Bleacher Report Reveals New Colts' Issue with Injury-Riddled Roster

The Indianapolis Colts' roster has had a crazy start to 2024, and the experts see a new weakness.

Sep 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen walks on the sidelines during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts fought back to an even record against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, despite missing key players on both sides of the ball. As injuries continue to plague Chris Ballard's roster, analysts continue to find weaknesses in Indianapolis.

For the first few weeks of the new NFL season, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine saw Indy's secondary as the worst position group on the team. Now, after injuries have taken their toll, Ballentine thinks the Colts' defensive line has taken too many hits to play at a high level.

We're going to look at an emerging need this week with the edge-rusher group. Kwity Paye was out this week. DeForest Buckner isn't an edge, but he did help with the pass rush and he's on injured reserve. Laiatu Latu is emerging, but it would be good for the Colts to add at least one more defensive lineman to their roster.

- Alex Ballentine, B/R

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

On top of injuries to Kwity Paye and DeForest Buckner, the Colts are also missing out on Samson Ebukam for the year and recently announced that Tyquan Lewis will be placed on IR. Four separate injuries to key players means too much pressure is being put on the backups and rotational players to make an impact.

To help pad the team's depth, Ballentine suggested the Colts take a look at edge rusher Randy Gregory who last played for the San Francisco 49ers. A second-round pick in 2015, Gregory has tallied 22 sacks in his career. His best season came in 2021 with the Dallas Cowboys when he started 11 games and recorded six sacks.

Gregory was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster this summer, but failed to report for training camp. He originally was on a one-year deal worth $3 million, so the Colts could theoretically sign the veteran for cheap. If Paye is still injured in Week 5, the Colts will be starting rookie Laiatu Latu across from Dayo Odeyingbo. Some veteran depth could be useful, but from the outside, it looks unlikely the Colts bring anyone in.

The Indianapolis defensive line will face off against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.

---

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X; subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.