Ebukam Injury Means More Pressure On Laitu Latu, Others

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The Indianapolis Colts received confirmation on some disheartening injury news on Monday, when it was announced that veteran defensive end Samson Ebukam had torn his Achilles tendon and would miss the entire 2024 NFL season.

It’s a devastating blow for Ebukam, and a big loss for the Colts defensive line. Ebukam had a solid season in his first year in Indy, notching 9.5 sacks and 57 total tackles. He was expected to be a part of a Colts rotation that set a new franchise record in sacks the previous year; now, that rotation will have to rely on players like Dayo Odeyingbo, Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, as well as rookie Laitu Latu.

For Latu, it’s an opportunity to take the reins earlier than maybe expected and show that the Colts may finally have a game-changing edge rusher. For players like Odeyingbo, Paye, and Lewis, it’s an opportunity to prove that they have more to their game; that they can take that next step or stay healthy.

Losing Ebukam hurts the Colts defensive line, but fortunately, the team has spent some time investing in the group. Now we get to see if it was worth it.

During the Monday edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Stephen Holder of ESPN. Stephen dove into what he has seen from Laitu Latu so far in training camp.

“He has been I think exactly what you thought he would be, which is a guy who really gets off the ball quickly and puts pressure on the offensive tackle. His speed is, that’s the calling card, I mean no one’s going into any games surprised by his speed, because you can see it on the tape, he has the ability to get off the ball that I don’t know if any other player on this team has a similar ability to that guy, and that’s saying something because this is a good defensive line…He also has a repertoire of moves, so he’s not a one-trick pony. If you stumped his speed rush, it’s not as if the play is over for this guy. He can counter that with some other moves, and he’s pretty effective with a couple of them. So, they love what they’re seeing so far.”

Check that conversation out and more down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!

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