GM Chris Ballard addressed the defensive end position fairly heavily this offseason for the Indianapolis Colts. However, a question remains — who will be starting opposite of Laiatu Latu?
This is a position group that’s experienced heavy turnover. Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam signed elsewhere, while Tyquan Lewis remains a free agent.
Ballard would sign Arden Key and Micheal Clemons in free agency, and then utilized two of his eight draft picks on the position, taking George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry. Also returning from last year’s team is JT Tuimoloau — a second-round pick.
So when it comes to determining who will start with Latu, what is defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo looking for?
“I think there’s always going to be rotation with the guys up front anyway,” Anarumo said. “I think that’s the nature of the beast these days. It has been with the D-line. Very few guys are playing 80-90% of the snaps. So, there’s going to be a healthy rotation. I’ll say this, JT’s had a heck of an offseason. All the things we’re doing now in the walkthroughs and the individual periods, you can see his gains from last season. So he’ll have certainly an opportunity to grab that role.
“Arden Key is a guy that’s been a veteran player, who’s been around and has done a heck of a job sacking the quarterback. So we’ve got some capable people for sure, and then adding the guys that we’ve had in the draft and free agency. So we’ll see, when you’re trying to figure out who might be considered your quote-unquote starter there.”
As Anarumo outlined, while there will be a starter on paper, several players will see regular snaps. That said, it sounds like it will be either Tuimoloau or Key who will earn that role, while Clemons — who can take on a role similar to what Lewis did — will fill a rotational role. As of now, it remains to be seen how many defensive snaps Gumbs and Curry will earn.
“I think anytime you’re talking about those type of players, the edge guys,” Anarumo added, “whether it be our base defense, where they’re kind of outside backer types, number one job is going to sack the quarterback and set the edge. Those two things.
“When we’re in the four down world, we’re in like nickel defense and things like that, same thing. You want to have some guys that can get off the ball, be edge setters in the run game, be physical, but ultimately you’ve got to be able to affect the quarterback. So the guys that I’ve mentioned all have those traits. We’ll see who kind of grabs it here as we go through the process through the spring and into training camp.”
More pass rush consistency around Latu this season is a must for the Colts. Although Ballard addressed this unit heavily, it remains to be seen how much this overall unit has improved.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: How will Colts determine who starts at DE with Laiatu Latu?
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
