Outside of deciding their path at quarterback, the biggest need for the Indianapolis Colts to address this offseason is the pass rush.
While the Colts have never been one to spend big in free agency on an edge rusher, there are some names that should pique their interest when the market opens in a few weeks.
Notably among them is Miami Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who was listed as a fit for the Colts by Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
The Colts’ defense finished a decent 16th overall in 2021, but the pass rush was sorely lacking; Indianapolis tied for 25th in sacks (33) and 24th in pressures (157). As great as DeForest Buckner is, it’s not ideal when an interior lineman with seven sacks leads your team in that category. Ogbah, who’s spent the past two seasons in Miami, finished with the 14th-most pressures (54) in the NFL in 2021, per Next Gen Stats, and his 18 sacks over the past two seasons are tied for 10th-most in the league (matching pass-rushing studs like Joey Bosa, Brian Burns and Yannick Ngakoue).
A second-round pick with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, Ogbah has posted 9.0 sacks with the Dolphins in each of his last two seasons.
Under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Ogbah would likely play the “Big End” role on the defensive line. At 6-foot-4 and 273 pounds, Ogbah checks a lot of boxes in what the Colts like in their defensive ends.
Though it was a while ago, Ogbah’s measurements and pro-day testing numbers fit the mold that Chris Ballard likes in his edge rushers. He torches the arm length threshold (around 33 inches) having been measured at 35.5 inches.
The Colts also typically like their edge rushers to have a 10-yard split of 1.7 seconds or better. Ogbah posted a 1.58 in the 10-yard split during his pro day in 2016.
The Colts’ pass rush hinges on several players like DeForest Buckner and Kwity Paye, the latter of which will likely be working from the LEO spot along the defensive line.
This unit has been the Achilles heel for the defense for years but adding a talent like Ogbah would be a major difference moving forward.
The biggest question is whether Chris Ballard is willing to tweak his philosophy enough to pay up for an edge presence like this.
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