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 tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore.
2023 Season review
Adebawore was a fourth-round pick by the Colts in the 2023 draft and saw minimal playing time as a rookie. Even with inconsistent play from Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson, Adebawore saw just 132 defensive snaps.
Adebawore would make the most of his pass-rush opportunities, however, with his athleticism and high motor on display as he totaled six pressures and two sacks in only 71 pass rush reps, ranking 31st among all defensive tackles in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric. Run defense will have to be an area where he continues to improve. Adebawore also did the dirty work as a rookie, playing 74 special teams snaps, most of which came on the kick coverage and punt return units.
“I think with Tomi it was never a question about his ability to rush,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “I think that was his strong suit. When we looked at him we thought, ‘Shoot, he’s strong, has the ability to rush. Maybe he can give us some inside pressure.’
“The question for Tomi was how about the run game? When teams double team him or good zone schemes, how is he going to be there? I think early in the season sometimes you scratch your head and it didn’t look like it should look. But to his credit, I think the more and more he plays you’re seeing more strain from him. That’s what we need. It might not be where he splits the double team and makes a play, but you do see strain and you do see him maintaining the line of scrimmage more consistently than he did at the beginning of the season. So credit him for that.”
2024 Season preview
With DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Raekwon Davis, the front end of the Colts’ defensive tackle rotation is solidified. However, the fourth spot on the depth chart will be up for grabs with Adebawore, Bryan, and Johnson competing for it. I would anticipate that the hope is that Adebawore can secure this role as a recent draft pick and someone who comes with a higher ceiling than Bryan and Johnson.
“He’s got really unique traits for the position,” GM Chris Ballard said after drafting him.
With that said, while this is a heavily rotated position group, playing time could still be difficult to come by this season for Adebawore – or whoever the fourth defensive tackle is – with defensive ends Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis able to line up inside as well.
