Colts 2021 Season Review: Defensive Ends

The Colts bet on a young pass rush group in 2021 that did not yield very good results. Will 2022 be a different story?

Andrew Moore | Feb 25, 2022

The 2021 season was not supposed to end the way it did for the Indianapolis Colts.

A team that looked like a lock for the playoffs was on a roll towards the end of December with thoughts of how far they could go.

The last two weeks of the season changed all of that. The Colts dropped their final two games to the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, forcing them to watch the postseason from home. For a team that had its sights set on making noise in January, this was unacceptable.

Indy now heads into the offseason evaluating all aspects of the franchise to see where they can get better and have a more successful 2022. So, as the team is evaluating themselves, Horseshoe Huddle is evaluating the team also.

The “2021 Season Review” series has gone over the offensive side of the ball, so now it’s time to look at the defensive side. We will be starting with a group that must improve in 2022, the defensive ends. The Colts went with a young edge group in 2021, and the results were not what they had hoped.

Kwity Paye

Stats: 15 games, 15 starts, 32 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 10 QB hits, 1 forced fumble

Back in April during the 2021 NFL Draft, Kwity Paye was not expected to fall to Colts at the 21st overall pick. Paye was thought by many to be the top edge rusher in the class with many mock drafts having him slated between 10-15.

The Colts were elated that he fell to them and quickly turned the card in when it was their turn to pick. Indy had not drafted a pass rusher in the first round since Björn Werner in 2013. Paye already has given a better return than Werner.

While the season started a little slow for Paye, he began to come on late in the year. All of his sacks came after Week 9, and eight out of 10 QB hits came after Week 8. He also generated 31 pressures over the final 10 weeks of the season according to Pro Football Focus. The game was starting to slow down for Paye, and he was starting to put things together.

“I started to see it in practice where he started to really do a good job of his assignments and everything was slowing down for him,” former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said. “You could see where he was really working his pass rush and understood how to come back underneath because he’s a guy that can get the corner with his quickness and his speed, then he’s able to now recognize when he’s getting to the top part of the quarterback. Now he can work back underneath.”

While Paye’s stats weren’t spectacular, and you would like to see him get more consistent pressure on the quarterback, it was encouraging to see his improvement towards the end of the year. It can sometimes take young pass rushers a year or two to develop from college to the NFL. Do not be surprised if we see a big jump from Paye in Year 2.

Al-Quadin Muhammad

Stats: 17 games, 17 starts, 48 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 13 QB hits

After being a role player the past three seasons for the Colts, Al-Quadin Muhammad took on a starting role in 2021. Before this year, Muhammad had only eight starts in his four previous seasons.

Due to receiving much more playing time than in previous seasons, Muhammad had a career year. He had career-highs in tackles and QB hits while doubling his career-high in sacks.

While he did have a career year, it wasn’t the season the Colts had hoped to see from Muhammad with starter minutes. He led the Colts in sacks but failed to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. Too many times Muhammad could not get off single blocks and take advantage of the attention going to Paye or defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

Muhammad is set to become a free agent this spring after four seasons in Indy. If Muhammad does return, it would likely be as a role player once again.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (54) celebrates after sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. — © Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Rest of the Group

The Colts had three more defensive ends that all flashed at points during the season but failed to put together consistent production.

Kemoko Turay flashed his most productive season since his rookie year. Turay produced a career-high 5.5 sacks, along with five tackles for loss and eight QB hits. Turay was able to stay healthy most of the season, playing 13 games, but still was only used as a situational pass rusher. He will be a free agent this spring.

Tyquan Lewis was on his way to posting career highs as well before a knee injury in Week 8 ended his season. Lewis was battling with Muhammad for starter reps opposite of Paye and racked up 2.5 sacks, 14 tackles, six QB hits, and an interception in eight games. The fourth-year defensive end has only played one full season in his NFL career, leading to questions about his durability. Lewis will also be a free agent this year, and the Colts like him and his position versatility.

Dayo Odeyingbo was unable to join this group until the middle of the season due to a torn Achilles. The rookie was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft along with Paye but had to be brought along slowly because of his injury. While he saw action in 10 games, he only recorded six tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in limited snaps. The Colts used Odeyingbo’s rookie season more as a red-shirt year and hope to see more flashes after a full offseason of health.

Outlook for 2022

Looking at the defensive end group and their production from 2021, you can see why the Colts would be disappointed. From their top five players at this position, the group totaled 18.5 sacks. For reference, NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers racked up 22.5 sacks himself in 15 games.

The pass rush was one of the worst aspects of the Colts’ defense in 2021. General manager Chris Ballard specifically mentioned this group as needing to get better next season.

“On defense, we have to be able to rush the passer better,” Ballard admitted. “It’s a passing league. You’ve got to be able to affect the passer.”

As the Colts bring in Gus Bradley to be their new defensive coordinator for 2022 and beyond, this will open things up and create opportunities for production from the defensive ends. Bradley’s scheme deploys “LEO” and “Big End” spots, fitting what the Colts have at the edge position.

The LEO spot is a hybrid-defensive end position that allows the end to line up in various spots and techniques when rushing the passer. This will be Paye’s primary spot and one he should flourish in as he will be able to use his speed and burst to his full advantage. The LEO role could help Turay return in a reserve role to be used as a situational pass rusher.

The Big End spot is usually manned by a power rusher who needs to generate pressure on the quarterback while also being able to stop the run. The Colts would love for Odeyingbo to be able to step into this role in the base sets before moving inside on obvious passing downs. It could also be a role Lewis fits if the Colts bring him back on a short-term deal due to his injury history.

The Colts will certainly be looking outside the organization for pass rush help, as well. Indy opted to stick with their young, homegrown talent and let veterans Justin Houston and Denico Autry walk in free agency last year. The pass rush greatly struggled because of it.

The Colts know they need more firepower at defensive end. The team could use a veteran pass rusher to help the group step up and generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If the Colts do spend money in free agency, pass rush should be at the top of the list.

With a focus on improving the pass rush and the jump their second-year guys are expected to take, the Colts are hoping for a better season out of their defensive ends in 2022.

Have thoughts on the performance of the defensive ends from the Colts in 2021? Drop a line in the comments below and let us know what you think!

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Published Feb 25, 2022

ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.