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10 takeaways from Day 5 of Colts training camp

kevin hickey
·9 min read

The Indianapolis Colts were back on the field Wednesday for their fifth practice of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.

After starting off the second week of camp with pads on Tuesday, the Colts took it a bit lighter on the physicality, opting to go with just the shells and shorts on Wednesday.

There were plenty of fireworks from the fifth practice of camp, including the first bout of fisticuffs between Michael Pittman Jr. and Rodney McLeod. We put together a quick roundup of the practice as well.

Here are 10 takeaways from Day 5 of Colts training camp:

 

Attendance

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

  • LB Shaq Leonard (back) and WR Mike Strachan (knee) remained on the PUP list and did not practice Wednesday.

  • DT Chris Williams (foot) and OT Dennis Kelly (knee) both missed practice due to their respective injuries.

  • RB D’vonte Price (undisclosed) and LB Forrest Rhyne (undisclosed) were both new additions to the unofficial list of injured players Wednesday.

  • CB Alexander Myres (undisclosed) left practice early Wednesday.

Another strong day for Matt Ryan

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star

There have been few hiccups for the veteran quarterback throughout his first two weeks of training camp with his new team. He has set the tempo at a high rate and is completing passes to his receivers without many issues.

According to Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan, Ryan has been accurate in team drills, completing 34 of 47 pass attempts. The leading receiver on the list should come as no surprise.

“Matt Ryan finished Wednesday afternoon 7-of-9 with completions to the following guys: Kylen Granson (4), Michael Pittman (2), Alec Pierce. It was a lot of first and second down work for the offense, with a passing game mostly in the underneath department. Through 5 practices, Ryan is 34-of-47 in the full teamwork. Ryan’s completed his passes to the following guys: Michael Pittman (9), Mo Alie-Cox (5), Kylen Granson (5), Jonathan Taylor (4), Parris Campbell (4), Nyheim Hines (3), Alec Pierce (2), Ashton Dulin (1), Dezmon Patmon (1).”

It’s no surprise that Pittman Jr. is leading the team in receptions during training camp, and it will be fun to see who emerges as his No. 2 option in the passing game.

Kylen Granson has a day

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The second-year tight end is expected to step into a bigger role during the 2022 season and even though he may not be asked to block as much as Mo Alie-Cox, Granson’s impact can come more in the passing game.

On Wednesday, Granson was the one making the most plays, which included three receptions from Ryan and the first-team offense. It was much needed after an up and down start to camp last week, according to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.

“Granson bounced back Wednesday, hauling in three catches, all from Ryan, and bursting through the middle of the line on a handoff on one play. At least two of the three catches by Granson came over the middle, an area of the field he’d had some trouble in the first week of training camp.”

Granson will be the No. 2 tight end as long as he doesn’t have an egregiously poor showing during the preseason games so it’s encouraging to see him take a step forward.

Ashton Dulin with the play of camp?

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

It seems every day that Dulin is making some type of play that shows he’s going to be carving out a bigger role in the offense that we initially believed. Though most of his work has come with Nick Foles and the second-team offense, Dulin is the clear-cut No. 4 wideout.

The Malone product may have provided us with the best play of training camp on Wednesday, snatching an interception from the hands of cornerback Isaiah Rodgers on a deep ball from Foles.

And the Colts media crew was there to capture it from multiple angles.

Yannick Ngakoue's burst is evident

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Much has been said about Ngakoue and the juice he brings to practice every day. The 27-year-old edge rusher continues to impress by showing off his speed and bend when running the arc.

According to Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle, Ngakoue put all of that on display again Wednesday.

“Ngakoue jumped out yet again on Wednesday after a big performance the day prior. He had at least one would-be sack and put a big move on left tackle Matt Pryor to get there. His quick jump off the snap is very evident.”

The Colts need Ngakoue to have a big year from the LEO position while hoping the second-year pass rusher takes a big step forward in Year 2.

