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Nov 3, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore (95) reacts after a missed field goal by Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Can Colts' Adetomiwa Adebawore Finally Breakthrough in 2025?

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Zach Hicks | Last updated May 12, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts retooled their defensive line room this offseason, letting 1,508 defensive snaps walk in free agency. A majority of those snaps will be eaten up by the return of Samson Ebukam and new additions such as Tim Smith, Neville Gallimore, and J.T. Tuimoloau. Even with that factored in, there is room for players on the roster to increase their snap share in 2025.

One such player who could see a bump in snaps is defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore. Adebawore, a former fourth-round selection, turned heads back at the NFL combine, running a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at 282 pounds. He has seen limited time on defense through two seasons, just 269 total snaps played, but he has produced three sacks and six pressures in limited exposure in his career.

This upcoming offseason could be a make-or-break for the young player. With Dayo Odeyingbo out of the picture, there are pass-rushing snaps available for Adebawore on paper. He has to beat out a few newcomers to the team, but he is entering his third year in an NFL program. The time is now for him to seize the opportunity, or it just may not happen in Indianapolis.

With Adebawore facing a massive offseason that could go either direction, let's dive into some of his play last year and discuss his strengths, along with the reasons why he has primarily served as a special-teams player through two seasons.

Positives

Pass Rushing Juice

Adebawore is a fantastic athlete who showcases legit speed and explosion as a pass rusher. He's had to work on his overall toolbox as a pass rusher the past two seasons, but he appears to be making strides in this area of his game. He is a relentless player who constantly fights for leverage, and now he has a few moves at his disposal as a rusher.

He has steadily improved his ability to disengage blocks as a rusher and did finish off one fantastic rush against the Chicago Bears for a sack. He still needs to be more consistent, but it's hard to truly gauge where he is at with only 146 career pass rush snaps under his belt. When he is left one on one as a rusher, he has flashed in his career with the Colts.

Adetomiwa Adebawore has serious pass rushing juice, he just needs consistent snaps to showcase what he can do. I hope this can be the year that he can win a pass rushing role with the team pic.twitter.com/QRYVlNeJUK
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 11, 2025

Gap Control Run Defense

Adebawore struggled to see the field as a rookie primarily due to his deficiencies in run defense. Pro Football Focus gave him a 24.1 grade in run defense back in 2023, which ranked number 214 out of 214 graded defensive tackles in that season. The bar was on the floor for Adebawore heading into this past season, and he actually showed some improvement early in the season.

This was still a weakness in his game, but he jumped up to number 93 out of 218 graded defensive tackles in 2024 in run defense grade. The biggest area of growth came in his ability to hold up at the point of attack and control blocks when left one-on-one. He controlled his gaps much better this past season, and his run defense saw great improvement in year two.

Adetomiwa Adebawore's run defense has always been a work in progress, but I thought it took positive steps last season. He particularly looked much better at the point of attack and thought he held his own fairly well when left one on one pic.twitter.com/J2QjFK8JsF
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 11, 2025

Gap Disruption

One of the more intriguing aspects of Adebawore's game is his ability to shoot gaps and get upfield. He has struggled to finish plays in his career, with a 36.4% career missed tackle rate, but he has shown the ability to disrupt on run downs when allowed to pin his ears back.

He is an insane athlete who shows it every time he steps on the field. Even if he is still raw in many aspects of his game, there is utility in just letting him pin his ears back and attack with his level of athleticism.

Adetomiwa Adebawore is a fun gap shooter though. Would like to see him finish a few of these plays in his career but he can be disruptive as hell as a one gapper pic.twitter.com/JuerSf1Un5
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 11, 2025

Negatives

Run Game Target

Adebawore's run defense did improve this past season, but it didn't improve enough to make him an every day player for this team. His ability to handle and control blocks when left one on one improved substantially, but opposing offenses targeted him with combo blocks and duo runs to displace him up field. This put major stress on the defense in his limited snaps, and it's likely one of the reasons why he was benched down the stretch.

To play 3-Tech in the NFL, a player needs to at least be able to hold up at the point of attack against double teams. Adebawore has yet to showcase that ability thus far, and it's one of the reasons why he lost snaps to Raekwon Davis last season. Davis also struggled mightily, but his size at least allowed him to hold up a bit better on these types of plays.

The fear with Adetomiwa Adebawore is that he is a bit of a target for offenses on combo blocks/double teams. Just gets driven off the ball too easily in these situations, and I think it's what led to a decrease in snaps down the stretch for him pic.twitter.com/UyvTf4vsE8
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 11, 2025

The Bottom Line

Adebawore is a fun player with outstanding athleticism and some pass-rushing juice. He seems to be right on the verge of breaking through with this team, but new arrivals and a new defensive system could hinder that final step. Ultimately, this offseason will be a massive one for Adebawore, as he could climb as high as a rotational pass rusher or as low as a surprise roster cut.

To break down both paths, the optimistic side of me fully believes in the pass-rush ability that Adebawore has shown thus far. If he can be utilized alongside bigger pass-rushing threats, like DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu, then he can get the matchups to attack in the pass game. He just needs those reps in actual games, and he has struggled to get those in years past. Maybe a new defensive system can lead to more for a player of his skill set.

On the other hand, the same defensive line coach who didn't play him late last season is still in Indianapolis. The Colts are mostly keeping a similar system, at least in the trenches, and will have to rely on even bigger defensive linemen on early downs to protect Anarumo's tendency to live in nickel defense. This could lead to even less playing time for Adebawore, unless they decide to try him out at defensive end on early downs.

This potential route does intrigue me, as the Colts played Adebawore off the edge at a 23% rate last season. He looked much better at that spot on run downs and was even a positive impact player in a few games off the edge. The Colts have a bit of a logjam at edge, but it could be a potential path to properly utilizing Adebawore going forward.

The final point with Adetomiwa Adebawore is that the Colts did give him more defensive end snaps last season. PFF had him with roughly 23% of his snaps at defensive end last year. His power and explosion are super intriguing out there. pic.twitter.com/rKNSKbchld
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 11, 2025

Overall, Adebawore will be one of the more interesting players to watch in camp this offseason. He stands to gain a lot, or lose a lot, depending on his play with this new coaching staff. Personally, I'm hoping he takes the next step and finally develops into the pass rusher that he can become.