Ben Banogu establishing himself in Colts defense

Banogu gets some praise from veteran DE Justin Houston.

The Indianapolis Colts front seven has the chance to be a remarkable unit both due to the returning players as well as some of the new faces joining the unit. One player who will have plenty of eyes on him is second-year defensive end Ben Banogu.

Drafting Banogu as a “jack of all trades” defender in 2019, the TCU product wound up playing almost exclusively with his hand in the dirt during his rookie season. He has the athleticism to play off the ball as a SAM backer but the Colts felt his best path would be at defensive end.

While Banogu is still learning the ins and outs of the league and his own game, veteran defensive end Justin Houston believes the young pass rusher is beginning to establish himself within the Colts defense.

“I’ve seen Ben (Banogu) grow more and more confident in his rushing and learning who he is, and what type of rusher he is,” Houston told reporters Friday. “I think that was the biggest thing – he was unsure of what kind of guy he wanted to be. I think now he is establishing who he wants to be and what kind of rusher he wants to be. When you gain confidence in who you are and what you can do, that helps as a pass rusher.”

Banogu didn’t see a whole lot of playing time during his rookie season even after Kemoko Turay suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 6. He played 271 defensive snaps (26%) and 27 special teams snaps (6%) en route to recording 2.5 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.

Given his bend, athleticism and burst off the line, Banogu can be typecast as a speed rusher. But Houston also believes the 24-year-old plays with more power than a typical speed rusher.

“I definitely think he is a speed rusher, but I think he has more power than he realizes,” Houston said of Banogu. “He is starting to feel himself out so he is learning when and when not to use power and when to use his speed.”

As Turay works his way back on the PUP list from the ankle injury that claimed his 2019 season, Banogu will have the opportunity to compete for the starting defensive end spot opposite Houston.

Entering his second season, Banogu could be in for a big campaign if he continues to establish himself within the front seven of the Colts defense.

5 under-the-radar Colts to watch at training camp

These Colts are flying under the radar entering camp.

The Indianapolis Colts officially begin their strength and condition portion of training camp as the ramp-up period gets underway. While the next month will be unique in terms of recent years, there are still players to keep an eye on.

Throughout the offseason, there have been players who are mentioned more than others. Maybe they are bouncing back from injury or they are a new piece joining the team at an important position. But then there are those who are flying under the radar.

They might not get as much coverage as other players, but they should still be monitored as training camp commences.

Here are five under-the-radar Colts to watch at training camp:

WR Ashton Dulin

With T.Y. Hilton returning, Michael Pittman Jr. joining as a second-round pick and Parris Campbell hoping to bounce back from an injury-riddled rookie campaign, there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about the rest of the room. And while the competition for the final spot on the wide receiver depth chart features a few names, Dulin is flying under the radar.

The second-year wideout will be competing for one of the final spots in the room and while other names like Marcus Johnson and Daurice Fountain get all of the attention, Dulin shouldn’t be cast aside immediately.

Dulin has an impressive athletic profile to warrant consideration for the final spot in the room but he also has an advantage given that he can work on special teams. He played 172 special teams snaps (42%) in 2019, and that could give him a leg up in the competition.

The favorites might be Johnson and Fountain, but don’t sleep on Dulin when the competition begins.

Pages: 12345

How do the Colts plan on replacing DE Jabaal Sheard?

Sheard’s starting role is up for grabs.

The Indianapolis Colts entered the offseason with several decisions to make. One of them included what to do with veteran defensive end Jabaal Sheard, whose contract ended following the 2019 season.

The Colts decided to pass on bringing Sheard back and are focused on developing the younger talent in the room. The team isn’t quite sure how they will replace Sheard’s role, but defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees a few players vying for that starting position.

“Well, I think that is up in the air right now in terms of we have all those young guys in there that could potentially take that spot over – (Ben) Banogu or (Kemoko) Turay,” Eberflus said Friday in a conference call. “We’re potentially moving (Denico) Autry out at some and Ty (Tyquan) Lewis will be out there some. So there will be three or four guys that will be competing for that position.”

Turay and Banogu are the young talents that have Colts fans excited. Both bring athleticism, speed and flexibility to the edge. Those are three traits that Sheard didn’t have being more of a power rusher. But Turay was on his way to a breakout season in 2019 before an ankle injury ended his campaign in Week 6 against the Chiefs.

Banogu flashed during the limited playing time he had throughout his rookie campaign. But his athleticism and bend make him an intriguing option on early downs to be a run-stopper.

After the Colts didn’t make any big improvements to the defensive end room, it became known that both Autry and Lewis will be competing on the edge as well. While Autry already has his roster spot likely locked up, Lewis is another question. He has to prove he belongs on the 53-man before his role on the defense.

