Colts: Assessing every defensive position group for 2020
Colts Defensive Line Group Outlook
2019 DL Group
DE: Justin Houston
DE: Jabaal Sheard
DE: Al-Quadin Muhammad
DE: Tyquan Lewis
DT: Denico Autry
DT: Grover Stewart
2020 DL Group
DE: Justin Houston
DE: Tyquan Lewis
DE: Al-Quadin Muhammad
DT: DeForest Buckner
DT: Sheldon Day
DT: Denico Autry
The defensive line had an up-and-down 2019 season. While they did play well against the run throughout the entire season, the unit struggled to get to the quarterback in the second half of the season. Most of the blame for the team’s struggles fell on QB Jacoby Brissett’s head, however, it needs to be noted that the defense was just as ineffective as the QB was down the stretch.
Take Justin Houston for example. He served as the team’s best defensive lineman and the only one on the line to both play and start in all 16 games. After registering 8 sacks in the first 11 weeks (including a streak of seven sacks in six games from Week 5 to Week 11. He finished the final six weeks with only three sacks.
The same goes for Jabaal Sheard, who, after returning from injury in Week 4, only registered 4.5 sacks in his 13 games despite playing in 55 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Other than Houston’s 11 sacks, no other defensive player on the roster totaled more than 5 sacks and outside of Sheard, no defensive lineman broke the 3-sack mark.
The line is going to be the X-factor for defensive success in 2020. The linebacker core is expected to do well, as they have done for the last two years, and the secondary has both new pieces and young talent to develop before it focuses purely on success.
The team gained a huge piece for that success this offseason: All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner. He was one of the key components of the 49ers’ success last year. Totaling 7.5 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries (1 TD), 62 total tackles, 9 TFL, and 14 QB hits, Buckner was a force to be reckoned with. He’ll be the new centerpiece for the Colts’ defensive front moving forward.
With Buckner likely to take up most of the attention against opposing offensive lineman, Houston will have much more freedom to get to the QB. He’s still going to be very effective and should total at least 10 sacks again next year if he stays healthy.
The development of Tyquan Lewis and Denico Autry into serviceable starting lineman will be another key for 2020. While they both played adequately last year, they’ll be large parts of the group in the future if they stick around.
The verdict: Improvement