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Indianapolis Colts defensive end Ben Banogu was having a strong showing during the team’s first live scrimmage of training camp on Monday before an ankle injury ended his day prematurely.
Banogu suffered the injury and was attended to the training staff on the field. He was able to walk off under his own power, albeit in a gingerly fashion with a limp.
>>>READ: Takeaways from the first scrimmage<<<
There is no timetable yet for Banogu, but head coach Frank Reich is optimistic they won’t be too long without the second-year edge rusher.
“We had one injury, Ben Banogu, got his ankle. I just talked to him in the locker room a second ago, I don’t think it’s too bad so hopefully he won’t be out too long,” Reich said Monday after the scrimmage.
Banogu has been enjoying a strong training camp since the pads came on. He’s showing prowess as a run stopper, which is encouraging given he’s typically viewed as a speed rusher from the edge. He’s been making plays against the run and even had a few during the scrimmage before the injury.
While Justin Houston locks down one edge spot, the Colts have been working to see who gets the other edge spot on the opposite side of the line. Denico Autry has been shining throughout camp from the edge and with Kemoko Turay still on the PUP list, Banogu has taken advantage of the extra reps.
The Colts are a bit thin at edge rusher for the moment now with both Banogu and Turay banged up. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Colts give Banogu a few days to recover before reevaluating him for a return.
With roughly two weeks until the start of the season, this will certainly be a situation to monitor.