For years, the Indianapolis Colts have had to weather bad defenses—many of which were bailed out by strong offenses. Entering 2020, though, that unit is projecting to be a strength.
While the defense was already trending upward, it was still missing that one piece to truly take it to the next tier. General manager Chris Ballard accomplished that goal when he added DeForest Buckner to the interior defensive line.
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Now that they have their stud asset playing the three-technique, Ballard then added Buckner’s former teammate in Sheldon Day to work at the one-technique alongside Grover Stewart, who emerged as a solid run stopper in 2019.
Ballard’s self-proclaimed obsession with adding to the front lines will only make the entire defense better. The interior, which was a weakness in 2019, is now one of the strongest and deepest units on the roster—with room to add more in the draft.
Out of the team’s 41 sacks during the 2019 season, the interior defensive line was responsible for just 6.5. Breaking it down even further, only 3.5 of those sacks came from the three-technique position. Suffice it to say it, adding to the interior pass rush was a major need.
Buckner should be able to fit perfectly here. He has all of the tools to be an elite interior pass rusher. He wins with length, burst, power and finesse. His ability to take on second teams—and occasionally beat them—will open up the lanes for the entire front seven.
But even adding Buckner as the core piece of the defensive interior wasn’t enough. It’s great, but the Colts still had a move to make in the other spot.
While the aforementioned Stewart is coming off of his best season yet (3.0 sacks, 17 stops), the Colts still needed depth at the one-technique. They cut Margus Hunt after an unproductive season and while Stewart showed great growth in his third year, some talent needed to be added.
That is where the signing of Day comes in. Working as a rotational piece with the 49ers, the 25-year-old Day should fit in perfectly for the Colts. He’s a solid run defender with limited upside as a pass rusher. But they likely aren’t worried about the latter aspect of his game. They need him to compete with Stewart in the A-gap to stop the run.
With Buckner, Autry and Tyquan Lewis working at the three-technique and Stewart and Day rotating at nose tackle, the Colts now have a formidable interior defensive line.
In a conference where collapsing the top of the pocket is essential, the Colts have turned one of their biggest weaknesses into a strength with just a few moves.
There are still additions to be made on that side of the ball, but the ones already made to the interior defensive line should pay massive dividends for the entire unit.
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