From the moment his NFL career started, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has shown he is one of the most well-rounded players at his position across the entire league.
One surprising aspect of his game has been his ability to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Whether he’s blitzing through the A-gap or finding a hole on a delayed rush, Leonard has had some strong success with sacks for an off-ball linebacker.
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The Colts aren’t going to put Leonard on the edge, but defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is hoping to get their All-Pro linebacker more involved in the pass rush on third down.
“He really excels in that area,” Eberflus said on the Colts’ official podcast. “And we’re looking forward to doing some other stuff with him in there, as well. You know, he’s had (12) sacks the first two years, and that’s a lot for an inside backer, and we’re just trying to get him to get more than that and to get our sack number up higher than that. So he’s expanding that way.”
Leonard’s game has evolved quickly as one of the most prominent defensive players in the league. It seems Chris Ballard was right when he called Leonard “today’s linebacker” shortly after drafting him in 2018.
Since he entered the league in 2018, Leonard has the second-most solo tackles (182), third-most tackles for losses (19) and the most sacks (12.0) among off-ball linebackers in the NFL.
The Colts defense is still a work in progress, but Leonard is among many bright spots that have the chance to truly bring the unit to another level.
Leonard’s ability to stop the run and his improvement in coverage have already made him one of the most well-rounded linebackers in the NFL.
Now the Colts want to make use of his abilities on third down as a pass rusher in what could make him a nearly unstoppable force.
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