Colts' J.T. Tuimoloau Set for Bigger Role vs. Titans

Indianapolis Colts pass rusher J.T. Tuimoloau should see an uptick in snaps against the Tennessee Titans.

Oct 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end JT Tuimoloau (91) and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Ian Thomas (80) go for the ball after a blocked punt during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts' pass rush has been the topic of so many conversations to start the season. On one hand, the raw numbers look pretty good, with the team ranking in the top 10 in both sacks and pressures through seven games. On the other hand, the pass rush doesn't feel as impactful on Sundays, and a lot of the raw totals are inflated due to opponents passing so much.

To defend the Colts' defensive line a little bit, I think that they have a few good pieces up front.

Laiatu Latu hasn't developed into the superstar pass rusher that the Colts hoped he would be (so far at least), but he's a rock-solid player on the outside with a 21% pass rush win rate. DeForest Buckner is still the game-wrecker that he's always been, and Adetomiwa Adebawore is enjoying a nice breakout campaign.

With those three players up front, the Colts have the makings of a decent rush package on passing downs. The biggest issue all season has been finding a suitable defensive end to pair with those three players.

Samsom Ebukam has probably been the best of the group, but he's clearly lost a step and doesn't win often in one-on-one situations. Kwity Paye has been effective on stunts and twists, but he gets neutralized in true rushes. Tyquan Lewis has a nice power element to his game, but struggles to disengage.

These veterans have been largely disappointing this season, and it has led to many people calling for rookie second-round pick J.T. Tuimoloau to see more snaps on Sundays. With Ebukam out and Lewis likely to be out for this upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans, the rookie is likely to see a healthy increase in snaps.

Colts are ruling out Samson Ebukam, and they're not activating Jaylon Jones yet.

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) October 24, 2025

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Tuimoloau had a bit of a rocky start to the season, as he was a healthy scratch in three of the team's first six games. Serving as the team's reserve defensive end, it was hard for him to crack the rotation with the players in front of him healthy. As Ebukam and Lewis left Sunday's game early, though, Tuimoloau got his chance to shine against the Los Angeles Chargers.

While he didn't put together some elite performance to write home about, Tuimoloau did log his first three pressures of the season against the Chargers. He tallied two quarterback hits on Justin Herbert, one of which was a mere second away from a massive sack.

JT Tuimoloau will have a big opportunity this weekend to earn more snaps going forward. Thought he did some decent things last week, and his ability to condense the pocket as a power rusher is exactly what is needed against a QB like Cam Ward. pic.twitter.com/HPZNMhT1ot

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) October 24, 2025

Despite his slow start to the season, I'm intrigued by what Tuimoloau can bring to the field on Sunday. He possesses excellent length and play strength for the position, which bodes well for the Colts' pocket-collapsing game plan for Cam Ward. Tuimoloau should hit a new career-high in snaps this weekend, and hopefully, he can get his first sack or two in the process.