Film Room: Does Byron Cowart Have a Shot to Make the Colts?
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The Indianapolis Colts made a roster move this past Saturday, claiming New England Patriots' defensive tackle Byron Cowart off of waivers. Cowart, 26, appeared in 19 games for the Patriots from 2019 to 2020.
In today's film room, I dive into Cowart's background and break down why he has a decent shot to make the Colts' initial 53-man roster at the end of August.
Background
Byron Cowart was formerly the top high school recruit in the country all the way back in 2015. He initially decided to attend Auburn, and he appeared in 14 games over three seasons with the team. He ultimately opted to leave Auburn in 2017, and he spent a majority of the season at the JUCO level.
After his year at JUCO, Cowart chose to close out his final year of college at Maryland. He had a strong year with the Terrapins, finishing the year with five sacks and an invite to the Reese's Senior Bowl. He was also invited to the NFL Combine, where he put up a modest 5.16 forty yard dash and 26 reps on the bench press.
Following his strong offseason, Cowart was selected with the 159th pick of the 2019 draft by the Patriots. He went on to appear in 19 games from 2019-2020 and he was a notable contributor for the team in his sophomore campaign. He totaled 27 tackles, three tackles for a loss, two quarterback hits, and one sack in 2020 for the Patriots.
Strangely, Cowart began the 2021 offseason on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list for undisclosed reasons. He was never activated off of that list, and he ended up not playing a single snap for the team in 2021. He was waived from the team this past weekend, where the Colts were able to scoop up the once highly touted defensive tackle.
Solid Run Defender
The main calling card in Cowart's game has always been his ability to defend the run. He isn't elite in this area by any means, but he is a sturdy and strong player that can withstand double teams at the point of attack.
This clip below is a good example from 2020. He is aligned as a 2-Tech over top of the left guard to start the play. He senses the double team coming off of the snap and gains excellent leverage at the point of attack. He holds his ground and is able to make a nice tackle on the play for a short gain.
Cowart's path to making the Colts' roster is going to be as a rotational player for Grover Stewart's interior role. If he can consistently show this type of ability in camp, he certainly has a strong chance of sticking on the roster come cutdowns.
Some Juice as a Pass Rusher
While Cowart doesn't have the same type of juice as 2021 preseason darling Andrew Brown, he is a fairly nimble athlete on the interior. He wasn't asked to pass rush a ton with the Patriots, but he showed some ability in his limited experience with the team.
These clips below are some of his better rush snaps from 2020. He has an impressive swim move and he has shown the ability to be slippery on the interior when maneuvering by blockers. While his main path to the roster will be run defense, it never hurts to excel in the pass rush department as a defensive lineman.
Does He Have a Chance?
With how the Colts' depth chart at defensive tackle is looking right now, Byron Cowart will have ample opportunity to seize a spot on the 53-man roster. At the moment, his only competition is rookie Eric Johnson (who is on the NFI list), Chris Williams, and R.J McIntosh for snaps behind Grover Stewart.
I'm not saying that it is guaranteed that Cowart beats out that group, but he certainly will have his chances. Overall, I liked what I saw from Cowart on film and his versatility is certainly intriguing. It would not shock me one bit to see him make the Colts' initial 53-man roster after cutdowns in August.
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