The Indianapolis Colts officially begin their strength and condition portion of training camp as the ramp-up period gets underway. While the next month will be unique in terms of recent years, there are still players to keep an eye on.
Throughout the offseason, there have been players who are mentioned more than others. Maybe they are bouncing back from injury or they are a new piece joining the team at an important position. But then there are those who are flying under the radar.
They might not get as much coverage as other players, but they should still be monitored as training camp commences.
Here are five under-the-radar Colts to watch at training camp:
WR Ashton Dulin
With T.Y. Hilton returning, Michael Pittman Jr. joining as a second-round pick and Parris Campbell hoping to bounce back from an injury-riddled rookie campaign, there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about the rest of the room. And while the competition for the final spot on the wide receiver depth chart features a few names, Dulin is flying under the radar.
The second-year wideout will be competing for one of the final spots in the room and while other names like Marcus Johnson and Daurice Fountain get all of the attention, Dulin shouldn’t be cast aside immediately.
Dulin has an impressive athletic profile to warrant consideration for the final spot in the room but he also has an advantage given that he can work on special teams. He played 172 special teams snaps (42%) in 2019, and that could give him a leg up in the competition.
The favorites might be Johnson and Fountain, but don’t sleep on Dulin when the competition begins.
C Javon Patterson
The Colts have one of the best starting offensive line units in the NFL entering the 2020 season and while there are some question marks in terms of depth, the unit as a whole is solid. But Patterson will be one to watch as he’s likely entering the campaign as the backup center.
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2019 draft, Patterson missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL during the spring workouts. He didn’t get a training camp, preseason or regular season to show he belongs on the roster. But the Colts didn’t re-sign Josh Andrews in free agency, giving Patterson a clear path to be Ryan Kelly’s backup.
He will be a player to watch because we don’t really know what Patterson brings to the table. He could surprise and be a solid depth piece, but he’s flying under the radar right now despite holding a pretty valuable role.
DE Ben Banogu
Banogu isn’t flying under the radar in the sense that he isn’t being talked about, but he might be in the sense that the assumption is that Kemoko Turay will automatically hold a three-down role on the edge opposite Justin Houston. While that may be the most likely outcome, there is a world in which Banogu carves out a role on early downs as the replacement for Jabaal Sheard.
Banogu sports an insane athletic profile and while he may not be the biggest defensive end, his athleticism and bend allows him to be a potential run stopped on the edge. He has to show that he’s made improvements after seeing limited playing time during his rookie season.
However, Banogu has a very high ceiling to be a versatile edge defender in the NFL and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he carves out a bigger role than expected early on.
LB E.J. Speed
All of the talk in the linebacker room this offseason has been revolving around the competition between Anthony Walker Jr. and Bobby Okereke for the MIKE position. But Speed is entering Year 2 and has the type of profile the Colts love in their linebackers.
Think of Speed as a “Darius Leonard lite” in that he’s a rangy, athletic defender with length to be a strong asset against the run. He’s still refining his game after coming from the Division-II Tarleton State, but Speed is a candidate to see a bit more snaps on defense than he did in his rookie season.
Speed should also be a major contributor on special teams after playing 36% of the snaps in that phase of the game. The attention will be on Okereke and Walker Jr., but don’t forget about Speed.
CB Marvell Tell
The Colts parted ways with Pierre Desir all while signing Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie this offseason. They also used a sixth-round pick on the intriguing Isaiah Rodgers, who could make some noise at camp. But the athletic Tell will be competing for a role that likely features plenty of versatility.
Tell played both on the outside and in the slot during his rookie campaign after switching from safety to cornerback. Rhodes is likely to be the starter on the boundary opposite Rock Ya-Sin, but Tell has a chance to compete for snaps with him while also working inside in dime packages.
There will be a lot of competition in the cornerback room this offseason, but Tell shouldn’t be forgotten when thinking of players who could have bigger roles in 2020.
