Indianapolis Colts veteran leader had perfect quote on goals for 2024

Entering his ninth season in the NFL, Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has one thing on his mind.

Since coming over to the Colts via trade during the 2020 offseason, Buckner has only seen the playoffs one time. The team hasn't made it back to the postseason since his first campaign, which is why he knows exactly what his goal is for 2024.

When asked what Buckner is chasing for the upcoming campaign, Buckner gave the exact type of answer teams want from their most prominent leaders.

"I guess at this point, more and more legacy, I guess, you know, I mean, made a lot of money in my career. Yeah, really just know the playoffs, getting to the playoffs and having a shot at getting a ring," Buckner told reporters Wednesday. "I came so close once before. I mean, I feel like we have the guys in the room, the coaching staff. I feel like we have the team to do it."

Accolades and statistics are great. But having a mindset focused on wins is exactly what the Colts need from a leader like Buckner.

Buckner has been everything the Colts could have wanted when they traded the No. 13 overall pick for him ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The three-time captain of the Colts is arguably the biggest leader in the locker room. Not only has he made an impact on the field, but he's become one of the most respected players for the organization in recent memory.

Buckner has been as steady as they come anchoring the interior defensive line, and now the Colts have a chance to put together a dominant front in Gus Bradley's third season as defensive coordinator.

“We’ve got a strong unit. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of young guys in the backend. Some of those rookies got a lot of experience playing last year and starting last year. So you hope the game slows down for them, which I do see. They had some really good camps – mini-camp, OTAs and everything like that. Just got to continue that growth through training camp. Obviously, we’ve got some really great players at all three levels of the defense so we have some high expectations as a group.”

The Colts defense has some question marks but with Buckner remaining its biggest leader, there's always hope the unit will reach its ceiling.