Bernhard Raimann's up-and-down camp

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It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Raimann going through a learning curve during his first training camp. He’s had roughly 20 games of playing left tackle under his belt since making the switch in 2020. So there are going to be some rocky days.

The rookie third-round pick has had his bright moments during camp while also enduring the reps that show more work is needed before he earns time with the first-team offense.

According to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star, Raimann continued to experience both ends of the spectrum Wednesday.

“Left tackle Bernhard Raimann, the team’s third-round pick, is having his fair share of success and rookie moments early in his first training camp. For example, Raimann held up well in the first session of 1-on-1 pass rush drills, staying in front of Yannick Ngakoue on two rushes, the rookie’s quick feet on display.

But Raimann has also had some hiccups in 11-on-11 work, illustrated by a pressure allowed to Ben Banogu that forced Foles to step up into the proximity of Odeyingbo for a “sack,” and another pressure allowed to Ifeadi Odenigbo.”

Raimann is still working behind Matt Pryor, who is likely going to be the starter entering the first preseason game.

The first fight of camp

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Even as teammates, things can get heated in the heart of competition. Michael Pittman Jr. has been known as a player who works with an edge since he entered the league in 2020. He’s never been afraid to get physical on the field, and veteran safety Rodney McLeod was on the other end of that Wednesday.

The two engaged in the first fight of training camp, reportedly trading several punches before teammates broke up the fight. It’s natural for two competitors to boil over during the heat of practice, and not backing down can often be seen as a sign of respect as long as the fight doesn’t cross a particular line.

Head coach Frank Reich addressed the fight following Wednesday’s practice.

“We definitely encourage playing with an edge as you said, Zak (Keefer). We want – that’s part of what makes Pitt, Pitt. But we don’t want to cross that line, especially with our own teammates,” Reich said. “We don’t want to hurt our team. So, those are things that we just deal with as they come up, and our guys are pretty mature and know how to handle that stuff. So, we’ll just kind of move on from it.”

Bobby Okereke continues to shine

AP Photo/Darryl Webb

The fourth-year linebacker is entering a contract year, and he’s been the leader of the linebacker room with Shaquille Leonard working his way back from surgery this offseason.

Okereke has been one of the stars of training camp through the first two weeks, and he continued that notion Wednesday with another strong outing in pass coverage, according to Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan.

“Linebacker Bobby Okereke continues to have a nice camp in coverage. In a contract year, Okereke might be the most deserving Colts 2019 draft pick for a second contract. But do the Colts have room for long-term linebacker contracts for 3 guys in Shaquille Leonard, Zaire Franklin and Okereke?”

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Okereke, but he is a key piece to the defense going into his fourth season.

Rodney McLeod getting run with 1s

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

While the majority of training camp has seen rookie safety Nick Cross take advantage of his reps with the first-team defense, the veteran McLeod got more work with the starting unit Wednesday.

Cross will have to earn the starting role and even if/when he does, McLeod is still going to have a role within Gus Bradley’s defense considering how much three-safety sets are used.

Cross may be the favorite to win the job, but the competition at starting strong safety is just getting started.

Shaq Leonard update

AP Photo/Aaron Doster

The update on Shaquille Leonard is that there is no update. Head coach Frank Reich told reporters following Wednesday’s practice that there was nothing imminent in regards to Leonard’s return from offseason back surgery.

“He has really been into it out on the field, staying locked into what we are doing schematically. Really staying in tune with the team and the guys and everything, and I know he is continuing good rehab – having progress but we are still not in that mode. I don’t think it is imminent, but I think he is making progress,” Reich said of Leonard.

The Colts are still hoping Leonard will be ready for Week 1 against the Houston Texans but with every passing day that the Maniac misses, the questions will continue to rise about whether he’ll be active for the opener.

What's next?

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The Colts will be on the field again Thursday at noon for Day 6 of training camp before getting two days off and returning Sunday for practice. This will be the final weekend without a football game being played (save for Aug. 4) for the rest of the year!

Story originally appeared on Colts Wire