The Indianapolis Colts already weren't going to be at full strength against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, at least defensively. Now, they're going to be missing yet another key player for this critical early matchup.
According to reports, the Colts are holding out second-year breakout pass rusher Laiatu Latu, who was one of the most dominant edge players in Week 1 of the regular season against the Dolphins.
Not only is Latu out, but the Colts are also without big-money free agent pickup Charvarius Ward at cornerback as well as Jaylon Jones, a key depth piece at cornerback and special teams player.
Colts missing top pass rusher Laiatu Latu vs. Broncos in Week 2 matchup
Considering the amount of zone coverage the Colts played in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, not having their best edge rusher is a major disadvantage and issue for their overall plan. Of course, other guys can step up and make plays. They've still got plenty of talent on the defensive front and a very underrated roster overall.
Latu, however, was showing some star potential.
The highest-graded edge defenders in Week 1 📊 pic.twitter.com/O0wIq3ejv9
— PFF (@PFF) September 9, 2025
PFF grades are not the end-all, but the fact that Latu was graded equally with Nik Bonitto, who had an absolutely dominant performance in Week 1, is telling of just how big this absence will be for the Colts.
Latu was the top defensive player selected in the entire 2024 NFL Draft class, just a handful of picks after the Broncos took Bo Nix.
Against the Colts last year, the Broncos' offense really struggled for the majority of the first three quarters, and it wasn't until Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line that they started to pick up momentum. The Colts made plenty of mistakes of their own in that game last season, but the Broncos also had done their best to give it away.
We might see a more conservative approach in this one from Sean Payton and the Denver offense, especially with the Colts short-handed. The Broncos want to run the ball with JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey while also using the short passing game to get Bo Nix into a rhythm. In the first week of the season, they were trying too hard to play darts from long distance when it wasn't necessary.
This game against the Colts will hopefully be all about playing ball control, minimizing mistakes, playing tough defense, and dominating at the line of scrimmage from the opening. Not having to go against Latu helps the Broncos do just that, at least on paper.