With all that is going on in the world, everyone has been impacted in some form or fashion by COVID-19. The same can be said for the NFL as there have been no on-field workouts since the new league year started back in March.
With no on-field workouts, no preseason, and a very limited training camp, players will be impacted by the NFL having to change their offseason schedule.
Here are three Colts that will be most impacted by the limited offseason on-field work:
WR Daurice Fountain
For Fountain, he needed these offseason workouts on the field to show he has fully recovered from the ankle injury he suffered at the end of the 2019 training camp. Even if it were a long shot for Fountain, he was making plays last year in camp and in the preseason, and he was making a strong case to make the roster last year before the injury.
Now he’s in a battle with some other receivers for one of the last spots on the roster. One thing working against him is the Colts haven’t seen him on the field in somewhat live-action since last August, so they don’t know where he is at physically. Also, he was a fifth-round pick in 2018, so there isn’t a high investment from the team keeping him on the roster.
Fountain really needed the on-field workouts and training camp to show he’s ready to make an impact and he’s fully healthy. Now, the pressure will be on over the next month.
QB Jacob Eason
The rookie quarterback has his roster spot basically locked down, as Eason is expected to be the third quarterback behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett. But not having much of an offseason, plus no preseason will really hurt Eason’s progression as he looks to become the long-term answer at quarterback for the Colts.
One knock on Eason is his lack of experience. In four years of college, Eason only played in 29 games. He played in all 13 his freshman and redshirt junior year, but missed 10 games his sophomore year and sat out one year due to transfer rules.
The hope was Eason can get reps is in training camp and preseason. Now, for the most part, those are all gone. For someone that hasn’t had a lot of experience in college, and will get little reps this year, Eason will need to be a quick learner depending on what the Colts do at quarterback for the 2021 season.
DT Tyquan Lewis
Now entering his third season, Lewis is heading toward a make or break season that will have a major impact on his career trajectory.
Over the first two seasons, Lewis has been rattled with injuries and can’t stay on the field consistently. Now with an open competition at defensive end, and the addition of DeForest Buckner to the interior of the defense, Lewis is in a fight for a roster spot.
With very little training camp and no preseason, it will be difficult for Lewis to make the case he deserves to be on this roster, or even be a starter at the defensive end spot. Ballard has cut ties to draft picks before entering their second contract (basically all of the 2017 draft class) and it shouldn’t be surprising if he does it again if Lewis can’t stay on the field and show something in this limited offseason.
