Latest news with #LaiatuLatu
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colts projected depth chart on defense before Week 2 preseason game
The Indianapolis Colts have released their second unofficial depth chart ahead of the team's Week 2 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. With any unofficial depth chart, especially during this time of the year, we need to take it with a grain of salt. So, although the Colts have their own depth chart that they just released, I'm going to put together my own for the defense based on preseason play and what we've heard from training camp practices. To see what the Colts' projected depth chart on offense looks like, you can find that here. Colts' defensive ends Kwity Paye Laiatu Latu Samson Ebukam JT Tuimoloau Tyquan Lewis Isaiah Land Durrell Nchami Desmond Little Marcus Haynes After Tuimoloau's preseason performance, I have him ahead of Lewis on the depth chart. If he keeps up that level of play, he could move into that third role. Either way, we will see plenty of Tuimoloau this season. Colts' defensive tackles DeForest Buckner Grover Stewart Neville Gallimore Adetomiwa Adebawore Eric Johnson Tim Smith Josh Tupou Devonta Davis Buckner, Stewart, and Gallimore are locked into the top three spots at this position. Based on play in the preseason opener, Adebawore gets that fourth rotational role, while Johnson and Smith will have to earn that fifth roster spot, which isn't a given at this position. Colts' linebackers Zaire Franklin Joe Bachie Jaylon Carlies Cameron McGrone Austin Ajiake Segun Olubi Jacob Phillips Solomon DeShields Bachie gets the nod as LB2 with him constantly making plays throughout training camp. With that said, it sounds like there will be a by-committee approach when it comes to playing time next to Zaire Franklin. If the Colts end up keeping five linebackers on the final roster, which is common around the NFL, Olubi may be on the outside looking in. Colts' cornerbacks Charvarius Ward Kenny Moore Jaylon Jones* JuJu Brents* Samuel Womack Alex Johnson Johnathan Edwards Chris Lammons Duke Shelley BJ Mayes Jones and Brents are listed as the third and fourth options but both have missed a lot of practice time this summer with hamstring injuries. So that starting spot opposite of Ward is up for grabs. I give Womack the advantage, given his experience, but Johnson and Edwards are in that mix as well. Colts' safeties Cam Bynum Nick Cross Hunter Wohler Rodney Thomas Daniel Scott Trey Washington Ladarius Tennison I put Wohler over Thomas, with him steadily making plays as of late. But the two fill different roles at the position, with Wohler being a box defender and Thomas more of a free safety. So deciding who sees more playing time in a given week will likely be dependent on what role Anarumo wants to fill. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts preseason: Projected depth chart on defense before Week 2
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
6 Indianapolis Colts defenders to watch during training camp
Training camp is almost here for the Indianapolis Colts. The rookies will report on July 21st, the veterans on July 22nd, and the first practice will take place on the 23rd. There are always numerous storylines to watch for as camp unfolds, many centered around positional battles. But for now, we will focus our attention on specific players. After highlighting one player at each of the offensive position groups to watch during Colts' training camp, let's now do the same on the defensive side of the football. Defensive end: Laiatu Latu The recipe for Latu to make a Year 2 leap certainly exists. He finished the 2024 season ranked 27th among defensive ends in PFF's pass rush win rate metric, and oftentimes, where there is consistency, the production will follow. He's also now playing in a defensive scheme under Lou Anarumo that should benefit the defensive front with its more aggressive approach and varying alignments. So with that said, you'd like to see signs from Latu over the next several weeks that a big jump this season is on the way. Defensive tackle: Tim Smith Smith is in a position as a sixth-round pick to carve out a role and help right away. The playing time at defensive tackle behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart is up for grabs this summer, and as a run-first defender who has experience playing across multiple gaps, Smith is a good fit for Anarumo's defense and can provide help where it is needed. Linebacker: Jaylon Carlies Carlies is the presumed starter next to Zaire Franklin, and while he impressed as a rookie, showing that he is a sound tackler while also limiting pass catchers to only 6.0 yards per reception, he's still inexperienced as well, with just 242 career snaps on defense. So with that inexperience comes unknowns. As a former college safety, his coverage experience will be valuable in Anarumo's defense. Carlies missed the on-field portion of offseason programs, still recovering from shoulder surgery. Cornerback: Justin Walley Walley grabbed the attention of his teammates and coaches with his play during OTAs and minicamp. He brings excellent speed to the cornerback position, is versatile, and had good ball production in college. He's tailor-made for Anarumo's aggressive and disguise-heavy defense in the secondary and will be competing for playing time opposite of Charvarius Ward. Safety: Rodney Thomas and Hunter Wohler We know Cam Bynum and Nick Cross will be starting at safety, but who will secure that third spot on the depth chart? During Anarumo's time in Cincinnati, he used three safeties on the field relatively often. So whoever earns that spot on the depth chart could play a role defensively this season. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts training camp: 6 players to watch on defense during practices
