Indianapolis Colts Defensive Positional Depth Chart Preview

The Indianapolis Colts’ defense was the highlight of the 2022 season and will look to bring back that efficiency with a healthy superstar and multiple new players.

Coming off of a less-than-ideal season, the Indianapolis Colts boasted a defense that played consistently like a top-10 group in the NFL. Now, they’ll look to get back to those ranks without cornerback Stephon Gilmore (now with the Dallas Cowboys) or defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (currently a free agent).

However, the Colts brought in six new defensive players in the 2023 NFL draft, and multiple are likely to get either moderate or heavy starting snaps. With the defense lined up for the Colts, let’s take a look at the depth chart for Gus Bradley’s stop troops in Indianapolis. As with the offensive group, the starters will be marked with an asterisk (*).

We’ll kick things off with the defensive edge.

Defensive End: *Kwity Paye, *Samson Ebukam, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Titus Leo (Rookie), Khalid Kareem, Genard Avery

© Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

With potentially underrated starters and depth, the edge rushers for the Colts could be a big deal in 2023. For the ends group, there will be four notable names broken down.

Kwity Paye was taken in high regard by the Colts, being drafted 21st overall in the 2021 NFL draft by Indy. He started the campaign with more of a depth role, snagging 32 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. However, he was turned to as the lead pass rusher in 2022.

He’ll look to stay healthy and climb the ranks even more in 2023.

For Samson Ebukam, Indy signed him to a three-year, $27 million contract, and it was initially thought he’d be a big-time rotational piece, as Ebukam has played that for his six seasons in the league. But, as the offseason has rolled out, it feels like he’s more of the starter opposite Paye.

Along with Paye in 2021, Dayo Odeyingbo was taken in the next round (54th overall) by Indianapolis. What would set Odeyingbo back would be an Achilles injury that would limit him to only 6 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a lone QB hit for his rookie campaign. Odeyingbo would have a true showing in 2022, with career highs easily obtained. He’d notch 31 tackles, 5.0 sacks, and an impressive 11 QB hits.

Then there’s the veteran of this group, Tyquan Lewis. He will look at 100% health as his biggest goal for 2023. Coming off of back-to-back season-ending injuries, it looked like the Colts wouldn’t bring him back. Instead, the franchise trusted Lewis, bringing him back with a one-year, $3 million contract.

Defensive Tackle: *DeForest Buckner, *Grover Stewart, Taven Bryan, Adetomiwa Adebawore (Rookie), Eric Johnson, McTelvin Agim, Jamal Woods (Rookie), Caleb Sampson (Rookie)

Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The interior defensive front for Indianapolis is one of the best from a starting perspective, but also showcases good depth behind the stars. For this entry, three more players will be detailed.

A defender who doesn’t need an introduction, DeForest Buckner has been one of the best DTs for several years at this point. With multiple Pro Bowls and All-Pros in his trophy case in just seven seasons, Buckner has established himself as a force for Indianapolis.

The counterpart to Buckner is Grover Stewart. Stewart is entering year seven in a Colts uniform and has never looked better. In 2022 he erupted for career highs in tackles (70), sacks (4.0), QB hits (7), passes defended (3), and tackles for loss (9). Some believed he deserved a Pro Bowl, but he missed that opportunity due to such a sloppy season from the team as a whole.

Then there’s Adetomiwa Adebawore, who was drafted out of the fourth round in 2023 by the Colts. Adebawore is one of the most athletically gifted defensive tackles in recent memory. He not only snagged a 9.72 RAS score but posted a ridiculous 4.49 40-yard dash. This is merely 0.06 seconds slower than new Colts QB Anthony Richardson (4.43).

Linebacker: *Shaquille Leonard, *Zaire Franklin, *E.J. Speed, JoJo Domann, Cameron McGrone, Grant Stuard, Liam Anderson (Rookie), Segun Olubi, Donavan Mutin (Rookie)

Mandatory Credit: Max Gersh/IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports

With a superstar player preparing for a big return, this corps for the Colts’ defense could be a sleeper to make a huge impact if everything falls into line. With so many names in the linebacker room, the notable three starters will be covered.

Like Buckner before, Shaquille Leonard doesn’t need much of an introduction. Through five years in the league, he’s racked up four All-Pros, three Pro Bowls, and 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, an award list many can’t fathom in their first five years.

