Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire recently named the “most underrated player” on each NFL team. For the Colts, Farrar chose defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Here is a snippet of what Farrar had to say about him:
The 6-foot-6, 286-pound Odeyingbo had already shown the ability to win with speed and power on the edge, and a real knack for bombing opposing blockers from inside the tackles.
Odeyingbo has steadily improved each season that he’s been in the NFL. He is coming off his most productive year, totaling 29 pressures and finishing tied for third on the team with 8.0 sacks in 365 pass rush snaps.
“I think it definitely helps in the sense that you see results in the work you’re putting in,” said Odeyingbo about his confidence after last season. “Production-wise, those are the kind of results you want to see.
“Just seeing consistent growth from year to year and production and in my technique personally is something that is something to be excited about and something I’m looking forward to this year.”
A 2021 second-round pick, Odeyingbo is entering the final year of his rookie deal and faces some uncertainty around his future with the team.
This offseason, the Colts selected Laiatu Latu in the first round of the NFL draft and also picked up Kwity Paye’s fifth-year option for the 2025 season, which comes with a guaranteed salary of $13.38 million next year.
From a salary cap perspective, paying Odeyingbo — especially if he has another productive season — could prove difficult. The Colts currently rank 19th in available 2025 cap space, according to Over The Cap, although it does appear that they will roll over a sizable portion from 2024.
As always, there are cap maneuvers that can be done to create needed space, but doing so reduces future cap flexibility and takes away from adding to other position groups. There’s always give and take when it comes to opening up cap room.
For Odeyingbo, the uncertainty he faces is not front of mind. Instead, he’s focused on consistent growth — the same emphasis he’s had since arriving in Indianapolis.
“I don’t really think about that stuff,” said Odeyingbo on Wednesday. “It’s just part of football.”
Along with Odeyingbo, the Colts have what should be a very formidable defensive front that also includes Latu, Paye, Samson Ebukam, DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Raekwon Davis.