Tag: Ben Banogu

9 takeaways from Colts’ first joint practice with Panthers

Notes and observations from Colts’ first joint practice with Panthers on Thursday.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Carolina Panthers for a joint training camp practice on Thursday for the first of two sessions ahead of the preseason opener this weekend.

Both teams came out in full pads at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield looking to be physical on their first days against live competition.

The Colts will have one more joint practice with the Panthers on Friday at 4:00 p.m. before a day off Saturday and the preseason opener on Sunday.

Here are nine takeaways from the first joint training camp practice between the Colts and Panthers

7 Colts to watch during joint practices with Panthers

Here are seven Colts players to watch during the joint practices with the Panthers.

The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for a physical two days of joint training camp practices with the Carolina Panthers at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.

Though these practices won’t be the final evaluation for players, it will be a big chance for some to show some juice against live competition for the first time before the season arrives.

The Colts will host the Panthers for 4:00 p.m. practices on Thursday and Friday before their preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Here are seven Colts to watch during the joint training camp practices with the Panthers.

Ben Banogu making plenty of noise at Colts training camp

Colts DE Ben Banogu has shown up ready to carve out a role at training camp.

There are a few players under immense pressure to perform during training camp and the preseason. Defensive end Ben Banogu is chiefly among them on the Indianapolis Colts roster.

After two disappointing seasons in which Banogu actually saw less playing time in his second season, many were wondering if the TCU product could be on the roster bubble entering camp.

After a week and a half of practices, Banogu is making it clear he’s come prepared and hungry to carve out a role on the defensive line.

Whether it has been winning in one-on-one drills without pads or blowing past the offensive line in full pads during team drills, Banogu has been making about as much noise as any player to open camp. He’s been noted to make impact plays during just about every practice.

Of course, it is just under two weeks of practice. So some of it should be taken with a grain of salt until we can watch him play against other competition in the preseason games. However, this is an encouraging sign that Banogu could be taking that next step.

General manager Chris Ballard often preaches patience when it comes to edge rushers. While other teams in the league may find it necessary to have earlier production from their edge rushers, Ballard is content with waiting on a player to develop, especially since part of their job is to make sure a player has and does everything they can to reach his potential.

Patience has been the key for Banogu during his first two seasons. He was a healthy scratch for the entire second half of the 2020 season, which also included the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

But now with Al-Quadin Muhammad still on the COVID-19 list, Banogu has been getting plenty of reps to prove his worth. And he’s taken advantage of those opportunities thus far.

As the edge rushers hold the key to the Colts defense becoming an elite unit, Banogu—along with Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis and Kemoko Turay—must become a factor in the pass rush.

We will get a better look at Banogu during the preseason games, but it’s encouraging to see him making as much noise as he has during the early portion of training camp.

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Ben Banogu making plenty of noise at Colts training camp

Colts DE Ben Banogu has shown up ready to carve out a role at training camp.

There are a few players under immense pressure to perform during training camp and the preseason. Defensive end Ben Banogu is chiefly among them on the Indianapolis Colts roster.

After two disappointing seasons in which Banogu actually saw less playing time in his second season, many were wondering if the TCU product could be on the roster bubble entering camp.

After a week and a half of practices, Banogu is making it clear he’s come prepared and hungry to carve out a role on the defensive line.

Whether it has been winning in one-on-one drills without pads or blowing past the offensive line in full pads during team drills, Banogu has been making about as much noise as any player to open camp. He’s been noted to make impact plays during just about every practice.

Of course, it is just under two weeks of practice. So some of it should be taken with a grain of salt until we can watch him play against other competition in the preseason games. However, this is an encouraging sign that Banogu could be taking that next step.

General manager Chris Ballard often preaches patience when it comes to edge rushers. While other teams in the league may find it necessary to have earlier production from their edge rushers, Ballard is content with waiting on a player to develop, especially since part of their job is to make sure a player has and does everything they can to reach his potential.

Patience has been the key for Banogu during his first two seasons. He was a healthy scratch for the entire second half of the 2020 season, which also included the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

But now with Al-Quadin Muhammad still on the COVID-19 list, Banogu has been getting plenty of reps to prove his worth. And he’s taken advantage of those opportunities thus far.

