How Colts signing Taven Bryan impacts DT depth chart
The story of free agency for the Indianapolis Colts has been moving on from veterans and beefing up the trenches along their defensive front. After adding Samson Ebukam to add to their edge group, Chris Ballard has signed Taven Bryan to add to their rotation among the interior of the defensive line.
Bryan is bringing starting experience (16 games in 2022) with him but not only his contract says backup players, DeForest Buckner, and Grover Stewart are the anchors of the Indy defense and they aren’t giving up their starting spots any time soon.
He will likely be the third player off the bench in the rotation, but he will compete with Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis for snaps in passing-down situations. Bryan’s upside is his pass rush ability so he does give Gus Bradley more flexibility on how he wants to attack the quarterback when he knows he’s set to drop back for a pass.
The versatility of Odeyingbo and Lewis will help get Stewart off the field in these situations and that is where Bryan will earn his pay. His signing also does take off some pressure on Lewis. He won’t have to rush his rehab and the Colts can ease him in so he doesn’t have any setbacks.
As of now, this is what the interior of the defensive front looks like on the Indy depth chart:
3Tech: DeForest Buckner
NT: Grover Stewart
Versatile rotational pieces: Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis
Backups: Taven Bryan, Eric Johnson, Chris Williams, and McTelvin Agim
After making a low-level addition to the group with Bryan, I can see Ballard electing to grab a rookie or two for the training camp competition for roles in the rotation for the 2023 season.
Keep up to date with the latest news, signings and rumors through our free agency tracker for the Colts.
