The Indianapolis Colts have preached the idea of getting competition throughout the entire roster. Even when a position group might be considered a strength, getting more competition only brings out the best.
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Entering the 2020 season, the Colts should have an improved defensive line thanks to the addition of DeForest Buckner. He and defensive end Justin Houston are the only two players who have a locked-in spot on the front, at least in the eyes of defensive line coach Brian Baker.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a very competitive camp,” Baker told reporters this week. “Of the guys right now that I’d probably say, ‘OK, their spot is, as much as you can think, pretty much in stone, it would be Justin and DeForest. And, really, everybody else it’s gonna be a pretty competitive thing.”
With Buckner working at the three-technique and Houston locking down one of the edge spots, the Colts will have to keep their eyes peeled at the two other positions throughout training camp.
On the interior, the biggest competition will likely be at the one-technique. This battle will be between the two nose tackles in Grover Stewart and Sheldon Day, both of which are worthy of holding a starting role.
At the edge spot opposite Houston, the battle could be between a few players. It will be led by Kemoko Turay, who enters his third season, but he will have some competition in Ben Bangou and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Denico Autry and Tyquan Lewis, who spend most of their time on the interior, will also likely compete on the edge as well. Undrafted rookie Kendell Coleman will also do what he can to grab a roster spot.
“We’ve got a lot of good football players who are going to be competing,” Baker said. “Like I said: this a group I’m really excited about — really excited about. I can’t wait for camp to start, for our feet to hit the grass, see those guys run around competing. The one thing I’ll guarantee you is that we’re going to have the best defensive line out there; you know, the guys who are out there playing for the blue are going to be the guys who earn that opportunity because of their play and nothing else.”
The Colts defensive line should improve in 2020 on paper, but the competition taking place will have a lot of say in just how much improvement they will see.
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