DeForest Buckner’s Importance to Indianapolis Colts Defense Can’t be Overstated
INDIANAPOLIS — A bold trade in March could define the Indianapolis Colts defense in 2020.
That’s how important All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has become before the fifth-year pro plays his first snap for a new team. The Colts sent their 2020 first-round draft choice to San Francisco to get Buckner, a disruptive three-technique tackle who penetrates gaps as an excellent pass rusher and reliable run stopper.
The Colts gave Buckner a four-year, $84-million extension, making him the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle, behind Aaron Donald. Colts general manager Chris Ballard, not one to part with draft picks nor give such lucrative extensions, called the trade “a no-brainer.”
All-Pro weakside linebacker Darius Leonard has been the Colts’ best defensive playmaker with 244 total tackles, 12 sacks, seven interceptions, and six forced fumbles in two years. Now add Buckner, a Second-Team All-Pro who will occupy offensive linemen and keep Leonard free to make more plays.
Pro Football Network ranked Buckner at No. 51 among the NFL’s Top-100 players, announced Tuesday. PFN wrote:
“Buckner is an exceptionally large man. At 6’7”, 300 pounds, he is one of the more imposing individuals in the league. Buckner utilizes his length to burst through offensive lines and disrupt plays before they even have a chance to get started. Elite defensive tackles will always be better than their numbers suggest, and Buckner is no exception. He has only broken double-digit sacks once in his career, but playing alongside the remarkably talented 49ers defensive line caused his numbers to take a bit of a dip. The Colts must be drooling at the thought of Buckner eating up blocks in front of Darius Leonard. It is only fitting that one of the most underrated players in the game is underrated on this list, too.”
Buckner says his role in the Colts scheme is similar to the one he played with San Francisco, which lost to Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV.
“I mean the 3-tech position is obviously a very important part of this defense, especially in the run game – holding up on those double teams, keeping your linebackers clean being able to run free and make more tackles obviously on the field,” Buckner said in a Zoom video conference call in late May. “Also in the pass game, I mean you get some one-on-one opportunities so you can really take advantage of that. So when you really have a dominant 3-technique that can split double teams in the run game or even when you get that slide in the pass game and split double teams – be effective in both aspects of the game, I mean it is a game-changer for the defense as a whole.
“Everybody benefits – the rest of the d-line benefits, the back end benefits from it and obviously the team does. So obviously it is a big role, a lot of responsibility but just like any other position on the defense. It is definitely one of the key positions on ‘D.’”
The Colts faltered with seven losses in nine games to finish 7-9 last season, in part because of an inconsistent defense that failed to protect leads in close games. The team has missed the playoffs in four of the past five years.
The addition of Buckner has the Colts talking about becoming a top-five defense in 2020. He’s on a defensive line with elite pass rusher Justin Houston, who led the Colts with 11 sacks last season.
Buckner said defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has kept his instructions simple in offseason virtual meetings.
“He just wants us to – he says he wants us to shatter glass, you know what I mean?” Buckner said. “He wants us to get up-field, go as fast as possible and wreak havoc. So, that is what I love about him so far. Going through the movements and certain things throughout the defense, he just wants everybody to be able to play fast so he tries to keep it as simple as possible.”
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
