The Indianapolis Colts are off to a great start, and maybe better than expected. The Miami Dolphins were weak, but many expected the Denver Broncos to be a playoff team. Few would have thought an Indy team led by quarterback Daniel Jones would have beaten Denver.
But while there is rightfully lots of happiness surrounding the Indy team currently, especially as the team should be 3-0 after Week 3 after playing a not-good Tennessee Titans squad, there is some harsh reality as well. The defense overall could be better. Kwity Paye, specifically, could be better, too.
He is set to be a free agent next offseason after the Colts picked up his fifth-year option for 2025. The question is whether he is a good fit in new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's system. That system has never proven to be overly successful.
Indianapolis Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye is performing badly at the worst possible time
Through two games, Paye has zero quarterback pressures, has whiffed on one of his three tackle attempts (while playing 68 snaps), and has one run stuff. He hasn't simply been underperforming compared to his previous seasons; he has been bad compared to the rest of the league.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Paye ranks 104th among edge rushers. Don't fret specifically about him, though. None of the Colts' edge rushers in Anarumo's system who have reached a credible amount of snaps rank inside the top 100. That's the scary part.
If Kwity Paye continues to produce badly, the question might become, is it the fault or the design of the defense, as none of the edge rushers are doing much. And Indy fans know that Paye is capable of excellence. Still, assuming Lou Anarumo is wrongfully kept around at Indianapolis's DC, we can also assume Paye will not produce at previous levels.
That makes whether to keep him around after 2025 a difficult question. He could go somewhere and perform exceedingly well based on the system he is in. If Anarumo is forced to leave after a couple of underperforming seasons but Paye continues to be good, that would be a huge loss for the Indianapolis Colts.
Ultimately, maybe the defensive players for Indy are simply still trying to get used to a new scheme, and by Week 6, all will be right with the world. Or not, and the offense will overperform and the team will fall short of a playoff run because of unexpected defensive inefficiency.