The Colts are heading into training camp with one of their most important questions sitting right on the edge of the defense: who starts opposite Laiatu Latu at defensive end?
That job is open after Kwity Paye left the roster, and it comes at a time when Indianapolis has already turned over a big chunk of the position group. Paye, Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis are gone, while Arden Key, Micheal Clemons, George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry were added during the offseason.
Right now, the clearest names in the mix are Key and Jaylahn Tuimoloau.
Tuimoloau’s 2025 season gave the Colts something to build on, and the benefit of a full offseason focused on development instead of the pre-draft process should help him as he tries to make a Year 2 leap. Key brings a different selling point: steady pass-rush production over the course of his career.
If there’s a lean at the moment, it goes to Key because of the experience edge. But this is far from settled, and training camp should decide it.
What Indianapolis needs, though, is bigger than just picking a starter. The Colts need more pass-rush help around Latu, because while Latu was productive last season, the production next to him came and went. Whether Key or Tuimoloau wins the job, the bigger question is still unanswered: can either one give the Colts the kind of high-end pressure off the edge that changes games?
That remains one of the biggest unknowns on the roster entering the 2026 season.
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