Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.
Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.
I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is rookie linebacker Jaylon Carlies. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.
2023 Season Review
Jaylon Carlies was the Colts’ second fifth-round selection in this year’s draft. Carlies played safety at Missouri, but his size (6-3), weight (227 pounds), length, with a nearly 81-inch wingspan, and athleticism, posting a RAS of 8.26, were all factors in the Colts’ decision to move him to linebacker.
“He’s very good with his hands,” said Colts area scout Tyler Hughes. “He knows how to use his length. He’s good at locating the ball. I think personally, he was at his best when he was closer to the line of scrimmage. He just saw things quicker. Things kind of shrunk down for a little and he was able to utilize his strengths to his game there.”
Carlies played a career-high 317 snaps (or about 50%) from either the box or slot in 2023. He ranked 43rd in PFF’s run-stop rate among his position group while recording two interceptions and three pass breakups in coverage, holding opponents to 11.9 yards per catch.
For more on Carlies, here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say in his pre-draft scouting report:
“Carlies likely needs to make the transition from safety to linebacker to have an opportunity in the NFL. He’s very tight in his hips and plays with a debilitating lack of change of direction that causes problems for him in coverage and as an open-field tackler. As a linear mover, he needs to be able to play forward and near the line, where he’s less likely to make mistakes with his angles of pursuit. Carlies has pretty good ball skills but will have a hard time sticking with pass-catching tight ends, so it could be challenging for teams to lock in on a role for him.”
2024 Season Preview
As I wrote about recently, Carlies’ experience in coverage could put him in a position to carve out a role this season. Although the Colts’ utilize a 4-3 scheme under Gus Bradley, the majority of defensive snaps are played in nickel with only two linebackers on the field. This means that Zaire Franklin and EJ Speed will dominate the linebacker snaps.
However, the third linebacker spot on the depth chart appears to be up for grabs this summer, and Carlies brings a different skill set to the position. Where he could potentially make an immediate impact is in a coveage-first role, playing on obvious passing downs or as the Will linebacker when the Colts are lined up in their base defense.
Also on the roster who could fill a similar role is Ronnie Harrison. The Colts also have Segun Olubi, Cameron McGrone, Grant Stuard, and Liam Anderson at linebacker. As is always the case at this position, special teams play will play a key role in determining those back-end roster spots.
With that said, there is still likely going to be a learning curve for Carlies, who is not only making the transition from college to the NFL but also switching positions, with Hughes noting there be a “jump” for Carlies in being a primary box defender, particularly against the run.
But the Colts are very well-equipped to help Carlies with that transition. Bradley and linebackers coach Richard Smith were both with the Raiders when helping Divine Deablo make the move from safety to linebacker, while Colts’ assistant linebackers coach Cato June made a similar jump during his playing career.
“Those coaches have a good plan in place of how they’re going to utilize him and how they’re going to develop him,” said Hughes. “You got guys like Divine Deablo, who our defensive staff had, so (Carlies has) got a lot of versatility to him and definitely the figure to see what we want at a linebacker at our level.”