The Indianapolis Colts notably acquired former San Francisco 49ers pass rusher DeForest Buckner via trade earlier this offseason, a move that quickly became the highlight of the team's spring activity. With Buckner now officially on board in Indianapolis, Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is understandably excited about what the former 49ers standout brings to the table for the AFC South franchise.

More specifically for the Colts, Leonard has been especially impressed by Buckner's “dog mentality.”

“Having DeForest come onto the team and help our defense out, he's a complete dog. Watching his tape, he has a motor that doesn't stop,” Leonard told NFL Network's Colleen Wolfe earlier this week. “You can not just focus on the linebackers, we got so many defensive linemen now that are gonna eat up on any offensive line that's in front of us. I think that's gonna allow the linebackers to run around, make more plays, take some stress off the defensive backs because they don't have to stay in coverage so long. I'm definitely looking forward to him coming out here and, you know, bring that dog mentality that he's had and help this defense win and be the number one defense in the NFL.”

Leonard and company will need all the help they can get on defense was adding a player like Buckner was certainly a step in the right direction. With Leonard leading the way, and Buckner now able to solidify the team's pass rushing attack up front, the Colts are most definitely in better position to reach the postseason in 2020-21 after failing to do so in 2019-20.

Unfortunately for the Colts, though, the AFC South division won't be an easy group to conquer this time around as both the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans should serve as legitimate threats in 2020-21.

It is also worth noting that in addition to acquiring Buckner from the aforementioned 49ers, the Colts also signed longtime Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to a one-year free agent contract.