INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts’ best pass rusher in 2016, Erik Walden, can’t find a team mere weeks before the 2017 season begins.

The team’s next-best pass rusher last season, Robert Mathis, was 35 and had decided to retire weeks before the season concluded.

Now, here we are, entering another Colts season wondering about the pass rush. Will it be good enough? Will they have one to speak of?

Despite the questions, availability in free agency and the draft was limited. So, the Colts acquired exactly one classic pass rusher this offseason — third-round draft choice Tarell Basham from Ohio.

No pressure, kid.

The Colts did sign outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard in free agency, and he’s expected to take a lead role in the pass-rushing effort. But if the Colts are going to have more production against opposing quarterbacks, Basham is going to have to be a factor.

And that makes him one of the Colts’ players to watch as training camp commences later this week.

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What he’s done

You don’t post 27 sacks in college unless you have some legit pass-rush pedigree. That’s what Basham did at Ohio University. Granted, the Mid-American Conference is not the Southeastern Conference, but the MAC has consistently produced quality pros and should not be frowned upon.

What’s worth mentioning is Basham has primarily been a conventional 4-3 defensive end. He is used to lining up in a three-point stance and exploding toward the quarterback. He’ll likely still do that in some instances in Indianapolis, but he also will have to adjust to lining up in a two-point stance and learning the nuances of being a 3-4 outside linebacker.

However he lines up, Basham proved at Ohio that he has the speed and quickness to potentially make an immediate difference on the Colts’ defense.

“He’s got a really good get-off,” Colts General Manager Chris Ballard said. “You see his get-off on tape. He’s got a good unique trait.”

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Why he matters

The Colts have been looking to upgrade their pass rush since forever. You can reach all the way back to 2013 and Bjoern Werner — the Colts’ first-round choice that year — who busted out of the league within three years. The 2016 and 2017 drafts weren’t ideal spots to address the need because of the dearth of pass rushers and other pressing needs.

That leaves Basham as one of the lone young pass rushers on the roster who can be developed into an every-down threat.

Ballard has acknowledged that repairing the disastrous defense was destined to be a multiyear effort. So, you should expect the Colts to revisit their edge-rush need next offseason. But in the meantime, their best chance at finding a player capable of winning some one-on-one matchups is Basham.

What to expect

What initially makes the most sense for Basham — and where the greatest need exists — is to position him to do what he does best. That would be getting after quarterbacks, of course. That could mean he’s largely a third-down player at the outset of his career, coming off the edge in passing situations where he doesn’t have to bogged down by making many reads. And his experience playing defensive end means he could easily play with a hand on the ground in those situations, as the Colts’ outside linebackers often do on passing downs.

But don’t put Basham in a box. His coaches see in him a well-rounded player who can be developed into a guy who plays well against the run and pass.

“You see an explosive, loose athlete,” defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said. “I think that we can predict that he’s going to do several things well. He’s going to be physical and have a little violence on the edge of the run game. We can see that he can win late in the down with some power in the pass rush. He’s also slippery enough that he can win early in the down (with athleticism).”

The Colts didn’t invest a third-round pick in Basham for nothing. They expect him to contribute this season.

And that’s why he’s a player to watch.

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Stephen Holder onTwitter andFacebook.