Ebukam injury means more pressure on Laitu Latu and others

Source: Cooper Neill/Getty

The Indianapolis Colts received confirmation of some discouraging injury news on Monday when it was announced that veteran defensive end Samson Ebukam has torn his Achilles tendon and will miss the entire 2024 NFL season.

It’s a devastating blow for Ebukam and a huge loss for the Colts’ defensive line. Ebukam had a solid season in his first year in Indy, with 9.5 sacks and 57 total tackles. He was expected to be part of a Colts rotation that had set a franchise record for sacks the year before; now that rotation will have to rely on players like Dayo Odeyingbo, Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis and rookie Laitu Latu.

For Latu, it’s a chance to take the reins earlier than expected and show that the Colts finally have a game-changing edge rusher. For players like Odeyingbo, Paye and Lewis, it’s a chance to prove that they’re capable of more; that they can take that next step or stay healthy.

Losing Ebukam hurts the Colts defensive line, but thankfully the team invested some time into the group, and now we can see if it was worth it.

On Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke with ESPN’s Stephen Holder. Stephen dove into what he’s seen from Laitu Latu so far in training camp.

“He’s exactly what you think he would be, which is a guy that gets off the ball quickly and puts pressure on the offensive tackle. His speed is, that’s the calling card, I mean, nobody goes into a game and is surprised by his speed because you can see it on tape, he’s got an ability to get off the ball that I don’t know if any other player on this team has the ability to do, and that’s saying something because this is a good defensive line… He’s got a repertoire of moves too, so he’s not a one-trick pony. If you mess up his speed rush, it’s not like the game is over for this guy. He can counter that with a number of other moves, and he’s been pretty effective with a couple of them. So, they’re loving what they’re seeing so far.”

Check out that conversation and more below. Also tune in to The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm ET on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!