Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.
Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.
I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is defensive end Tyquan Lewis. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.
2023 Season Review
Lewis played 437 snaps last season, which was the fourth-most on the team at the defensive end position. After dealing with injuries in 2021 and 2022 that limited him to 15 total games, Lewis appeared in all 17 games in 2023, and was a very productive pass rusher.
Lewis was very efficient with his pass rush opportunities, totaling 44, the third-most on the Colts’ defense behind only DeForest Buckner and Samson Ebukam. In fact, among all defensive ends, Lewis finished 17th in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric.
“Tyquan is the ultimate team player,” said Shane Steichen. “His versatility along the defensive line is an asset for us. Last season, you saw Tyquan develop more comfort and confidence as the year progressed. I’m excited to watch his continued growth.”
As Steichen notes, Lewis brings added versatility to the defensive front with his ability to play inside. Against the run, Lewis ranked 43rd out of 122 defensive ends in run-stop rate.
2024 Season Preview
The Colts signed Lewis to a two-year, $12 million deal with $7.7 million guaranteed earlier this offseason, telling us that even with the addition of Laiatu Latu, Lewis will be on this roster.
With the depth that the Colts have at defensive end, it remains to be seen how playing time will shake out, but we’ve heard GM Chris Ballard discuss the importance of having a deep rotation to rely on.
Having this kind of depth will help keep everyone fresh, it can wear down the offensive line, and it will really allow defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to play matchups by mixing and matching personnel.
Lewis again could see his share of opportunities inside, with the fourth spot in the defensive tackle rotation behind Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Raekwon Davis up for grabs this summer.