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Indianapolis Colts roster preview: DE Laiatu Latu
Let's take a closer look at this Indianapolis Colts team as we go player-by-player through the roster. Up next is DE Laiatu Latu. With offseason programs now behind us, we will be getting a jump start on our training camp preview by going player-by-player through the Indianapolis Colts' 91-man roster. Going alphabetically up next is defensive end Laiatu Latu. Laiatu Latu's profile 2024 Snap count totals 2024 PFF grades 2024 Season Review The bulk of Latu's snaps during his rookie season came during passing situations. However, as a run defender, we saw him improve in that phase of the game as the year went on. Pass rush-wise, Latu finished the season with 38 pressures and four sacks. On the Colts specifically, Latu finished second in pressures and third in sacks. Compared to his position group league-wide, Latu was 47th in pressures during the regular season, and he was 73rd in PFF's pass rush productivity, which is a pass rush efficiency metric. "This year, I really want to shave off those milliseconds of where I'm getting to the QB because I felt that," Latu said earlier this offseason, via Locked on Colts. "Like a lot of times, my head and my hands I was right there. So really just shaving off those milliseconds and knowing when I can fall back inside, and when they're working off power. So there's a lot of stuff I've been getting better at." Looking ahead to the 2025 season A jump from Latu in his second NFL season will be a near-must for the Colts' defense. With Dayo Odeyingbo now in Chicago, that is a lot of production that has to be replaced, and while doing that will be a group effort, Latu's growth is likely a key part of that equation internally. On paper, the numbers mentioned above from Latu's rookie season won't jump off the page, but one reason Latu can make that Year 2 leap is that he did win consistently last season. By PFF's pass rush win rate metric, Latu ranked 27th among defensive ends, and oftentimes, when a player wins his matchups regularly, the production will follow. Also helping Latu and the rest of the Colts' defensive front should be the addition of Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator. Anarumo's more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme can hopefully provide the pass rush with additional time to get home, something they didn't have a lot of last season, with quarterbacks often using the quick passing game against the Colts' secondary. "He does it the right way," Shane Steichen said of Latu via the team site at the NFL annual meeting. "The way he works, his work ethic is tremendous. I think you'll see a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2. I think he had four (sacks) his rookie year, if we can get into double digits in Year 2, that'd be tremendous."
USA Today
20-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts position review after minicamp: Laiatu Latu and the defensive ends
With offseason programs now behind us, let's take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Indianapolis Colts. Next up are the defensive ends. With offseason programs now behind us, let's take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Indianapolis Colts. Next up are the defensive ends. If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below. A Year 2 leap incoming for Laiatu Latu? A big part of the equation when it comes to the Colts generating more pressure on the quarterback this season is Laiatu Latu making that Year 2 leap that so many successful NFL players have made. On the surface, Latu's production from his rookie season isn't going to leap off the page. His 38 pressures--which were the second-most on the Colts--ranked 50th compared to the rest of the defensive ends around the NFL. However, perhaps a more accurate portrayal of what's to come for Latu is that he ranked 27th in PFF's pass rush win rate metric. When there is consistency from a player when it comes to winning their one-on-one matchups, oftentimes the production will follow. For Latu, a point of emphasis for him this offseason is on shaving off those "milliseconds" as a pass rusher, which will lead to more pressures and sacks. "This year, I really want to shave off those milliseconds of where I'm getting to the QB because I felt that," Latu said on Tuesday, via Locked on Colts. "Like a lot of times, my head and my hands I was right there. So really just shaving off those milliseconds and knowing when I can fall back inside, and when they're working off power. So there's a lot of stuff I've been getting better at." The Colts' defensive ends could really benefit from this new defense Helping Latu and the rest of the Colts' defensive front generate more pressure and sacks this season will be Lou Anarumo's defensive scheme. Last season, the Indianapolis defense ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in both pressures and sacks. However, making things quite difficult on the Colts' defensive line was that the secondary was often picked apart in the quick game by opposing quarterbacks. This made getting home consistently much more difficult because of how quickly the ball was out of the quarterback's hands. With