During the Colts' third training camp practice of 2024, defensive end Samson Ebukam felt like someone kicked him. When he turned around, all he saw was green grass.
Instead of being kicked, Ebukam tore his Achilles. As he laid on the turf at Grand Park in Westfield, he wasn't sure that's what happened – but he knew whatever happened wasn't good.
"I didn't know right away but I had a feeling," Ebukam said. "I just kind of calmed myself down. That was the only time I've ever been in shock. I just calmed myself down a little and I said there's a reason for this. I just trusted God in the process and made sure my faith was at the center in that moment and it's been in the center ever since."
Ebukam, to that point, had been an ironman in his NFL career. He only missed two games – both in 2022 – over seven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Colts. He was coming off a career high (and team high) 9.5 sacks in 2023, his first year with the Colts after signing as a free agent.
And then his season was over before it could even begin.
Ebukam quickly began attacking the grueling, methodical rehab process necessary to return from an Achilles injury. He leaned on his faith, the Colts' training staff and his teammates while keeping a positive attitude, but admitted there were some tough moments – especially at the beginning of his recovery.
"The toughest day was early on when I could barely move anything," Ebukam said. "That was the only thing. I just wanted to be able to move and walk and be on the sidelines. The toughest days were the days I wasn't able to be on the field."
Ebukam's teammates, though, noticed the overall positivity with which he attacked his rehab. He spent plenty of time at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center both during and after the 2024 season, putting in countless hours to give himself the best chance to not just take the field, but make an impact on it in 2025.
"I've been here throughout his rehab process," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "… Just seeing how optimistic he's been and how hard he's been working to get back, he's been moving, looking really good. I'm excited to see what he's able to do in a comeback season. I know he's excited to go out there and prove to everybody what he can do."
Ebukam also posted clips of his progress to Instagram stories over the last few months not for himself, but for anyone who might be going through a similarly challenging injury recovery.
"I knew myself that I was making progress but I wanted people to know too," Ebukam said. "I thought about not posting anything and showing up, but I was like, why not use this opportunity to motivate people because I'm not the only one that's had a torn Achilles. Why not use this opportunity, use my platform to motivate people that's going through pain or some type of injury."
Ebukam, now a little over nine months removed from the injury, said on Wednesday he'll be "in a good spot" by the end of OTAs in June and will be cleared for training camp, which starts in late July. His return to the Colts' defensive line will be significant – again, he led the Colts in sacks in 2023, after all.
And when Ebukam, who turns 30 on May 9, does return, both he and the Colts expect he'll again make an impact – just like he did back in 2023.
"When you know who the kid is and what he stands for and the effort he puts into everything, I'm willing to make that bet," general manager Chris Ballard said earlier this offseason. "We missed his physicality. Undeniably, we missed what Samson brought a year ago."
