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Nov 19, 2022; College Park, MD, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) celebrates his sack of Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (3) in the second quarter of their Big Ten game at SECU Stadium. Ceb Osu22mar Kwr 35 Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

How Colts' JT Tuimoloau Factors Into Defensive End Rotation

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Zach Hicks | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Indianapolis Colts selected Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Tuimoloau is a younger prospect, but his experience and style of play appear ready to make an impact in his first year in the league.

The Colts had a clear need at defensive end in this past draft, as 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu was the only edge rusher on the roster under contract past the 2025 season. With so many question marks at such a vital position, grabbing a high-floor, productive pass rusher in the second round made all the sense in the world. Tuimoloau will obviously factor into the Colts' future, but how much does he factor into this upcoming season?

Kwity Paye, alongside Latu, is returning for another year with the team and is, presumably, going to be a day one starter on one of the edges. Paye and Latu combined for 12 sacks this past season, which is fairly modest production for a starting duo. After those two, the rotation gets a bit dicey. Veteran Tyquan Lewis had a down season by his standards, but still offers some run defense upside for the team. Samson Ebukam, the team's sack leader in 2023, is also expected to return after suffering an Achilles tear last summer.

Tuimoloau likely slides in with the two aforementioned veterans as the next man up in the rotation. The snap variance from being the third defensive end in the rotation and the fifth end in the rotation is quite high, so Tuimoloau's playing time will ultimately come down to a multitude of factors. The biggest factor will obviously be how much he endears himself to Lou Anarumo and how comfortable Anarumo is playing a rookie defensive lineman big snaps.

Anarumo doesn't have the greatest track record in relying on young pass rushers. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted two defensive ends with top-100 selections during his time with the team. Those two players -- Zach Carter and Myles Murphy -- both failed to hit 40% of available defensive snaps played in their rookie seasons. Obviously, each season is different, and it's hard to make this a direct comparison, but Anarumo did struggle to get his young pass rushers on the field in Cincinnati.

I asked CIN DC Lou Anarumo about why DE Myles Murphy isn't getting more snaps. The short answer? DE Joseph Ossai is getting better.

"Guy kind of stepped his game up in my opinion on what we are asking him to do. No knock on Myles, still 'arrow up', but I like what Joe is doing."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 11, 2024

After that first major hurdle, the next one to clear for Tuimoloau is the two veterans in front of him. While Lewis and Ebukam aren't superstars by any means, both players have a history of production in the NFL that will make them tough to beat out in camp. Even with Lewis coming off of a down year and Ebukam dealing with his recovery from a devastating injury, these two veterans know what to expect from the NFL grind and will be ready to go from day one.

Tuimoloau will certainly have an advantage in pure explosiveness and traits over the two veterans, but there is a lot more to the game than just measurables. Anarumo infamously played veteran Sam Hubbard a majority of the defensive snaps in Cincinnati the past few seasons, over high draft picks like Murphy, due to his veteran savvy and ability. Defensive coaches simply like veterans too much to count out players like Lewis and Ebukam from earning high-leverage snaps in the rotation.

#Colts DE Samson Ebukam explains how DC Lou Anarumo is serious in his approach and why he agrees with everything being earned not given:

“He’s very serious. He knows what he wants. He demands it…[I like it] because it brings out the competitive side in people.”

: @Colts pic.twitter.com/4CUeCIDBD2
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) May 8, 2025

The final step in the process for Tuimoloau is simply finding a role that is suited to his skill set. At 6'5" and 269 pounds, he possesses excellent length and power that appear to be ready for the NFL game right away. Interestingly enough, the Colts are tasked with replacing Dayo Odeyingbo this season, another massive defensive end who kicked inside to rush the passer on occasion last season.

Odeyingbo's departure to Chicago means that 745 defensive snaps are up for grabs on the Colts' defensive line, and a player who can offer similar ability may be able to take that role and run with it. Anarumo isn't as rigid as Gus Bradley was with the NASCAR package (three defensive ends on passing downs), but he did like to mix in guys like Cam Sample and Hubbard as interior rushers on occasion last season.

Tuimoloau hardly rushed inside in college, but he has the skill set that could certainly do it. If he can establish himself early as a player capable of handling a role like that in this defense, then he could gain a leg up over players like Lewis and Ebukam early in camp. That would go a long way in earning serious snaps in an edge room that has reps up for grabs this offseason.

Ohio State EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau

Strong hands and flexible lower body as a pass rusher. Flashes of move variety are definitely there. pic.twitter.com/MXazAnU4yE
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) July 22, 2023

Overall, I'd expect Tuimoloau's snaps this season to hover close to 400 or so. He likely finds himself a bit lower in the rotation than most fans would like, but this defensive staff tends to prioritize veterans off the edge while slowly developing young pass rushers. Tuimoloau will certainly have his chances to make an impact, but it may come more in 2026 compared to 2025 for the young player.

That being said, anything is possible with an edge room this wide open. It wouldn't surprise me if he outright won a starting job out of camp and it also wouldn't surprise me if he stooped as low as DE6 on the roster going into week one. This will be a tight race for snaps in the edge room, and Latu being the top guy is really the only thing solidified at this point.