Both players will have the chance to compete for a role on the edge when training camp commences.

“What’s beneficial about Denico (Autry) is that he’s played inside and out. Also, Tyquan (Lewis) has played inside and out, right and left,” Eberflus said. “So to have those guys that are not necessarily flex players, but in a sense flex players that they can go in and out.”

There are going to be some interesting developments to watch on the defensive side of the ball during training camp. How the team plans on replacing a vacated starting role will be one of them.

2020 Colts training camp preview: DE Ben Banogu

Ben Banogu faces a big Year 2.

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to return from their summer break on July 28 for training camp, barring any changes. We will be previewing the majority of the roster as the summer progresses.

Name: Ben Banogu
Position: DE
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 252
Age: 24
Free Agent Year: 2023

Background

Banogu enters his second season after playing mostly a limited role during his rookie campaign. He played in all 16 games but recorded only 2.5 sacks and one tackle for loss while playing 26% of the defensive snaps.

Expected Role

It should be expected that Justin Houston and third-year defensive end Kemoko Turay are he starters on the edge for the Colts. But after an offseason went by without the Colts adding to the defensive end room, Banogu has a clear path to be the third player on the depth chart if he continues to develop.

2020 Outlook

While the Colts drafted Banogu to be a “jack of all trades,” the TCU product has worked mostly at defensive end. That trend should continue in Year 2, especially after the Colts didn’t add anything significant to the room. Banogu has the athleticism and bend to be a solid pass rusher from the edge but must continue developing his plan when attacking the edge.

The Colts are hoping that Banogu can continue his development to the point where he can be relied upon in the rotation at defensive end behind Turay and Houston. He also faces some competition with Al-Quadin Muhammad, Tyquan Lewis and Denico Autry.

Bottom Line

Banogu has a lot of upside as an intriguing pass rusher. He played a limited role his rookie season but if he continues to show improvement in his consistency and pass-rush plan, he could be on his way to a bigger role in 2020.

5 Colts who are breakout candidates in 2020

Breakout candidates for Indy.

The Indianapolis Colts have a strong young core of players on both sides of the ball entering the 2020 but some of them have barely begun to scratch the surface of their talents.

Sometimes it takes certain players a bit longer to break out—a term that has varying definitions. The Colts have several players beginning to gain recognition on a national scale, but there are some waiting in the wings to produce more than expected in 2020.

Without including rookies (because they shouldn’t be considered here anyway), here are five Colts who enter the 2020 season as breakout candidates:

Braden Smith | Nyheim Hines | Ben Banogu | Bobby Okereke | Grover Stewart

Braden Smith | RT | Age: 24

The Colts have several players who fall under the umbrella term of “underrated.” Smith might be the player that leads the list for the Colts. Because it can be difficult to quantify offensive line play, very few of them are considered breakout candidates year to year.

But this could very well be the year that Smith finally gains the recognition he deserves as one of the best up and coming right tackles in the game. The league has had two seasons to sleep on the Auburn product, but it’s time to wake up.

Entering his third season, Smith has been manning the right tackle spot for the Colts since filling in as a spot starter during that ghastly prime-time game in Week 5 against the New England Patriots during the 2018 season. Though he was drafted as a guard, the Colts believed he could succeed on the edge.

He’s done so wonderfully over the last season and a half and continues to be on the asencion at the position. Though he is listed as giving up seven sacks in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, that isn’t totally indicative of his consistent work on the edge. Both as a pass protector and run blocker, Smith has been a strong asset for the Colts.

With his game maturing in aspects of consistency with his pass sets and moving people in the run game, 2020 might be the season he finally takes that next tier jump among right tackles in the league.

Pages: 12345

Colts’ 2019 rookie review: DE Ben Banogu

Reviewing Ben Banogu’s rookie season.

With the No. 49 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected defensive end Ben Banogu out of TCU.

When Banogu was drafted, there was a lot of excitement as to what he could bring to the Colts defense. An uber-athletic prospect with some bend around the edge and the ability to play in space was intriguing for a defense that needed more athleticism in the middle.

[lawrence-related id=39249]

At first, the Colts were going to have Banogu work at the SAM linebacker position next to Anthony Walker (MIKE) and Darius Leonard (WILL). But they were intrigued during the spring practices to the point where they made him a full-time defensive end.

While there was excitement, we didn’t get to see much of Banogu during the season. He played just 26.2% of the defensive snaps in 2019 and was used solely as a third-down pass rusher. The upside is certainly still there, but Banogu didn’t get many chances in his rookie season.

