Colts missed on Trey Hendrickson. What Ballard said about the pass rush
The Colts have depth at defensive end but needed a difference maker. What GM Chris Ballard said about the state of the position
PHOENIX — For the moment, Colts general manager Chris Ballard isn’t tipping his hand about the team’s plans at defensive end. Indianapolis headed into the 2026 season in need of a renovation at the position. The Colts let starter Kwity Paye leave for Las Vegas, allowed former starter Samson Ebukam to go to Atlanta and haven’t brought back Tyquan Lewis, leaving open a chance for an overhaul.
The Colts replaced Ebukam and Lewis by signing veterans Arden Key and Micheal Clemons in free agency. But there is no clear starter to fill Paye’s spot and elevate the edge rush, a weakness that was exposed when defensive tackle DeForest Buckner suffered a neck injury. “As a group right now, I feel pretty good about it,” Ballard said at the NFL’s annual meeting on Monday.
“Does that mean we won’t add? No. We’ve got time.
There’s some free agency stuff still left, we’ll see if we do anything else. The draft, and then, end of the summer and into training camp. Look, would we love a 20-sack guy on the team?
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