E.J. Speed Is On Pace For A Historic 2024 Season
Source: Cooper Neill / Getty
When you think of specific players on the Colts defense, DeForest Buckner, Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore II, Julian Blackmon, and maybe one or two others. The guy who doesn’t get a lot of praise and recognition is E.J. Speed.
With his 13 tackle performance in the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he recorded his eight consecutive game with 10+ tackle, tying the longest streak in NFL history.
He and Nick Cross are tied for the league lead in tackles with 47. Speed and Cross are currently on pace for 200 tackles. Only three players in league history have been able to accomplish that feat.
- Hardy Nickerson – 214 tackles (1993)
- Jessie Tuggle – 207 tackles (1991)
- Jessie Tuggle – 201 tackles (1990)
That would shatter the teams franchise record by 30 tackles. It would make the third consecutive season that the record has been broken. Zaire Franklin broke Shaquille Leonard’s record in 2022 and then his own record last season.
Speed is in the final year of his two-year extension and will turn 30 on June 1st. He is on a long list of Colts that Chris Ballard will have to make a decision on this offseason. However, with his relationship with Franklin and currently on pace for a record season, it would be hard not to bring him back.
On Monday’s Query & Company with Jake Query & Jimmy Cook, the Director of Speed discussed:
- Why he believes he will continue to grow as a player
- His relationship with Zaire Franklin
- What has changed with the run defense the last two weeks compared to the first two weeks of the season
To listen to Jake Query and Jimmy Cook’s conversation with E.J. Speed, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
