NFL.com analyst Kevin Patra has a piece of advice for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason: Inject speed into the defensive end position.
“At times last season, the edge pressure disappeared in Indy,” wrote Patra. “Laiatu Latu had an excellent second season, but he could use a consistent running mate on the other side.”
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I agree. Addressing defensive end should be a top priority for the Colts.
For one, more depth is needed with Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis all set to be free agents. But in addition to that, more juice is needed — and GM Chris Ballard seems to agree, mentioning in his end-of-season press conference that “more fuel” was required along the defensive front.
To Patra’s point about consistency, the Colts’ defensive front as a whole ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric. Or another way to put it, this unit did not win its pass-rushing matchups nearly enough.
In part, the Colts’ overall pressure and sack numbers are padded by opposing offenses often playing from behind through the first half of the season. But in those must-have-it pressure situations, Indianapolis was more hit and miss.
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Without steady pressure on the quarterback, the job of every other defender on the field, especailly in the secondary, becomes much more difficult with those players now needing to hold up in coverage much longer.
Some good news is that this year’s draft class seems to have plenty of pass-rush talent.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: One big thing Colts must accomplish during 2026 offseason