Colts Edge Samson Ebukam will miss the season after suffering a torn Achilles' tendon in Sunday's practice. Ebukam left the field on a cart. The team announced the diagnosis Monday. Ebukam had been slated to start on the right side again, opposite Kwity Paye.
SI.com Colts writer Jake Arthur: "The plan now for the Colts will likely be to speed up their plan for rookie first-round pick Laiatu Latu, whom they selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as the first defensive player off the board. Along with Latu, expect to see more of Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis."
The good news for the Colts is that this injury strikes a deep position for them, as evidenced by the names above.
Odeyingbo was a second-round pick in 2021 and has increased his playing time every season, from 26.5% (over 10 games) as a rookie to 45.5% and then 53.1%. Last year's rate put him close to Ebukam (59.9%).
Lewis has been with the Colts since 2018 and played a primary role across 2021-22. But that shrank dramatically last season.
Ebukam would have been heading into his age-29 season and coming off easily the best production of his seven-year career. His 9.5 sacks led the team and marked the first time he posted more than 5 in a season.
Ebukam looks droppable in most dynasty IDP formats.
He'll be 30 next time he takes the field -- and trying to rebound from an Achilles' tear. The vet's signed through 2025, but Spotrac has him at an $11 million cap hit vs. just $3 million in dead cap if Indy cuts him.
That sure makes a release seem likely.
Aside from Ebukam, this injury does figure to accelerate Latu's opportunity. We'll have to see whether/how much the Colts want to do that, though -- vs. any concern for overloading the rookie.
Odeyingbo might be the biggest winner here. As I said above, he already checked in near Ebukam (and Paye) in playing time last season.
Even if Latu passes him right away in snap distribution, Odeyingbo should at least be in for a role similar to last year's.
Latu probably qualifies as a winner here as well, though I'd have bet even a healthy Ebukam wouldn't have stopped the rookie's advancement if/when he proved ready for a big role.
You can check our DL rankings for the big impact of this injury. Expect Paye to rise, Odeyingbo to rise significantly, and Tyquan Lewis to appear.
Of course, you Draft War Room -- with your specific league settings -- will give you the best picture of the adjusted player values in your league.
Ebukam obviously won't play until at least the start of the 2025 season. We'll see whether a team is willing to bet on the 30-year-old at that point.
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