The TCU product finished with 3.0 sacks on the season, which isn’t bad given the playing time he had. But with Kemoko Turay missing the majority of the season, many were hoping Banogu would climb the depth chart to grab the No. 3 defensive end role behind Jabaal Sheard and Justin Houston.

It didn’t happen, but Banogu showed plenty of flashes to show there is optimism about his development.

He won’t be the best run defender for the Colts but that’s not really his main objective. He, like Turay, is hoping to develop into a player that will consistently apply pressure on the quarterback.

There is a lot to look forward to for Banogu as he enters a big Year 2 with the Colts.

[lawrence-related id=39227,39270,39258]

Colts see big upside in young pass rushers

Chris Ballard sees upside with Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu.

The Indianapolis Colts pass rush saw an uptick in production thanks to the work of veteran Justin Houston, but the front office is just as excited for the progression of the young pass rushers in Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu.

Both second-round picks in each of the last two drafts respectively, the Colts have optimism for the future outlook of these two pass rushers. Turay was on fire before suffering a season-ending injury while Banogu had some flashes here and there in a limited role.

But when looking at the outlook of the duo, general manager Chris Ballard has a lot of optimism with them.

“I think they have big upside. Losing Kemoko Turay was a big hit. I think you saw it. You saw it against the Chargers. I think you saw it against Kansas City. Neither one of those teams could block him. He was a fastball that we needed,” said Ballard on Thursday. “I thought he really took another step. You always see a pretty big step between Year 1 and Year 2. Sometimes it takes a little longer with pass rushers. He took the step in the right direction and he’s worked his butt off to get healthy.”

Turay really looked like he was primed for a big season in 2019. He recorded 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits through four games before ending his season on the injured reserve list.

With Banogu, there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement from the TCU produce. He had a nice few rushes but failed to really carve out a role in the defense during the second half.

“Flashes from Ben, but need more. I think he’ll continue to develop. He has some of the same stuff Kemoko has,” Ballard said. “It’ll be fun to watch those two continue to develop.”

In 16 games, Banogu had 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. Though the Colts initially wanted to use him as a SAM backer, he played most of the season at defensive end.

The Colts pass rush was decent but inconsistent. The hope is the upside with Turay and the development of Banogu will come to fruition during the 2020 season to go alongside the veteran Houston.

3 Colts who should see more playing time in final two games

Get these players some more game action.

Having already been knocked out of the playoff race, the Indianapolis Colts have two games remaining before the offseason begins. While they will be trying to win those games, this is also a crucial time for some depth players to show what kind of impact they can make.

There is nothing like getting live reps in a game. No training can ever truly replicate that. So while the starters won’t be benched for the final two games, the Colts must also find a way to get some of their younger depth pieces more playing time so the front office and coaching staff has a better idea going into the offseason.

Here are three Colts who should see more playing time in the final two games:

WR Chad Williams — Snaps played: 6 (0.6%)

A recent call-up from the practice squad, Williams isn’t a player that needs more game-action because he’s lighting it up. He’s a depth piece, and the Colts need to know what they have in the former third-round pick entering the offseason.

Given the massive need at the wide receiver position the Colts face this season, they have to get a better idea of what Williams can do against NFL defenses. He shouldn’t be expected to turn into a WR1 but if he can prove to be another solid depth piece like a Marcus Johnson, that could change how the Colts go about offseason.

Zach Pascal has emerged in a breakout year, Johnson has been solid and we already know what Dontrelle Inman brings to the table. It’s time to see if Williams is actually a future piece of the team.

Pages: 123

Stock up, stock down in Colts’ loss to Titans

Stock report from the divisional loss.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-6) are falling further out of the playoff race following the devastating collapse that led to a 31-17 home loss against the Tennessee Titans (7-5) on Sunday.

Now the ninth seed in the AFC playoff race, the Colts are seeing their hopes for the postseason come crashing down. In the loss, the Colts had some bright spots but there were also some concerns that were made known in a big way.

Here is the stock report for the Colts in the Week 13 loss:

Stock up: RB Jordan Wilkins

It seemed the Colts had the temporary replacement for Marlon Mack in the form of Jonathan Williams, who was trying to record his third-consecutive 100-yard game against the Titans. Despite that, he had a very short leash and the Colts weren’t afraid to take him out of the game.

Stepping in for Williams was Wilkins, who has been dealing with some injuries that have kept him off the field. He came back strong to lead the backfield in snaps (44%) while also leading the unit in carries (11) and rushing yards (47).

It wasn’t an extremely explosive day for Wilkins but he showed he was definitely the hot hand in the backfield. It will be interesting to see if this gives him the starter’s role over Williams.

Pages: 1234