Anarumo's more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme, those quick game outlets shouldn't be as readily available, and the variety of looks that the secondary shows can help keep quarterbacks off balance, allowing the front time to create pressure. We should see more movement up front as well, which can help create more advantageous matchups to exploit. JT Tuimoloau brings an all-around skill set to the Colts' defensive end position During his last season at Ohio State, Tuimoloau was a three-down presence on the Buckeyes' defense, able to make an impact in both the running and passing games. Among all defensive ends during the 2024 season, Tuimolau ranked 14th in total pressures, and he was sixth in PFF's run defense grade. Tuimoloau has been compared to former Bengals' defensive end Sam Hubbard, who put together some very productive seasons under Anarumo. "I'm an all-around player," Tuimoloau said during rookie minicamp. "Big credit to coach (Jim) Knowles, he came in and challenged us to drop, to be man-on-man on certain plays, to stick to redirect, all the above. That was just a way to showcase who I was as a player. I feel like there wasn't nothing I was limited in doing. He trusted me with everything." Along with his ability to impact the run and passing games, Tuimoloau adds some versatility as well, and can line up inside during obvious passing situations if needed. That ability to play from multiple gaps is an important element in Anarumo's defense. What Tuimoloau's workload will look like early on in Year 1 remains to be seen. But he could provide help at defensive end on early, more run-centric downs, and then potentially move inside at times to rush the passer on long down-and-distance situations. What can we expect from Samson Ebukam as he returns from injury? An Achilles injury sidelined Ebukam for all of the 2024 season. In 2023 with the Colts, Ebukam tallied 48 pressures, according to PFF, and 9.5 sacks, which led the team. As GM Chris Ballard described, his presence was very much missed last season. "We missed his physicality," Ballard said earlier this offseason. "Undeniably, we missed what Samson brought a year ago." However, when it comes to Achilles injuries, not only does it take time to return to the field, but even when players are fully back, it takes some additional time to then return to their previous form. And for Ebukam, he is now 30 years old, which only adds to the unknown around what to expect this season. "It's a concern, absolutely," Ballard said of Ebukam coming off the Achilles' injury, "But when you know who the kid is and what he stands for and the effort he puts into everything, I'm willing to make that bet." How does the Colts' defensive end rotation shake out? I think right now, we can safely say that Latu and Kwity will be at the top of this defensive end rotation. But at a position that is heavily rotated with four or sometimes even five players seeing regular snaps, how things shake out behind them, in terms of playing time, remains to be seen. While Tuimoloau has shown in college that he can play all three downs, does he start out with that type of workload in the early going of his rookie season? As mentioned, we don't necessarily know what to expect from Ebukam as he returns from injury, and the Colts also have Tyquan Lewis, along with Isaiah Land, still on the roster--and numbers-wise, one of them might end up being left off.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts' DE Laiatu Latu on where he wants to improve in Year 2
Indianapolis Colts' DE Laiatu Latu on where he wants to improve in Year 2 On Day 1 of minicamp, Colts' DE Laiatu Latu described where he wants to improve in his second NFL season. A point of emphasis for Indianapolis Colts' defensive end Laiatu Latu as he heads into his second NFL season is shaving off those "milliseconds" as a pass rusher, which will lead to more pressures and sacks. "This year, I really want to shave off those milliseconds of where I'm getting to the QB because I felt that," Latu said on Tuesday, via Locked on Colts. "Like a lot of times, my head and my hands I was right there. So really just shaving off those milliseconds and knowing when I can fall back inside, and when they're working off power. So there's a lot of stuff I've been getting better at." Latu's production as a rookie isn't going to leap off the stat sheet. He posted 38 pressures and four sacks. On the Colts' defense, those 38 pressures were the second-most, but league-wide, he ranked 50th in that category. However, perhaps a more accurate depiction of what's to come was Latu's ability to win his one-on-one matchups against whoever was blocking him. By PFF's pass rush win rate metric, Latu ranked 27th among all defensive ends. Oftentimes, where there is consistency in the ability to beat your blocker, the production will eventually follow. Also providing Latu and the entire Colts' defensive front a boost should be the new defensive scheme under Lou Anarumo. This is going to be a more aggressive system that includes more movement up front to create advantageous matchups. But in addition to that, this is going to be a disguise-heavy defense on the back end. This can muddy things up for the quarterback, which can lead to hesitation and additional time for the front to get home. Last season, the Colts' secondary was often picked apart by the quick passing game, which made it difficult for the defensive front to generate regular pressure because the ball was out of the quarterback's hands so quickly.
