NO PRESSURE IN INDY, BUCKNER SAYS
DeForest Buckner says he doesn’t feel any extra pressure to perform with his new team. Buckner may be engaging in wishful thinking, because there will be pressure on him to produce in 2020.
The Indianapolis Colts sent their first-round pick (No. 13) in the 2020 NFL draft to San Francisco 49ers in exchange to acquire Buckner in a stunning trade in March.
The Colts then signed Buckner to a four-year, $84 million contract, making him the second highest-paid defensive tackle (behind the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald) in the NFL.
When a team gives up that much to acquire a player, there’s going to pressure to perform. However, Buckner said he’s just going to continue what he has been doing during his first four seasons in the league.
“There is no added pressure that I feel at all. I mean, I go into every season knowing that my job is up for grabs as well," Buckner told reporters Wednesday
during a conference call. “I know what I do in the offseason to prepare for the season and there is no need to stress about any of it, you know what I mean? I’ve just got to come in and continue to do what I do and I’ve done my entire career in San Francisco and bring it over to the Colts.”
If Buckner performs at a level equal to each of his first four seasons, the Colts will be thrilled.
Buckner posted 62 total tackles and 7.5 sacks while helping the 49ers reach Super Bowl 54 during the 2019 season. He was selected as a second-team All Pro.
Buckner, 26, has been one of the league’s best interior lineman since he was the 49ers’ first-round pick (No. 7) in the 2016 NFL draft. Buckner has averaged 65 tackles, seven sacks, 18.5 quarterback hits and 9.5 tackles for loss along with seven fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles during his career.
Buckner was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Buckner has appeared in 48 consecutive games and has missed just one game during his career.
He has ranked in the top-10 among defensive linemen in snap counts every season during his career.
The Colts will have Buckner playing the same three-technique position he did during his time with the 49ers. The Colts see Buckner as a “dual threat” lineman, one who can eat up space in the run game and pressure the quarterback.
That familiarity and continuity is why Buckner is excited to get on the field with his new teammates.
“When you really have a dominant 3-technique that can split double teams in the run game or even when you get that slide in the pass game and split double teams – be effective in both aspects of the game, I mean it is a game-changer for the defense as a whole,” Buckner told reporters Wednesday. ""So, it is the same situation for me and I feel very fortunate for that and the same expectations that the coaches expect from me. So, that’s what I am very excited about."