Here's Why Colts' Defensive Front is Underrated

Led by a pair of stud tackles, the Indianapolis Colts defensive line can be a determining factor in wins and losses.

For the Indianapolis Colts, everything starts up front, on both sides of the football.

Their roster has been built with the belief that you start from the inside, out, as the game is won and lost in the trenches.

The past few days, we've highlighted the performances of the Colts defense throughout the first 10 games of the 2022 season. Starting with the secondary, then the linebackers, and now, the defensive front that holds so much value.

The Colts are jeweled with two of the most tenacious and reliable blocks of force in Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner. These two have consistently proven they will take a lot of the opposing offensive line’s attention. For 2022, we have seen similar performances. However, the surrounding cast should be highlighted, as well.

To make that happen, let’s get into the thick of some of the biggest presences for the Colts' defensive attack. To start, we’ll go with the prolific Buckner.

DeForest Buckner | 3-Tech Tackle

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Buckner was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 from the University of Oregon. He immediately made an impact, with 6.0 sacks and 73 total tackles, which is insane for a defensive tackle. However, in 2020, he became a Colt and, just as in San Francisco, made an immediate impression by tallying up 9.5 sacks (second-most in his career) and 26 QB hits (a career-high).

Since then, he’s been the staple and captain of the Colts’ defense. This year, Buckner is the middle-of-the-road as far as sacks are concerned (5.5), but has 43 total tackles through only 10 games, proving his presence is still felt. He also has 14 total QB hits, which, on pace, would put him to accumulate his career high of 24. It also needs to be mentioned he is a true run-stuffer and forces offenses to bounce runs to the outside.

There isn’t just Buckner, there is also a player who has become the true best defensive player for the Colts in 2022. That is Stewart. Let’s discuss him.

Grover Stewart | 1-Tech Tackle

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Stewart is a veteran of the Colts front, now in his sixth season in the Horseshoe. He came out of Albany State in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and was implemented into sets for the defensive front. Playing 15 games, he was still able to snag 23 tackles while not starting a single game.

Speed up to 2022 and you have one of the most disruptive presences in the NFL on the front of any defense. The stat that illuminates the most for Stewart is his capacity for volume tackling. Currently, he is third on the Colts in total tackles at 52, only trailing linebackers Bobby Okereke (86) and team-leader Zaire Franklin (97). We will very likely continue to see this production from Stewart, who is at his absolute prime thus far in his young career.

Kwity Paye | Strong/Big End

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Along with Stewart, now on the outside, is #53, Kwity Paye. Paye was a first-round selection in 2021 for the Colts, coming from the University of Michigan. From his rookie year, some felt like he didn’t warrant that illustrious first-round slot.

During 2021, he played 15 games with a total of 4.0 sacks and 32 total tackles with 10 QB hits. However, for 2022, he's been a true problem for right tackles through seven games before falling to injury. Through those contests, he compiled 4.0 sacks (his entire 2021 campaign in less than one-quarter of the games), 24 total tackles, and 6 tackles for loss (doubling his entire 2021 campaign).

In short, he improved. Without Paye, the Colts have truly missed his presence, not putting together the same pressure they were able to create. Since we discussed Paye, we should mention the other end, Yannick Ngakoue.

Yannick Ngakoue | LEO

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Ngakoue is another veteran of the league, currently in the middle of his seventh season. Ngakoue was a part of the dreaded “Sacksonville” defense with the Jacksonville Jaguars that nearly catapulted current Colts defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.

In 2017, Ngakoue was a terror for that very defense, securing 12.0 sacks and leading the NFL in fumbles forced with 6. Every year since, he has consistently been great, putting up at least 8.0 sacks from 2018-2020. Even as recent as last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, getting 10.0 sacks with 23 QB hits.

He has quietly maintained that consistently in 2022 with 5.0 sacks through 10 games, which would put him on pace for 8.5 sacks. He’s also placed 11 hits on opposing quarterbacks.

Ngakoue may not average a sack per game, but he’s maintaining his consistent play week in and week out. While the Colts would like to see more pressure from Ngakoue, he’s still playing well enough to be an integral piece to the pass rush.

To round out the front, we’ll discuss a couple of players who are in relief but still provide a much-needed fill for a defense that is starved for QB pressure. We’ll transition to Tyquan Lewis.

Tyquan Lewis | Fifth Man

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Lewis was drafted in 2018 out of Ohio State University and was usually subbed in with packages and for relief to the starting edge rushers. Throughout, Lewis has stayed steady with the Colts as a very reliable plug-and-play piece for the front, often supplying much-needed support in the running game and pass rush.

However, Lewis has also had off-and-on issues with injuries, even spilling into 2022 with a torn patellar tendon. Unfortunately, it ended his 2022 campaign prematurely while sitting at 14 total tackles and a single sack through seven games. To round out the group, we will touch on Dayo Odeyingbo, the second-year lineman out of Vanderbilt.

Dayo Odeyingbo | Depth Lineman

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Drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, there were high hopes for Odeyingbo to accompany fellow Colt, first-rounder Paye, on the pass rush. However, the latter has shown his potential, while the former is still trying to get there.

Many have seen Odeyingbo as getting his start “slow” in the NFL. Currently, in his second year, he’s played 20 total games and put together 16 tackles and 2.0 total sacks. He has provided 7 QB hits, but the Colts were hoping they’d have a more developed presence.

We will have to see how the new Jeff Saturday-led regime will impress upon Odeyingbo and if it will help him develop quicker than under former head coach Frank Reich.

Bottom Line

[Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]

It’s so important in today’s NFL to get to the passer, to stuff the run where it starts, and to force your opponent to be uncomfortable. That all happens with the defensive front.

Even though the Colts' defense has been top-notch as a whole, the pass rush has been lacking and it has shown in games how long quarterbacks have to sit back, analyze, and throw. They currently rank tied for 14th in the NFL with 25 sacks, and Pro Football Focus ranks them as 28th in pass rush.

With Stewart and Buckner on the front, it will always give Indianapolis a fair fight in any situation, against any offense. Will the edge rushers make up for it? We will see on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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