The Indianapolis Colts have officially wrapped their first week of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, and there were plenty of notes to sift through.
The Colts will have the day off Monday before returning to the practice field Tuesday morning—where they will have a set of three consecutive practices before another off day.
Here are six takeaways from the first week of Colts training camp:
Injuries to monitor
We’ll start with the injuries and with starting quarterback Andrew Luck. The calf injury that kept him out of the spring workouts doesn’t appear to be impacting him at all, but the Colts are continuing precaution to ensure not setbacks happen. He’s practiced limitedly in three of the four sessions.
Defensive end Jabaal Sheard will be the one to watch after he suffered a knee injury and is expected to miss some time. The Colts aren’t sure how long he will be out with an injury. Fellow defensive end Kemoko Turay has been dealing with a shoulder injury as well.
Rookie wide receiver Parris Campbell suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s practice. It isn’t clear how severe it is.
Rookies showing flashes
It has been rare to see a Colts rookie make an impact during team drills throughout the four training camp practices, but they are showing flashes of talent during individual drills.
Parris Campbell stole the show when he torched Jalen Collins in red-zone work on Sunday. Rock Ya-Sin had two interceptions to end the week. Khari Willis and Marvell Tell have also shown some coverage ability.
The rookies will have a tougher time making an early impact given the depth of the roster, but they are still showing flashes of what the Colts see in them.
Sheard’s injury gives other DEs a chance
The Colts already know what the starting defensive line will look like and with a healthy Jabaal Sheard, he’s manning one of the edge spots. However, he’s expected to miss some time with a knee injury—giving others a chance to get more snaps.
With Sheard out, Al-Quadin Muhmmad has been the one taking snaps in his place. Muhammad’s potential is through the roof as he’s a very strong run defender with the upside to be a solid pass rusher.
This will also gives guys like rookie Ben Banogu a chance to continue showing flashes as a pass rusher. It should also allow Kemoko Turay to see some more work if and when he returns from his shoulder injury.
Anthony Walker is the starting MIKE right now
There was some talk that Walker would have immense competition with rookie Bobby Okereke coming to town as a third-round pick, but the first-team snaps have been all Walker through the first week of training camp.
That includes passing downs, which is where Okereke figured to bite into Walker’s playing time. It appears the chemistry between Darius Leonard and Walker is getting even stronger than it was when the duo had a brilliant season in 2018.
This is still a position battle to watch throughout training camp and the preseason games, but it appears Walker has the leg up on the majority paying time early.
Devin Funchess is the WR2 right now
There will still be a massive competition as training camp and the preseason progress, but it appears the Colts are preparing to make Funchess the WR2 opposite T.Y. Hilton.
Though it has been an up and down track for Funchess in team workouts, he’s showing an innate ability to make contested catches—especially in the red zone. The preseason games will show more of who will get the job, but it appears to be Funchess as the WR2 right now.
On a related note, the rest of the room is completely up for grabs. Chester Rogers has been working a lot in the slot. Deon Cain has shown flashes but has only participated in team drills for two of the practices. Zach Pascal and Marcus Johnson are certainly still in the mix for a spot.
Backup LT competition taking place
We know Anthony Castonzo will be the starting left tackle when healthy. But who is backup will be is a big question. Right now, it appears to be a battle between Le’Raven Clark and Antonio Garcia.
When Castonzo has been on the field for practice—he had one rest day—Garcia has been seen working with the second team. But Clark was the one to fill in on the first team when Castonzo was out on Saturday. It should be noted that Garcia has an impending four-game suspension waiting for him to begin the season.
Though the player that wins this role is likely to be the backup to Castonzo, it is still an intriguing position battle to keep an eye on as training camp and the preseason continues on.
