9 takeaways from Day 3 of Colts training camp
The Indianapolis Colts returned to the practice field Saturday night for Day 3 of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
After getting the day off Friday, the Colts were in front of a packed house for their first night practice in four years. The energy was palpable as the team put on a show preparing for the start of the regular season.
We also put together a quick roundup of the highlights from Saturday night’s practice.
The Colts were in shells and aren’t expected to go into full pads until this upcoming week.
Here are nine takeaways from Day 3 of Colts training camp:
Attendance
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
LB Shaquille Leonard (back) and WR Mike Strachan (knee) remain on the PUP list and did not practice Saturday night.
DT Chris Williams (undisclosed) did not participate Saturday night and was seen wearing a boot on his right foot. He did not practice Thursday either.
CB Tony Brown (undisclosed) missed practice Saturday night due to an undisclosed injury.
Injuries
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
TE Mo Alie-Cox (knee) tweaked his knee during a collision with CB Stephon Gilmore. He didn’t finish practice, but the injury isn’t considered serious at this time.
OT Carter O’Donnell (undisclosed) left practice early with the training staff.
Parris Campbell szn
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
There have been a lot of positive highlights from the start of training camp but one that continues to dominate the headlines is the connection between Campbell and new quarterback Matt Ryan.
Campbell continued to put on a show Saturday night by being one of Ryan’s favorite targets over the middle. The fourth-year wideout also found plenty of success during the 1v1 drills.
“Matt (Ryan) just has a lot of confidence throwing the ball over the middle. He’s just done that his whole career. Parris (Campbell) feels in there comfortable too,” said Frank Reich on Satursday. “A lot of his college stuff was inside there. He’s continued to develop. I think those two have a great chemistry. I think Matt is working hard with all the receivers, but Parris has certainly been shining a little bit.”
We all know it comes down to health with Campbell, who has played just 15 games across three seasons. But he’s going to be a problem for opposing defenses if he des stay healthy.
Ashton Dulin rising
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Dulin entered training camp looking to solidify his role as the No. 4 wide receiver on the depth chart. He’s done nothing to cast doubt on that notion and we may even be underrating his role on offense a bit.
Dulin, with his 4.43 speed, has been one of the stars of training camp thus far. The departure of Zach Pascal and T.Y. Hilton this offseason has given Dulin the chance to earn a bigger role on the offensive side of the ball.
“Yeah, I cannot emphasize how strongly we feel about Ashton Dulin and that he’s going to play a role in this offense. He’s proven it, he’s earned it, he’s going to have to continue to prove it and continue to earn it,” Reich said Saturday. “We’re all planning on him making a significant contribution to not only special teams but to the offense this year.”
Dulin seems to have the WR4 role locked down and could be looking to carve out an even bigger role on offense than he’s seen through his first three seasons.
Alec Pierce has no trouble with press coverage
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
It seems Saturday night was a day for the wide receivers. Pierce got in on the fun after having a shaky practice on Thursday. It seems the day off in between practices help get his mind right because the rookie flashed that vertical ability on Saturday.
Pierce was most impressive in 1v1 drills where he was beating press coverage with ease. It’s the kind of progress the Colts want to see from a rookie who could have a big role during his first season.
Here’s what Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan said about Pierce’s day:
“One of the big questions with any rookie wideout is how will that player can do against press coverage. Well, during Saturday’s 1-on-1 session, Alec Pierce had zero trouble beating press, and securing a reception. The first bit of this was Pierce again getting by Isaiah Rodgers for a deep connection from Matt Ryan. Later, Pierce beat Marvell Tell to the inside for a slant grab. The win of that rep led to wideouts coach Reggie Wayne high-fiving Pierce. The starting offense work for Pierce hasn’t led to many targets/receptions so far, but this was a good sign from the rookie.”
Pierce is competing for the WR2 role in the offense, and the Colts will want to see more of this progression from him moving forward.
Isaiah Rodgers bouncing back
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Rodgers has had a solid start to training camp through the first week of practices. He has had his moments of getting beaten in 1v1 drills, but he’s also shown plenty of will to bounce back shortly afterward.
Saturday night was no different. Rodgers got beat off the line by rookie Alec Pierce, who hauled in a deep reception. In the next two plays, though, Rodgers bounced back to force an interception and an incompletion, according to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.
“Rodgers made up for it on his next snap, running withKeke Coutee down the field, then going up and picking off the deep ball for a leaping interception reminiscent of the three he made in a breakout 2021 season. On his third 1-on-1 snap, Rodgers was matched up against Hines, and he broke up a crossing route.”
Rodgers has been operating as the fourth cornerback in the room behind Stephon Gilmore, Kenny Moore II and his main competition in Brandon Facyson to begin training camp.
Ben Banogu getting on the board
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Few players are under pressure like Banogu entering training camp. The former second-round pick has just two sacks to his name through three seasons and enters a prove-it campaign in the final year of his rookie contract.
Banogu finally started to make some noise Saturday night, collecting two would-be sacks against rookie offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann.
Banogu has been working mostly as the backup to Yannick Ngakoue at the LEO position, which could be a nice fit because it allows him to maximize the usage of his athleticism.
He needs a strong camp to solidify his roster spot, and this was a nice step forward.
A big day for Kwity Paye
AP Photo/Michael Conroy
Almost every analyst is expecting a breakout season from the 2021 first-round pick. Even though the pads aren’t on yet, Paye is flashing the potential for a big season in Year 2.
According to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star, Paye was one of the stars on defense Saturday night. One of his biggest moments came in beating right tackle Braden Smith—one of the best at his position—during a 1v1 drill.
“Kwity Paye stood out in the 1-on-1 drills, beating Braden Smith with a long-arm on his first rush, then winning with a secondary move against Dennis Kelly later. In 11-on-11, a Paye rush from the left side forced Ryan up into DeForest Buckner on one snap, and although Ryan pulled the ball down and scrambled, it looked like Buckner might have come away with a sack.”
With Buckner and Ngakoue leading the charge, the Colts need Paye to be a force on the right side. The uber-athletic edge defender can be a Pro-Bowl caliber player starting in 2022.
What's next?
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
While the Colts had a day off Friday, they won’t be on the field again until Tuesday. They will have three consecutive practices at noon starting Tuesday before another two days off Saturday and Sunday next week. We should expect camp to get a bit more physical with the pads likely to come on for the first time during one or more of those sessions.
