Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner met with the media before training camp officially got underway on Tuesday, July 25.
When asked what he is most excited for this year, Buckner expressed his excitement for something new with the team in 2023.
“Honestly, the fact that it’s a new slate, a new season,” Buckner said. “Everything that went on last year is irrelevant. You learn from the bad things that happened, you grow from it, and you also build off of things you did great.”
The Indianapolis defense, which lost a lot of veteran experience this offseason in favor of going young at a few positions, specifically in the secondary, desperately needs the veteran voices on the team to step up and take charge on the defensive side of the ball.
Buckner, 29, is entering his eighth year in the NFL and fourth year with the Colts. Buckner and counterpart Grover Stewart are two of the veterans on the defense and will be leading a fairly young defensive line room into 2023.
With the Colts trying to wipe their hands of last season, players like Buckner and Stewart will be big parts of helping to lead this group into a new era of Indianapolis Colts football.