Colts: DeForest Buckner’s dominant 2020 is even more impressive after injury revelation
By Jerry Trotta
Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard received a ton of backlash after he gave up a first-round pick to acquire DeForest Buckner from San Francisco during the 2020 offseason.
That sounds crazy in hindsight, because Buckner has morphed into a defensive cornerstone for the Colts, all the while establishing himself as one of the very best players at his defensive tackle position.
Buckner could simply do no wrong in his debut season for the Colts, as he racked up 9.5 sacks, 26 QB hits, 31 pressures and two forced fumbles over 15 games en route to being name a first-team All-Pro for the second time in his career.
Ballard was clearly aware of Buckner’s potential, but surely the fifth-year GM didn’t set his expectations that high for the former No. 7 overall pick.
If you can believe it, Buckner’s incredible 2020 looks even more impressive after he spoke to reporters on Wednesday. During the session, Buckner revealed he broke a joint in his right hand before Week 1 last season.
He played through the injury for the entire year.
Wow: DeForest Buckner broke the 4th MCP joint in his right hand before the opener last year, played through it all season and earned 1st-team All-Pro. "Wasn't able to grab all year," he said. "Didn't have full strength. As a D-linemen, you need your hands. Those are your weapons"
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 8, 2021
Colts star DeForest Buckner played with a broken joint in his right hand for the entirety of last season.
Excuse us? Buckner was one of the most fearsome disruptors in the NFL last season and he did it while playing with what amounts to a broken hand? It’s difficult to put into words how impressive that is.
As he admitted during the interview, Buckner could barely grip anything. The 27-year-old might as well have been playing with a club. And to think he battled through an ankle injury for a couple weeks down the stretch of the regular season! What a warrior the Colts have on their hands.
It’s really no wonder Indianapolis’ defense was as good as it was. When you have leaders like Buckner setting the tone by playing through multiple injuries, there’s clearly a trickle down effect that inspires the entire unit to perform.
If Buckner was as productive as he was playing through injuries, there’s no reason to think the Defensive Player of the Year award is out of his reach. After all, that’s the bar the sixth-year pro is setting for himself in 2021.
Chris Ballard mentioned last week Buckner has Defensive Player of the Year potential. DeFo didn't shy away from that today.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 8, 2021
"I think about that all the time. It's one of my personal goals. I definitely think I have the potential to attain that goal."
If you want more details into Buckner’s impact last season, his 9.5 sacks led the Colts and his 26 QB hits tied Aaron Donald, the reigning DPOY, for sixth in the NFL. Want to know what’s more impressive than both of those nuggets, though? Buckner finished sixth on Indy with 58 tackles. That’s unheard of for an interior DL.
We know Buckner doesn’t need much winning over from Colts fans, but there’s no doubt the fan base will hold him in a higher regard (if that’s even possible) after learning that he played all of 2020 with a serious injury.
