Film Room: New Colts DE Isaac Rochell a Fine Depth Piece
It wasn't the name most Indianapolis Colts fans were hoping for at Edge, but the relatively cheap signing of former Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Isaac Rochell gives Chris Ballard a veteran depth piece to work with along the defensive line.
Rochell, a former Notre Dame product, was drafted in the seventh round, 225th overall by the Chargers in 2017. Over four years with the Chargers, Rochell registered 9.5 sacks in his career, adding another 54 total pressures while playing 1,300 total snaps — 856 of which were pass rush reps, according to Pro Football Focus.
The veteran's 1-year, $2.5 million deal is a bit of a puzzling price, considering the Chargers non-tendered Rochell after four seasons. However, Rochell has the size, length and experience Ballard likes in depth pieces, which makes it clear why the Colts' general manager made the add for defensive line coach Brian Baker and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Below, I'll take a look at some of the most recent sacks in Rochell's career, dating back to his 5-sack season in 2018 when he played a career-high 536 snaps.
Sacks from 2018
At home against the then-Oakland Raiders, Rochell recorded his first sack of the season, beating then-rookie tackle Kolton Miller inside with a strong counter.
Lined up on the right side of the defense here, Rochell does a great job shooting his hands early into Miller's chest, knocking the left tackle off balance. Following his initial blow to the chest, Rochell does a good job swimming back inside to sack Derek Carr
One week later on the road against the Cleveland Browns, Rochell recorded a sack of Baker Mayfield in a similar way, this time rushing from the left side of the defense.
Rochell does a good job threatening vertically against Browns' right tackle Chris Hubbard before then countering back inside with power to complete the sack with Hubbard hanging off of him.
Though Rochell doesn't use his hands all that well, he flashed the ability to counter back inside quickly to win in pass-rush reps.
Sack from 2019
Coming off of a 5-sack season in 2018, the Chargers were hoping for more from Rochell as a rotational depth piece in 2019.
That didn't quite happen.
Rochell recorded just one sack and nine pressures in 2019 as the Chargers phased him out.
The Notre Dame product's lone sack in 2019 came in the final week of the season and resulted in a safety against the Kansas City Chiefs and Chad Henne in Week 17.
Rochell wins early in the rep with his hand usage, keeping left tackle Cameron Irving off of his frame, swiping away the veteran's punch to turn the corner and record the sack for the safety.
Though he recorded just this one sack in 2019, it was a quality sack from a pass rushing standpoint.
Sacks in 2020
In his final season with the Chargers, Rochell saw his snap count rise again, but the quality of sacks wasn't there for the Notre Dame product, leading to the Chargers declining to tender him.
That rough 2020 season eventually landed him with the Colts in the first week of free agency.
Rochell's first sack of the season came on the road against the Denver Broncos. From a quality standpoint, it was a poor sack because Drew Lock ran out of bounds after Rochell missed a tackle.
That said, he showed off his awareness early in the rep, squeezing down on the down-blocking tackle and reading the action in the backfield before turning and burning towards Lock on the bootleg.
The missed tackle in space is tough to see, especially against a QB, but he did a good job early on with his ability to read what's happening.
Earlier in the season against the Miami Dolphins in Miami, Rochell recorded a sack on receiver Preston Williams — yes, you read that right — on a trick play.
Rochell again stays disciplined and doesn't run himself out of the play, maintaining the backside edge on the trick play before making the stop behind the line of scrimmage.
Overall, while Rochell certainly doesn't deserve nearly $3 million on the open market from a team like the Colts – especially after being non-tendered — he has some traits that the Colts like (length, height, athleticism and smarts) and should be able to provide some veteran snaps on defense to give some other guys a breather.
It's not the sexiest signing in free agency — far from it, but it's a solid one from a team-building perspective.
Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.
