On Sunday, the Colts’ deep defensive line took a significant blow.
Starting defensive end Samson Ebukam tore his Achilles tendon during practice, a league source told IndyStar, ending his season after only three days of training camp.
Ebukam is coming off a breakout season in which he recorded a career-high 9.5 sacks to lead a Colts pass rush that totaled 51 sacks, the fifth-highest in the NFL and the most by any Colts defense since the team came to Indianapolis in 1984.
The 29-year-old edge rusher was instrumental in that breakthrough.
Ebukam was the Colts’ largest outside investment in free agency in 2023, signing a three-year, $24 million contract. Ebukam had been primarily a complementary option in six seasons with the Rams and 49ers, but Indianapolis saw him as a better fit.
The Colts were correct.
Ebukam appeared in a career-high 702 snaps for Indianapolis in 2023, leading the club in sacks and finishing second in quarterback hits (17, tied with Dayo Odeyingbo) and pressures (44), following only star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner in those categories.
It will be difficult to lose a player like this.
However, the Colts have options for dealing with the loss of Ebukam.
Indianapolis utilized its first-round choice to choose UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu, the first defensive player chosen in the 2024 draft and an ideal fit for the LEO position Ebukam played last season. Gus Bradley, the Colts’ defensive coordinator, created the LEO position to allow small edge rushers to get on the field, and Latu is the type of pass rusher the Colts want to keep on the field as often as possible.
“He’s explosive, like we said when we drafted him,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said on Sunday. “He has a variety of pass-rush moves. You can see him and how explosive he is going off the edge, so it will be exciting to see this year.”
Latu is unlikely to be the only player expected to step in for Ebukam in the defensive lineup.
Last season, four defensive ends—Ebukam, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Tyquan Lewis—played more than 400 snaps, and the addition of Latu was already expected to change the playing-time picture.
When Ebukam was injured during practice on Sunday, Lewis took over as the starting defensive lineman, and the Colts also have Odeyingbo, who rushes largely from the interior but can play on the outside on running downs.
Indianapolis also has a few of other depth alternatives to consider for the LEO position. Veteran defensive end Genard Avery, a speed option with 8.5 career sacks, returns after a season-ending knee injury cut short a strong training camp last season. The Colts have intriguing developing prospects in second-year edge rushers Isaiah Land and Titus Leo. Land had six tackles and a sack in just 31 snaps last season, while Leo was drafted in the sixth round the previous year.
However, the loss of Ebukam removes a proven veteran from the equation, putting even more pressure on Latu to make an immediate impact.
A healthy Ebukam would have allowed the Colts to direct Latu to focus on rushing the passer right away.
Now, the youngster may need to become a more complete player right away.
“Right now, we’re seeing a skill set that we saw in college: his speed off the ball, his moves,” Bradley told reporters. “But when the pads come on, and you don’t know if it’s a pass or a run-pass, can you convert it? Can you do all of those techniques and see how your skill set transfers to all situations? He looks to be heading in the correct path.”
The loss of Ebukam means the Colts need Latu to stay on that track.
