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

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.