Colts' DL DeForest Buckner in Elite Company

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Las Vegas Raiders 23-20 and moved one-game closer to clinching an AFC Playoff berth. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner notched his seventh sack of the season in the win.

By getting his seventh sack, Buckner is in truly elite company in the NFL. According to the Colts, only Buckner, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, and Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs have at least seven sacks in each of the last six seasons.  

In the combined-15 seasons prior to 2023, that trio has 11 Pro Bowl appearances. Buckner has three; Garrett and Jones have four each.

Jones and Buckner were each part of the 2016 NFL Draft. The 49ers selected Buckner with the No. 7 overall pick out of Oregon, and Jones was the sixth pick in the second round (No. 37 overall) by the Chiefs out of Mississippi State.

Jones had a career-high 12 sacks in 2018 with the 49ers and has 60 in his career. Jones has a pair of seasons with 15.5 and 74.5 total. 

Garrett as an edge rusher is on a different level when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. He's had double-digit sacks in each of the last six years and has 88.5-total sacks in one less season. 

That Buckner and Jones join Garrett despite playing on the interior defensive line is a testament to their ability and durability. 

The Colts acquired Buckner in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020. They likely couldn't have afforded to keep Buckner with Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa already on the defensive line. Getting a first-round pick was called "a boon" at the time by NFL.com's Kevin Patra. 

The 49ers spun that pick into defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Mid-season 2021, ESPN was asking if that deal was completely one-sided. The 49ers declined Kinlaw's fifth-year option, and he'll be a free agent after this season.

The 49ers have been good to the Colts in recent years. In addition to Buckner, Indianapolis poached Samson Ebukam from San Francisco in free agency last season. He's been arguably the best free agent signing in the AFC. 

Buckner turns 30 in March and is coming to the end of the lucrative 4 year, $84M contract he signed with the Colts. The Colts have the third-most available salary cap space in 2024 according to Spotrac with $75.8M. 

They have the resources to re-sign Buckner and pending free agent Michael Pittman. Both should be a priority heading into 2024 as foundational pieces for this highly-improved team.