The Indianapolis Colts can officially begin padded practices at training camp on Monday and can now hold their more physical sessions as they prepare for the expected start of the regular season on Sept. 13.
For the last two weeks or so, the Colts have been running around in shirts and shorts with minimal contact during the ramp-up period as the league tries to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. It has seemingly worked thus far, but the next step is actually getting physical.
The Colts are allotted 14 padded practices as they try to make up for the lack of preseason games. Whether they will use all of those remains to be seen, but real football is inching closer.
Here are five things to watch at Colts training camp as the pads come on:
Position battles can take shape
While we have covered which position battles are most important for the Colts, it is extremely difficult to gauge the competition without pads on. This is especially true for the more physical positions like linebacker and running back.
But now with the pads on, the Colts can get a better idea of which players are separating themselves from their peers. The mos exciting competition is likely at linebacker where Anthony Walker Jr. and Bobby Okereke will duke it out for the MIKE spot. Both are worthy of starting and leading the defense.
Other competitions to watch include running back, wide receiver and defensive tackle. The running back position will be headed by Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor while the wide receiver and defensive tackle positions feature competition for depth roles.