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The Indianapolis Colts are hoping the questions about their pass rush will be answered by seeing the development and impact of some of their young defensive ends like Ben Banogu.
After playing insignificant snaps for the first two seasons of his career, the former second-round pick is seemingly getting the chance to prove his worth along the Colts defensive line.
During his pre-draft press conference, Ballard challenged Banogu ahead of the 2021 season, saying it’s his time to show what he can do with a bigger workload.
“Then this is a big year for Ben Banogu, this is a big year for him. He knows it. It’s time for him to step up,” Ballard said Friday. “He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a good kid, he works. Let’s see what he can be.”
Since being selected with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2019 draft, it was clear that Banogu would need some development as a pass rusher. But his athleticism could help manage that process quickly. It hasn’t yet come to fruition but it seems 2021 will be his time to prove it.
After recording 2.5 sacks on 27% of snaps during his rookie campaign in 2019, Banogu’s production and playing time took a massive hit. In 2020, the TCU product played just nine games while being on the field for just 10% of the team’s defensive snaps.
But with Denico Autry gone to Tennessee and Justin Houston seemingly not coming back, Banogu is primed for a bigger role. He may even see starting reps in OTAs with Kemoko Turay recovering from a second ankle surgery.
The Colts’ pass rush is the biggest question mark on the roster right now. They run the risk of being an inconsistent unit given the lack of experience on the edge, but Ballard is putting a lot of his confidence behind the former second-round pick to show his development as a pass rusher.
The Colts could add an edge rusher early during the draft, but it seems the team wants Banogu to step into a larger role to see what he can do.
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