The Indianapolis Colts are expecting to begin training camp on July 28 and while we don’t know what’s in store after that, there are still topics to discuss in the coming weeks.
As it is with every training camp, the Colts will have a number of position battles to watch. Some are more important than others, but there are always players with more to lose than their teammates on the roster.
That could come in the form of simply losing a starting role or it could result in them losing a roster spot altogether.
With training camp less than two weeks away, here are four Colts with the most to lose:
RB Marlon Mack
This is an instance where Mack will most certainly be on the roster regardless of what happens during training camp. However, we have to keep in mind the battle that will be going on for the RB1 role in the backfield.
I’ve long maintained the position that Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor will split early-down work to begin the season. Mack is too talented and explosive to keep off the field. That said, he’s also going up against the type of competition that puts his future with the organization in doubt.
So while I keep the optimistic approach that Mack will keep a fair role in the backfield, we must also realize just how much the Colts like Taylor. It isn’t likely that the rookie takes a three-down role right away. That’s not in the plans.
But it would be naive to say that Mack will automatically retain a lion’s share of the work simply because he has been the starter. He has a lot on the line when training camp begins.
LB Anthony Walker Jr.
Entering his fourth season, Walker Jr. finds himself in a very similar situation to that of Mack. The only difference is we have seen what his competition can do at the NFL level. Walker Jr. should be viewed as the starter to begin the season, but he won’t be without a challenge from Bobby Okereke.
There is no denying what Walker Jr. has meant to the defense since he took over as the starting MIKE linebacker in 2018. To do what he’s done as a fifth-round pick is remarkable. But he’s not without his limitations, and Okereke is unquestionably a better fit for the defense.
The battle for the MIKE linebacker spot is the one everyone is waiting to watch. Will the savvy veteran prevail or will the new hotness take over? No one really knows at this point what will happen, but it isn’t outside the realm of possibilities that Okereke emerges as the starter.
Walker Jr. has been a strong complement and running mate with Darius Leonard. He’s intelligent, commanding and a strong leader in the middle of the defense. But schematically, Okereke is a better fit and there is a chance he winds up taking that starting role.
WR Daurice Fountain
It has been an interesting road for Fountain, who enters his third season. He was a fifth-round pick in 2018 draft but saw close to no work on offense during his rookie season. Then, just when it appeared he might have a role in the offense in 2019, he suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ended his campaign before it even got started.
While a great many see Fountain as a lock for the roster, he will have a lot of competition for that final spot in the room. With the first four spots all but locked up by T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal, Fountain has his work cut out for him.
It comes to the point where his roster spot is in danger if he doesn’t show enough to win the job. The good news is he still has practice squad eligibility if he does get cut.
But with Marcus Johnson, Dezmon Patmon and Ashton Dulin all just as deserving as Fountain, he roster spot is in serious jeopardy if he gets off to a slow start at training camp.
CB Xavier Rhodes
The Colts put their faith in the bounce-back of a veteran cornerback, signing Rhodes to a one-year deal in free agency. Because there isn’t a whole lot of competition in the cornerback room, Rhodes is likely to begin the season as a starter on the boundary.
But even when the Colts are in base defense with only two cornerbacks, Rhodes is most likely behind Rock Ya-Sin and Kenny Moore. After a poor season in 2019, Rhodes is hoping to bounce back to his Pro Bowl form. He allowed the highest passer rating of his career in 2019 while also being responsible for five touchdowns allowed without recording an interception.
Now, it isn’t likely that Rhodes would be in danger of being cut. That would be a surprise to just about everyone. And while he may hold a starting role on the boundary in nickel packages, he needs a strong training camp to show that he can bounce back and be a reliable asset for the Colts.
This is an important season for the 30-year-old Rhodes, who truly needs a bounce-back campaign if he doesn’t want to continue searching for one-year deals after 2020.