Putting into perspective that he barely played in 2022 due to a nerve injury and it’s even more incredible. Simply put, if Leonard can get back on the field and feel better from his recovery, this is a completely different corps than without him.

Filling in for the aforementioned Leonard, Zaire Franklin performed for the record books in 2022. He would light the Colts franchise ablaze, resetting Leonard’s previous team record for tackles (163) with 167. He would also have 6 passes defended, 3.0 sacks, 6 QB hits, and 12 tackles for loss.

Lastly, there’s E.J. Speed. The Colts trusted the potential of Speed by handing him a solid two-year, $8 million contract in 2023. Speed would play well in 2022, grabbing 63 tackles with 7 tackles for loss and 2 fumbles forced. He was also one of the best-run defenders from the linebacker position.

Cornerback: *Kenny Moore II, *JuJu Brents (Rookie), *Dallis Flowers, Darius Rush (Rookie), Jaylon Jones (Rookie), Tony Brown, Kevin Toliver II, Cole Coleman (Rookie), Darrel Baker Jr.

Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

After the departure of Isaiah Rodgers Sr., the Colts' cornerback back group will be young and raw but ready to show the league they shouldn’t be overlooked simply due to age. There will be a brief breakdown of five of the cornerbacks.

More of the slot corner, Kenny Moore II has spent his entire career in a Colts uniform. After there were trade rumors galore for Moore to be shipped out, those were squashed by the Colts’ front office.

Moore’s 2022 season was a down one (as was for many of Indy’s players), but he’s only two seasons removed from a Pro Bowl performance that showed him snag 4 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and an impressive 102 tackles.

The Indiana native JuJu Brents was taken out of Kansas State in the second round (44th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. He was assumed to start, but especially now that Rodgers isn’t on the roster. Brents isn’t the quickest of cornerbacks, but his long frame and phenomenal athleticism fit Gus Bradley’s zone scheme perfectly. While there will undoubtedly be growing pains, the Colts’ brass is high on what Brents can do for the defense.

Dallis Flowers was one of the best at returning kick returns in the NFL last season. What he didn’t get much of a chance to show was his talents at cornerback. During a short sampling of live snaps, he would struggle with coverage at times but made it well known that his potential could be there with more reps at defensive back.

Then, there’s Darius Rush. Considered to be one of the biggest draft steals, Rush fell to the fifth round, where the Colts were more than happy to bring him onto the squad. With Rush already impressing the Colts coaching staff during OTAs and rookie minicamp, it looks like he will have a serious chance to push for the CB3 role.

Lastly is Jaylon Jones. Similar to Rush before him, Texas A&M’s Jones fell to the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft, where the Colts swooped him up. While an Aggie, Jones wasn’t able to provide a massive quantity of tape to reference. This wasn’t due to anything bad, but rather, because QBs simply didn’t throw to receivers he was covering. A staggering statistic is that he only allowed 94 receiving yards in 2022, which was the fewest among all cornerbacks in the NCAA.

Safety: *Julian Blackmon (Strong), *Rodney Thomas II (Free), Nick Cross, Trevor Denbow, Henry Black, Marcel Dabo, Michael Tutsie (Rookie), Aaron Maddox (Rookie), Daniel Scott (Rookie, Injured Reserve)

© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

An intriguing bunch occupies the safety positions for the Colts. With young talent both starting and providing depth, there will be three primary entries.

It’s hard to believe that Julian Blackmon is only 24 years old and has been in the league for three seasons. This could be due to his 2021 season being cut short due to an injury where he’d see only six games of action.

Bouncing back in 2022 was a big deal for Blackmon, as he notched 50 tackles (career high), played efficient defense, and was able to start gaining momentum as he found his footing on defense again.

One name that nobody thought would make the impact he did was Rodney Thomas II. Selected in the seventh round (239th overall) out of Yale in the 2022 NFL draft, Thomas was a guy some thought of as “might make the roster” or “could be a decent depth piece at best.” What ensued was a player that led the team in interceptions (4), had 6 passes defended, and threw in 10 games started.

Last on the list is Nick Cross. The Colts have high hopes for the youngster out of Maryland. Taken out of the third round in the 2022 NFL draft, Cross was thought of as a player who was special. Special enough to start day one.

Well, he proved that it potentially was too early, as after just two games, he was pulled due to letting up big plays. Cross is still a raw 21 years old, and the Colts know what to fully expect this time around. If there was a time for Cross to begin showcasing his potential, it’s the year after he was removed from the starting lineup. 

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