Colts captain DeForest Buckner calls out ‘egos’ regarding ‘worst Indy defense’ he’s been a part of

The Colts defensive captain normally leads by example, but he’s starting to speak up more out of much needed necessity.

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner didn’t hold back regarding him and his defensive teammates’ much needed humility following a disappointing 2024 campaign that saw the Horseshoe fall short of the postseason—at least in part, because the defense largely collapsing late (via The Athletic’s James Boyd):

As a team captain, Buckner is one of the most respected members of their franchise and leaders of their locker room. While not the most outspoken, when the big man speaks, it’s assuredly time to take notice—as his consistent high level of production matches his importance to the franchise.

While other members of the Colts team ‘celebrated’ post-game the regular season finale overtime home win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, D-Fo was seen walking off the field in a visibly much more somber and serious mood:

It’s unclear who specifically Buckner is addressing regarding ‘ego checks,’ but Colts fans’ speculation has run rampant regarding highly outspoken linebacker (and fellow team captain) Zaire Franklin—especially following his latest antics Sunday post-game.

Franklin has recently drawn the ire of at least some members of the Horseshoe Faithful by some of his arguably questionable commentary on his ‘The Trenches Show’ podcast, hosted with starting linebacker teammate E.J. Speed. Not only did Franklin perhaps attempt to vilify popular ESPN mainstream personality (and local media icon and former All-Pro Colts punter) Pat McAfee for the team’s midseason struggles (and specifically the benching of Anthony Richardson), but he also had some prior questionable remarks regarding ‘spanking the New York Giants’ that clearly didn’t age well after Indy was embarrassingly upset in Week 17.

It’s not that Colts fans are upset that Franklin and Speed have an active social media presence, but it’s more about recently ‘writing checks with their mouths, that their play can’t cash’—and when that production has consistently dipped on the field, maybe it’s time to reassess the future (and more importantly, arguably retire) their podcast for good:

We know it’s not wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who Buckner highly praised for his perseverance through a fractured back injury.

Regardless, Buckner, who’s clearly sick of losing, is now reportedly trying to actively recruit free agents to the Colts this offseason. However, will it all be in vain if longtime general manager Chris Ballard will continue to be overly financially prudent?

If one thing is clear, Buckner appears to be a ‘no nonsense’ throwback captain that the Colts could clearly use more of right now—as the franchise looks to improve its leadership, culture, and locker room collectively ahead of the 2025 campaign, which were all sorely lacking this past losing season.