The Indianapolis Colts were back on the field Sunday to conclude the second week of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
Another day of full pads took place during the afternoon practice for the Colts following two days off. Preparing for the preseason opener will be among the priorities now even though playing that game is really just to get into a rhythm again.
We also put together a quick roundup of the news, notes and highlights from Sunday’s training camp practice.
Here are six takeaways from Day 7 of Colts training camp:
1
Attendance and Injuries
- LB Shaquille Leonard (back) and WR Mike Strachan (knee) remained on the PUP list and didn’t practice Sunday.
- DT Chris Williams (foot/ankle), OT Dennis Kelly (knee), LB Forrest Rhyne (undisclosed) and WR DeMichael Harris (undisclosed) continued to miss practice. They have each missed more than two sessions.
- Additionally, DB Brandon King (undisclosed), S Armani Watts (undisclosed) and RB Ty’Son Williams (undisclosed) missed their second consecutive practice.
- S Will Redmond (undisclosed) missed his first practice of training camp Sunday.
- Rookie DT Curtis Brooks got poked in the eye during Sunday’s practice and didn’t return. It isn’t expected to be serious.
2
A sloppy day for the offense
By most accounts, it wasn’t the best day for the offense as a whole. The encouraging news is that quarterback Matt Ryan had himself another strong day. However, his supporting cast was plagued by drops and fumbles.
The defense seems to have gotten the better of the offense in the three practices that featured full pads, which is somewhat to be expected. The offense is clearly still working out some kinks, and it’s far from panic time.
“I mean we had like five or six dropped passes. That was more than we have had the whole training camp,” head coach Frank Reich said Sunday. “We’ll clean those things up. There was still a lot of positives. We’ll clean those things up. That’s part of it – learning how to focus over a sustained period of time.”
3
Stephon Gilmore cannot be contained
This really doesn’t come as a major surprise but as an affirmation that the move made this offseason to bring in Gilmore may go down as the best one from free agency.
Gilmore continues to look like the consummate professional and even though he’s learning a new scheme, he continues to haunt the opposing quarterbacks. On Sunday, he intercepted a Matt Ryan pass during a 7v7 drill for what would have been a pick-six.
“I can just tell you from a quarterback’s perspective, he’s the kind of cornerback you fear because (the) way he sees the game. He knows what’s coming before it’s coming,” Reich said Sunday. “He’s so quick to recognize routes, concepts and then he has the ability to make plays on the ball and turn it over.”
There are a lot of moving pieces within the new defense, but Gilmore doesn’t appear to be missing much of a step.
4
Jojo Domann grabbing attention
It’s likely that at least one undrafted rookie free agent will make the initial 53-man roster, and Domann has as good of a chance as any. In fact, he may be leading the charge in that regard.
Domann had another strong day at training camp Sunday, according to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star, working with the second and third-team defense.
“Undrafted free agent JoJo Domann has been all over the field in the first week and a half of training camp.
A linebacker who plays like he has a magnet for the ball, Domann has made a handful of plays, against the pass and in the running game, where he shined while working with the second and third teams on Sunday.
Domann made at least four plays in the running game, piling up stops and continuing to make his case for a roster spot in a crowded linebacker group.”
The preseason games will be huge for the undrafted rookies to make their way up the depth chart, but it’s also important to stack strong days during practice as Domann has.
5
More praise for Andrew Ogletree
The rookie tight end continues to shine at training camp and has been stacking strong days over the last week or so. It’s gotten to the point where Ogletree is essentially forcing the Colts to keep four tight ends even if his role in the offense would be limited during the regular season.
Ogletree saw more work with the first-team offense Sunday and received more praise from his head coach following the afternoon practice when Reich was asked if the rookie is having as strong of a camp as it seems.
“I think he is. I think Drew (Ogletree) has come in – what was evident right away was it just seemed like he knew what he was doing right away. There was never any ramp-up time. It just seemed like he fit in right from the start,” Reich said.
6
Separation in the RB room?
We know Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines are going to lead the way in the backfield, but the competition for the role immediately behind them is completely up for grabs.
While Lindsay has been considered the favorite for that role, he finally showed some separation in the competition Sunday despite the offense’s sloppy day, according to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.
Playing behind Taylor and Hines, Lindsay got some momentum going for the offense during a tough period on Sunday, ripping off a long run through the middle, catching a checkdown from Nick Foles on the next play and then turning in another nice run.
There’s still a long way to go in this competition, but Lindsay has the leg up right now going into the preseason opener.
7
What's next?
The Colts have another practice Monday starting at noon as they begin the third week of training camp and prepare for the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills (Aug. 13).
