The Indianapolis Colts had a goal during the 2019 offseason to add more depth and talent to the linebacker room. When the season was done, it’s easy to say they achieved that goal.
Even behind the uber-talented Darius Leonard, the Colts showed they have strong depth in the linebacker room. Anthony Walker had another solid season against the run while rookie Bobby Okereke emerged potentially as the team’s best rookie during the 2019 campaign.
When speaking to reporters during his year-end press conference, general manager Chris Ballard discussed how the front office is feeling about the room.
“Really encouraged. Anthony Walker had a good season. Bobby Okereke has some real special in his body. Saw the flashes. EJ Speed, even though we didn’t see a bunch of him just because he’s young and raw,” Ballard said. “It’ll be fun to watch him develop and see if he can become what we think he can become.”
After a slow start and dealing with some injuries, Leonard finished the season on a torrid streak. He was second in the entire league with five interceptions and made his way to his first career Pro Bowl selection. He was also named to the All-Pro second team.
Walker finished the year with a career-high in sacks (2.5), tackles (123), solo tackles (83) and quarterback hits (three). Okereke came on strong during the second half of the season showing off his range and athleticism on a weekly basis.
“We have good depth at the position, good competition,” said Ballard. “It’ll be fun to watch that group compete here during the offseason and in training camp to see how it fleshes out. We feel good about it.”
The Colts have several areas to address this offseason—even on the defensive side of the ball alone. But one area they won’t have to worry about all that much is the linebacker corps in the middle.