By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts defense had a modest 2021 outing (21st in touchdowns allowed and 10th in rushing YPG allowed), but they certainly had a couple of weaknesses. The Colts ranked 18th in passing yards per game and 25th in sacks. With that said, they should absolutely feel more comfortable with their pass defense and pass-rushing ability than in 2021.

The Colts brought in the explosive edge rusher Yannick Ngakouye, who registered 10 sacks and 23 QB hits with the Raiders last season. Ngakoyue and Deforest Buckner should be a cream of the crop DE-DT tandem. Buckner earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2021 and garnered All-Pro honors in 2020. PFF also gave him a nice 71.9 grade for his performance a season ago.

The 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye should also blossom in his sophomore season (4 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 3 TFLs in 2021). Nick Shook of NFL.com believes that Paye will benefit from Ngakoyue and Buckner on the same DL — which should propel him to snag his first Pro Bowl spot in 2022. Paye and the rest of the impressive Colts pass rushers should benefit from an improved Colts passing offense with Matt Ryan. Matty Ice should surely force opponents to try and keep pace with him, so the Colts pass rush will have countless opportunities to pin their ears back against opposing QBs.

The Colts pass rush in 2022 will glow up from their 2021 pass-rushing force, but their secondary could be the unit that improves the most from last season. I loved the addition of Stephon Gilmore — who is still a very good football player. The former DPOY had a quality grade (77.1) by PFF. Gilmore can absolutely be the x-factor against AFC juggernaut teams that have top-end WRs.

The Colts will reap lots of benefits from new faces on their defense, but they will also anticipate growth from Darius Leonard. The Colts OLB is coming off his best season and third All-Pro season. He recorded 8 FFs, 4 Ints, and 122 combined tackles. He will try and defy the thought that a pure OLB in a 4-3 can’t win DPOY.

The spotlight in Indy could be on the 2016 MVP Matt Ryan and the Top-5 RB Jonathan Taylor, but the Colts defense can certainly be stingy and able to help the Colts be strong AFC contenders sooner than thought.

The post Why the Colts defense will really improve in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Las Vegas Raiders have officially signed pass rusher Chandler Jones, according to Tom Pelissero. Jones was recently named the third-best free agent available by CBS Sports. It’s clear that the Raiders are getting a stud who isn’t “washed up” at this day in age. Here is a closer look at how dominant Jones has been over the past few seasons:

• 10.5 sacks in 2021
• 19 sacks in 2019
• Pro Bowl selection in 2021
• Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro selection in 2019

The Raiders are battling in the wild AFC West, which is also known as the NFL’s best division in 2022. The Chargers picked up Khalil Mack (and J.C. Jackson), the Broncos scooped up Russell Wilson, and now the Raiders strike gold with Jones.

The Raiders arguably feature the NFL’s top pass-rushing duo with Maxx Crosby and Jones. Maxx Crosby (15 sacks in the past two seasons combined) was recently extended and now they help him with the signing of DE/OLB Jones.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have traded their “old” pass rusher Yannick Ngakouye (10 sacks in 2021) to the Indianapolis Colts, according to Ian Rapoport. Gus Bradley, who is the Colts defensive coordinator, was the Raiders prior defensive coordinator in 2021. Bradley will have his former defensive stud back in his arsenal. Ngakouye will now be partners with Deforest Buckner on the Colts scary DL. They also have Darius Leonard in their front seven.

The Raiders had a terrific pass-rushing duo last season, but they were still ranked 21st in sacks a season ago. That is not a formula for success in the AFC West, where they play Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Russell Wilson twice a season. The Raiders were wise to make a splash move at their DE spot and I fully expect them to display a Top 15 pass-rushing unit next season.

The Raiders new DC in 2022 was a Patriots assistant from 2009-2019, where he worked with the Pats DL and LB unit. It’s clear that he coaches Jones and that the former Patriots sack artist has strong ties to Graham. The Raiders DC will nicely move Jones around the DL and put him in the perfect position to succeed next to Mad Maxx.

The post What Chandler Jones brings to the Raiders appeared first on Pro Football Mania.