not match Ngakoue, but his ability to generate pressure and collapse the pocket gives him plenty of upside.
Keep up to date with the latest news, signings and rumors through our free agency tracker for the Colts.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Colts signing Samson Ebukam.
Former 49ers’ free-agent DE Samson Ebukam reached agreement on a three-year, $27 million max deal with the Indianapolis Colts that includes over $11 million in the first year, per @JFowlerESPN and me. Cameron Foster and @chriscabott confirmed and negotiated deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2023
Alright, everyone give Ballard some credit as he said he needed to be less stubborn and change his approach and look at him go! Ebukam had a solid 69.1 overall PFF. 5 sacks not even 28 yet. https://t.co/J3KPdaTbNC
— Colt Following (@stuff_reich) March 15, 2023
I actually really like this move. https://t.co/hOoADpGV8z
— Travis Allard (@travall12) March 15, 2023
Good for Ebukam.
Always been a fan of his game. Will be a nice fit in Gus Bradley’s system in Indy. https://t.co/ydw79bTy8J
— Tyler Wise (@TriggeredWise) March 15, 2023
— Malbec Maven (@celthagreat) March 15, 2023
Bit of an overpay imo but I was never impressed with Yannick, kinda been my “hot-take” all season.
Got our selves an explosive tackler who actually disrupts plays. https://t.co/LNysvXnHRC
— Colts Topic (@ColtsTopic) March 15, 2023
Welcome to the city!!! Let me know what you need. 🙌🏾 #Naptown #Colts https://t.co/jAi8FBokxa
— Darnell Smith (@Darnell_Smith95) March 15, 2023
New #Colts Edge Rusher Samson Ebukam 👀 https://t.co/UI6ZjzGq0P pic.twitter.com/0GCZ5gM4Gt
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) March 15, 2023
Comp pick city, baby. Go Niners. https://t.co/ndOTOMHAML
— LKR (@Loustradamus1) March 15, 2023
I love it when the Colts and Niners share players @tomstando https://t.co/FNpNF9QI0g
— Henry Arechiga (@DashingHenryA) March 15, 2023
Samson Ebukam came to the #49ers two seasons ago and wasn't a full-time pass-rusher.
Two seasons with Kris Kocurek and he's turned himself into a solid EDGE in the NFL. Happy for Samson and the 49ers keep racking up compensatory picks. https://t.co/2m7sj9GVtc
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) March 15, 2023
All you need to know about Samson Ebukam coming out of college #Colts fans is he pulled off a suplex sack. https://t.co/DoWrw6DJk4
— Nick Martin (@themicknartin) March 15, 2023
Worth every penny and such a great dude! Take care of him for us @PatMcAfeeShow, he's definitely a DAWG ❤️🧡 https://t.co/Z8P0BD2LP7
— Jeanette (@jnet1127) March 15, 2023
https://t.co/LKtcgZRG2C pic.twitter.com/QMeVLBb3OM
— rickroc (@rickroc4) March 15, 2023
This is why sacks aren’t the biggest metric when measuring DL players. This won’t go down as a stat on paper, it it caused a turnover. https://t.co/JZsRsA6zqr
— E (@scoobEdont) March 15, 2023
Samson Ebukam athletic freak that Ballard loves, very solid in the run game and a very good pass rushers (50 total pressures) and his pass rush win rate is among the top half of the league… Love the signing as a rotational guy to pair with Kwity and Dayo… Good job #Colts
— The King Of Colts👑 (@ShaadMcGinnis) March 15, 2023
New #Colts Edge Rusher Samson Ebukam set a sack goal of 5. Here are the 6 plays that got it done.
– CHI (1)
– LAR (2)
– CAR (0.5)
– SEA (1)
– ARI (0.5)⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Ida33TZIoW
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) March 15, 2023
Samson Ebukam is a technically sound pass rusher that always hits his landmarks and plays with insane effort.
That’s the type of edge rusher you want alongside DeForest Buckner. Ebukam may not rack up a bunch of sacks, but he’s always collapsing the pocket
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) March 15, 2023
The Colts have signed Samson Ebukam to a three-year deal (per @TomPelissero).
Ebukam had a breakout season in 2022, generating a 14.8% pressure rate (7th-highest in NFL, min. 300 pass rushes).@sosa50 | @Colts
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 15, 2023
It's funny to see how much value we place on previous sack totals & name recognition.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Samson Ebukam & Charles Omenihu will make less than the men they're replacing.
Yet they produced more pressures last season than Clowney, Ngakoue & F.Clark, respectively.
— Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) March 15, 2023
Surprised this is all Ebukam got, hell of a player. Upgrade at LEO for Indy imo https://t.co/CkDRLPZnTR
— AJ Schulte (@AJSchulteFB) March 15, 2023
