The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their second joint training camp practice with the Detroit Lions on Thursday at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
The Colts returned with another physical practice against Dan Campbell’s squad ahead of the preseason game Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. While Indy dominated the first day of practice with their first-team offense, they struggled a bit more toward the end.
We put together a quick roundup of the news, notes and highlights from the joint practice.
Now, it’s time to get into the biggest takeaways from Thursday’s joint practice with the Lions:
1
Attendance and Injuries
- LB Shaquille Leonard (back) remained on the PUP list and didn’t practice Thursday.
- DT R.J. McIntosh, S Will Redmond, CB Isaiah Rodgers (concussion), S Armani Watts, DT Chris Williams (lower leg), WR Keke Coutee (groin), LB Jojo Domann and OT Dennis Kelly (knee) did not practice Thursday.
- CB Anthony Chesley returned to practice after missing a few days with an injury.
2
Matt Ryan caps off a solid day
After his near pristine day on Wednesday against the Lions defense, quarterback Matt Ryan returned for another efficient outing. Though he didn’t throw a touchdown or interception, he found his targets with ease and consistency.
The 37-year-old veteran only had three incompletions during team drills on the day with all three stemming from receiver drops. Here’s the recap of Ryan’s day from Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan:
Matt Ryan finished Thursday afternoon 9-of-12 with completions to the following guys: Michael Pittman (5), Mo Alie-Cox (1), Jelani Woods (1), Ashton Dulin (1), Jonathan Taylor (1). After another nice start for the passing offense, things stalled out in a 2-minute drill to end practice. You could chalk up all 3 of Ryan’s incompletions on Thursday to drops by Michael Pittman, Kylen Granson and Parris Campbell. Through 12 practices, Ryan is 109-of-157 in the full teamwork. Ryan’s completed his passes to the following guys: Michael Pittman (35), Kylen Granson (14), Mo Alie-Cox (14), Jonathan Taylor (12), Nyheim Hines (10), Parris Campbell (8), Alec Pierce (5), Ashton Dulin (5), Drew Ogletree (3), Jelani Woods (1), Dezmon Patmon (1), Keke Coutee (1).
It’s clear Ryan’s go-to target is Michael Pittman Jr., but we won’t get to see much of them during the preseason.
3
E.J. Speed showing out
Speed has been working exclusively with the second-team offense during training camp even with Shaquille Leonard still out from back surgery. He had a strong day on Thursday, and according to Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle, he was the best player on the Colts defense.
My defensive player of the day goes to linebacker E.J. Speed. He teamed up with safety Nick Cross for an excellent run stuff on one play and then intercepted quarterback Tim Boyle in the end zone shortly after. Defensive tackle Byron Cowart flushed Boyle out of the pocket on the play to force the pass.
Speed enters the final season of his rookie contract as the fourth linebacker in the room.
4
A big day for Jelani Woods
The Colts got some rough news during Wednesday’s practice that rookie tight end Andrew Ogletree would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL. While that’s a tough blow for Ogletree and the offense, it will lead to more opportunities for the third-round pick in Woods.
And it appears Woods was having his way on Thursday with the new opportunities. According to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star, Woods may have had his best day of camp.
Woods made three catches in 11-on-11 drills during Thursday’s practice, showcasing the size and speed that convinced the Colts to use a third-round pick on him in April.
The big rookie opened practice by making a pair of tough, contested catches over the middle from Nick Foles, reaching behind himself in traffic to make the first and plucking the second out of a congested middle of the field.
Then Woods showed what he can do after the catch. Big and physical at 6-7, 253 pounds, Woods also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and that blend of size and speed can be devastating in the open field. On both of his catches from Foles, Woods shrugged off Detroit defensive backs left and right, blazing into the secondary.
Woods may not have a massive role during his rookie season with Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson ahead of him on the depth chart, but these are the type of encouraging steps the Colts want to see.
5
What's next?
The Colts have Friday off before hosting the Lions for a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1:00 p.m. ET.
