Shane Steichen thinks "big jump" is coming for Laiatu Latu

Quarterback has been the position of focus for the Colts this offseason as their decision to sign Daniel Jones and set up a competition with Anthony Richardson has been the biggest move they've made since the end of the 2024 season.

It's not the only place they need to improve in 2025, however. The Colts were 24th in points allowed last season while finishing 29th in net yards per passing attempt and 30th in third down stop rate on their way to an 8-9 finish.

One reason for those numbers was an underwhelming pass rush that produced 36 sacks over the course of the season. Dayo Odeyingbo left for the Bears as a free agent after leading the team in snaps off the edge and head coach Shane Steichen said this week that he thinks 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu is poised to take on a much larger role in his second season.

"He does it the right way," Steichen said, via the team's website. "The way he works, his work ethic is tremendous. I think you'll see a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2. I think he had four [sacks] his rookie year, if we can get into double digits in Year 2 that'd be tremendous."

The Colts also hope to have Samson Ebukam back from a torn Achilles and they'll need strong seasons from both players to create the kind of defense that can give their offense time to sort things out in the fall.