The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to terms to bring in another new name of the offseason with the addition of free-agent defensive end Samson Ebukam.
The former San Francisco 49ers edge rusher is set to join Indy’s defensive front, which features Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo. This move does likely signal that Yannick Ngakoue won’t be making his return to the team, and Ebukam will be taking over his LEO role in Gus Bradley’s defense.
By finding a player to fill that role, it is beneficial to utilize Odeyingbo’s versatile skill set and not set him on one side of the defense as the Colts did Ngakoue finished the 2022 season on IR. The same goes for Tyquan Lewis.
If Lewis can put together a healthy 2023 season and Odeyingbo takes that expected next step in his career, then the Colts have a good set of six players in their trenches to rotate and keep everyone fresh for all four quarters.
The Indianapolis defensive front four now has a strong rotation that has players with playing styles that Bradley can play with. As for now, the defensive front depth chart is looking like this:
LEO: Samson Ebukam
3Tech: DeForest Bucknerr
NT: Grover Stewart
Edge: Kwity Paye
Versatile rotation pieces: Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis
Edge backups: Kameron Cline and Rashod Berry
IDL backups: Eric Johnson, Chris Williams, and McTelvin Agim
It’s no secret that Chris Ballard loves the trenches so I do expect more additions will be added to compete for the back end of the group.
A low-level free agent signing could be brought in and a draft prospect or two that have the athletic traits that Ballard likes to take chances on during Day 3 of the NFL draft.
Keep up to date with the latest news, signings and rumors through our free agency tracker for the Colts.
