The Indianapolis Colts have been excited about the progression they have seen from defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis, who is likely to see a bigger role entering the final year of his rookie contract.
The former second-round pick has steadily earned more playing time over the years when he isn’t dealing with injury. His 2020 campaign saw him record a career-high 4.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss on 40% of the defensive snaps.
Entering his fourth season, general manager Chris Ballard is excited to see Lewis enter a bigger role.
“We challenged Lewis last year and Lewis if you remember, had a good rookie season. He ended up starting – we played good defense, went to the playoffs, weren’t good enough yet to advance and got beat by a great Kansas City team, but Lewis played good football for us,” Ballard told reporters in his pre-draft presser. “He got a little nicked that second year and didn’t play quite to where we thought his talent level was. We challenged him and he accepted it. I thought last year he played really good and ended up having to go inside and play the 3-technique a bunch and both end spots. We’re excited about Tyquan.”
In 2020, Lewis worked mostly behind DeForest Buckner at the three-technique but also saw some work on the edge. With a big season coming up, Lewis’ role is set to expand.
The Colts didn’t make a play for any of the big free agents on the market while Denico Autry signed with the Tennessee Titans and Justin Houston is still on the market. This means plenty of snaps are up for grabs on the defensive line, especially when it comes to the edge.
Lewis is most likely to continue in that rotation behind Buckner on the interior but could also be working in a role similar to that of Autry, who spent time on the edge as well.
The Colts’ front seven has a lot to prove with so many young players holding prominent roles and they will be challenging Lewis to continue his progression as a versatile piece of the defensive line.
