​PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 11: DeForest Buckner #99 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates during the third quarter of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on October 11, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images This is the second part of a three-article series looking at the hypothetical trade value of three of the Colts’ biggest stars. This one is about DeForest Buckner. You can click here to read the previous one on Jonathan Taylor. As with Taylor, this is not an argument that Indianapolis should trade Buckner. The Colts probably should not be looking to move any of these players unless the season falls apart or another team comes calling with an offer that is too good to ignore. The point of the series is simply to determine what these players would realistically be worth if serious trade interest developed around the deadline.Buckner is an interesting case because the player is still very good, but almost everything surrounding him works against his value.He is 32 years old. His contract voids after this season. Any team acquiring him would be doing so primarily for the stretch run and playoffs, with no guarantee he would remain there beyond February.That makes this much more complicated than simply asking how good DeForest Buckner is.Buckner is still really goodThe easiest part of this evaluation is determining whether Buckner can still play. He definitely can.Through six games, Buckner has four sacks, eight quarterback hits and 18 pressures. He consistently ranks amongst the highest interior defensive linemen in these categories. That is especially important considering the state of the Colts’ defensive front. Indianapolis has struggled badly to consistently pressure quarterbacks this season, yet Buckner continues to create problems from the interior. At 32 years old, he is still arguably the most dependable pass rusher on the roster. There has been no dramatic falloff where we are evaluating Buckner based on what he used to be. He is still collapsing pockets, still winning inside against the top interior offensive linemen and still capable of ruining a drive.That puts him in a different category from the typical veteran defensive lineman available at the deadline.The two trades that make sense as comparisonsThere have been plenty of defensive tackles traded over the last decade, but very few are particularly useful here.The best comparison is Leonard Williams. Seattle acquired Williams from the Giants at the 2023 trade deadline for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2025. Williams was 29 and in the final year of his contract. Through eight games with the Giants that season, he had only 1.5 sacks. The Seahawks were 5-2, believed they could make a run and paid a significant price for a high-end interior defender.The other useful comparison goes back to 2017, when Seattle acquired Sheldon Richardson from the Jets. The Seahawks sent a seco