Kemoko Turay Listed As Colts' Breakout Player For 2020

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A neck injury in Week 2 limited Turay to just four games in the first five weeks of the season, but he was able to total five tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, five quarterback hits and eight hurries in that time.


For his amount of playing time in 2019 (81 snaps), he was tied with T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best PFF grade among any edge defender in the NFL (91.3), and his pass-rush grade of 91.0 trailed only Watt and the Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett. Turay stood alone atop the Pass Rushing Productivity category, his 13.1 ranking handily above the next-best player's 10.6.


Turay was also no slouch when it came to the run game either, as his 72.1 in run defense was 36th and his tackling grade of 74.8 was 14th.


As a rookie in 2018, Turay built a strong résumé that was also recognized by PFF. His 38 total quarterback pressures (sacks, hits and hurries combined) finished third among all rookie defenders despite missing two games, and all rookie edge defenders considered, Turay had the sixth-best pass-rushing grade (67.6).


Having a normal offseason without having to prepare for the NFL Draft, Turay was able to work more on his craft during the offseason before Year 2.


"Just trying to get better each and every day. Just watching film and just looking at the bad habits that I did during the season and just trying to improve and polish it up a little bit," Turay said. "Last year, I didn't have a consistent move — I was just using different moves — but this offseason I just constantly stayed here in Indianapolis, and just constantly just worked on my body and tried to find my move and who I am as a pass rusher."