As the edge rushers hold the key to the Colts defense becoming an elite unit, Banogu—along with Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis and Kemoko Turay—must become a factor in the pass rush.

We will get a better look at Banogu during the preseason games, but it’s encouraging to see him making as much noise as he has during the early portion of training camp.

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12 things we learned from first week of Colts training camp

Here are 12 things we learned from the first week of Colts training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts completed their first week of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield with four padless practices.

It is still very early in camp so we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions when it comes to position battles or production, but there are storylines taking place surrounding the team. Some are bigger than others, and we got plenty of information from the first week.

Here are 12 things we learned from the first week of Colts training camp:

6 takeaways from Colts training camp practice No. 4

Takeaways from Colts training camp practice No. 4 on Saturday.

The Indianapolis Colts concluded their first week of training camp with a practice on Saturday at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.

With Carson Wentz still out with a foot injury and the Colts awaiting more information, the team rolled with Jacob Eason as the starter with the first-team offense.

Here are six takeaways from training camp practice No. 4 for the Colts:

Colts’ 2021 training camp preview: Defensive end

Previewing the DE group ahead of Colts training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts report for training camp in less than a week with rookies reporting on Saturday, and one of the rookies will be looking to make a major impact in 2021.

The Colts let both of their defensive end starters walk in free agency. Justin Houston is still on the market while Denico Autry signed with the Tennessee Titans. With the additions of some depth free agents and a couple of draft picks, the Colts are banking on their young edge rushers to make an impact.

As training camp approaches, here’s our preview for the defensive end position:

Colts’ roster bubble: Each position’s biggest potential cut

Here is the biggest name at each position on the roster bubble for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts are now under three weeks away from their return to training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.

With the much-needed return of training camp also comes the roster debates as numerous players are vying for the limited spots on the Colts roster. With so many positions already having foundational pieces, there is going to be some intense competition for roles and spots on the roster.

So we are going to take a look at the biggest potential roster cut at each position. Essentially, which players with the biggest name are on the bubble? Some of these may be a surprise while others not so much. For some, it may not matter whether they make it or not. But we’re here to break it down anyway.

Here’s the biggest potential roster cut at each position by the time training camp is over:

Colts’ Ben Banogu named a roster cut candidate

ESPN named Colts DE Ben Banogu a cut candidate in 2021.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Ben Banogu was named a potential roster cut when training camp arrives by ESPN’s Mike Wells.

“Veteran in danger: Ben Banogu, DE

Why he could get cut: Banogu, a second-round pick by the Colts in 2019, played in only nine games in 2020. It wasn’t because Banogu was injured, either. He was inactive for several games because he fell so far down the depth chart. A sign of how the Colts feel about Banogu, who has only 2½ sacks in two seasons, was when they used their first two picks in this year’s draft on defensive ends Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo. “It has to be done on the practice field, it has to be done in drills because we study everything and we look at every single thing that every player does,” defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said about Banogu in early June. — Mike Wells”

Banogu finds himself in a tough spot entering his third season in the league. He hasn’t been able to make much of an impact since he was drafted and wound up seeing fewer snaps in Year 2 than he did his rookie campaign. For the majority of the second half of the 2020 season, Banogu was a healthy scratch.

After the Colts drafted Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo back in April, Banogu finds himself on the roster bubble. The room is pretty crowded as it currently stands so Banogu will have to show out during training camp and the preseason games.

In 25 career games, Banogu has 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. He didn’t record any of those stats during the 2020 season.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the cuts come around, but Banogu finds himself in a tough spot entering training camp.

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5 Colts with something to prove in 2021

These Colts are out to prove something.

The Indianapolis Colts spent the offseason retooling the roster in hopes of staying competitive in the AFC. In order to do that, they are going to need some players to step up.

Every year on every team, there are players who have something to prove. Maybe they had a down year. Maybe they are looking to bounce back from injury. Perhaps, they are simply looking to continue an ascension through the ranks.

Here are five Colts with something to prove in 2021: