Pro Football Focus put together its ranking of the top-32 edge rushers ahead of the 2024 NFL season, and no member of the Indianapolis Colts is on the list.
At the top of the list is Myles Garrett, followed by Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, and Maxx Crosby. Rounding out the list at No. 30 is Jonathan Greenard, Josh Sweat at No. 31, and then Marcus Davenport at No. 32.
For the Colts, while they may not have one overly dominant edge rusher – at least according to PFF’s rankings – their success in 2023, which included generating the fifth-most sacks in the NFL, came from the depth of this unit.
The trio of Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Dayo Odeyingbo would all record eight-plus sacks last season. Also, a part of that rotation is Tyquan Lewis, who recorded 44 pressures and 4.0 sacks, not to mention that in the draft, the Colts added Laiatu Latu to the mix as well.
“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.
“So for us, I mean, it’s going to be great. We can go out there giving everything we’ve got, knowing that, hey, I’m going to come off and we have another wave that’s coming in and doing just as well. It’s encouraging for us to really empty the tank every single time we’re out there and just compete.”
Although the raw sack numbers for the Colts were impressive last season, if there is an area where this group has to improve it is in their consistency in getting after the quarterback.
Despite tallying the fifth most sacks, the Colts ranked 22nd in pressure rate, meaning a very high – and potentially unsustainable number – of their pressures turned to sacks last season.
Out of 55 eligible edge rushers, Paye ranked 42nd in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric and Odeyingbo 45th. In terms of total pressures, no Colts defensive end ranked in the top half of the league.
When it comes to recreating last year’s performance, Ebukam is positioned best to do so, ranking 21st in that category. The addition of Latu, who GM Chris Ballard called “polished” and expects to make a quick impact, will help with the pass rush consistency as well.
While football evolves over time, the name of the game on defense is still getting after the quarterback. The Colts are set up to have one of the more disruptive fronts in the NFL, especially when you include the defensive tackle position, and they’ll do so through a non-stop barrage, where the depth of their pass rush rotation is on display each week.
