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The Indianapolis Colts went into free agency needing to add some depth to the pass rush and came out having signed an intriguing player in the form of defensive end Samson Ebukam.
As the 27-year-old makes the transition to his new team, he’s finding many of the concepts being similar to what his responsibilities were with the San Francisco 49ers, the team he previously played for.
“Basically, the same honestly – just get off the rock and try to make plays. It’s that simple,” Ebukam said of his role in OTAs. “Yeah, I definitely think so because it was the same thing I was doing in San Fran. I think it’s just more refined now. So, it’s definitely going to come alive this year I’m feeling like.”
Likely taking over the LEO role in Gus Bradley’s offense, Ebukam will be the replacement for Yannick Ngakoue, who remains a free agent despite leading the Colts with 9.5 sacks in 2022.
Ebukam’s numbers may not pop off the page, but he’s shown steady improvement throughout his career. He added career-high marks in 2022 with 5.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits.
However, he posted a 14.9% pass-rush win rate, according to PFF, which was good for 24th among all edge rushers and better than any mark by a Colts edge rusher in 2022. For comparison, Ngakoue’s 11.0% pass-rush win rate ranked 50th among all qualified edge rushers.
Transitioning to a new team and defense are not easy tasks, but Ebukam has found it beneficial to use this time in the offseason without pads to focus on refining his technique.
“It’s kind of hard to practice like I want to practice without pads on, but at the same time it’s all technique based right now,” Ebukam said. “It allows me to have the time to focus on technique and just refining the things that I can do well and then the things that I didn’t do so well last year I can work on it now with this time and just sharpen it up so it’s good for the season.”
With Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo entering their third seasons, Ebukam is a strong addition to the rotation. In fact, he’s been starting opposite Paye on the defensive line through the first two weeks of OTAs.
Considering the young secondary, a strong pass rush can make a world of difference for the Colts defense.
And Ebukam has a chance to be an integral part of the unit right away.
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