Tag: Kemoko Turay

Colts’ Kemoko Turay has a chance to make 2020 debut vs. Ravens

Kemoko Turay is making big progress.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) could be getting a key piece of their defense back in edge rusher Kemoko Turay, who has a chance to make his 2020 debut against the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) in Week 9.

Though this is still a wait-and-see situation for Turay, who remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, head coach Frank Reich told reporters Wednesday that the third-year defensive end has a chance to play on Sunday.

We will have to see how practice goes this week, but there’s a chance.

The Colts’ pass rush has been solid this season. Thanks to the addition of DeForest Buckner and the efforts of Justin Houston, Tyquan Lewis, Grover Stewart and Denico Autry, the unit has seen an uptick in pressure for the majority of the season.

But adding Turay would be a massive upgrade for the unit. His speed and bend around the edge is something the front seven could use, especially when the schedule begins to feature more difficult offenses.

Turay showed a lot of promise through the first six games of the 2019 season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. His recovery was stunted a bit due to COVID-19, but it appears he’s getting closer to making his debut.

His status should be monitored this week, but there’s a chance we finally get to see the Rutgers product on the field soon.

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Colts’ Kemoko Turay showing flashes in practice

Kemoko Turay is flashing in practice.

The Indianapolis Colts saw the return of speed rusher Kemoko Turay this week at practice as his six-week stint on the PUP list came to an end.

Though Turay is still on the PUP list until the Colts activate him in the coming weeks, the third-year edge rusher will be ramping up his activity in practice. He logged two days of practice this week and flashed that potential to be an impact player for the Colts.

Head coach Frank Reich still believes its too early to tell when the Rutgers product will be back.

“Same thing, in the reps that he got this week – even out there today, he flashed a couple times so that was encouraging,” Reich said. “He basically got two days of work in on Wednesday and Friday with the rest day on Thursday. So just have to continue to see how he progresses.”

Turay’s addition to the front seven will be huge for the Colts. As long as his dislocated ankle hasn’t taken away his flexibility when running the arc, the Colts will be getting back a major piece to the defensive line.

The Colts have had some nice production from their defensive line in Turay’s absence. Justin Houston has been consistent despite dealing with a hip injury while there have been nice flashes from both Denico Autry and Al-Quadin Muhammad.

But the Colts don’t quite have Turay’s skill set currently on the roster. His speed and bend on the edge is a difference-maker for the Colts, especially when it comes to pressuring on third downs.

It remains to be seen when Turay will be activated, but he seems to be making solid progress.

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Colts get encouraging news on injury front

A few Colts will return to practice.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-2) will return to the practice field Wednesday as they prepare for the Week 8 matchup against the Detriot Lions (3-3), and there was some encouraging injury news.

Coming out of the bye week fresh, head coach Frank Reich told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr (leg), linebacker Darius Leonard (groin) and defensive end Kemoko Turay (ankle) will all return to the field in some capacity to begin the week.

The Colts were expecting to get Pittman Jr. and Leonard back on the field following the bye week. It still remains to be seen whether they will be ready for the game against the Lions, but this is encouraging news that they could be on their way.

Pittman Jr. has been recovering from compartment leg syndrome while Leonard has missed the last two games due to a groin injury.

As for Turay, he shouldn’t be expected back for the Week 8 game. The Colts have said they want Turay to practice for a few weeks before he sees time in the game. This means Turay could be out this week and potentially Week 9 against the Ravens.

That could be accelerated depending on how he looks, but Turay shouldn’t be expected to play in Week 8.

The official injury report will come out later on Wednesday, which will give a better idea of the injury statuses for these three players.

But as the Colts look to make a second-half run for an AFC playoff spot, this is some encouraging news.

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Colts want Kemoko Turay to practice a few weeks before return

Kemoko Turay may not suit up for a while.

While there was some hope that Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay would be making his return from the PUP list this week, we may need to pump the breaks on that.

At least for the Week 8 matchup against the Detriot Lions, Turay is unlikely to suit up despite being eligible to return from the PUP list. Head coach Frank Reich told reporters Monday that the team wants Turay to practice for a few weeks before getting on the game field.

That means he’s unlikely to play in Week 8 and could very well miss the Week 9 game against the Ravens as well.

The Colts pass rush has been doing fine with Turay healing from his dislocated ankle in 2019. Their 22.1% pressure rate is good for 13th in the NFL.

The addition of Turay will give something the Colts front seven doesn’t currently have: a speed rusher with flexibility from the edge. Justin Houston, Denico Autry and Al-Quadin Muhammad have been solid, but Turay brings an element of speed that the edge doesn’t have.

The hope is that Turay will return sooner rather than later, but it may be a few weeks before he’s back on the field.

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Colts hope to see return of several injured players after bye week

Colts have a few starters returning from injury.

The Indianapolis Colts will use the bye week for many purposes but one of them is to get extra rest for players currently dealing with injuries.

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Even though it may be a bit early to tell who will be returning following the bye week, head coach Frank Reich is hoping the Colts will get several players back from injury.

For players like wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and linebacker Darius Leonard, this could be the first time they get on the field since initially suffering injuries.

“Hopefully we get a few of the guys coming back. We’ll see how they keep progressing. Mo (Alie-Cox), Chaz Green, Darius (Leonard), we’ll see how Matt Adams and (Michael) Pittman are doing,” Reich told the media earlier this week. “They’ve all been making good progress. Hopefully most, if not all of those guys, will be ready to go versus Detroit.”

The rookie receiver in Pittman Jr. has been making progress since suffering leg compartment syndrome following the Week 3 win against the New York Jets. The timeline has been that he’s expected to return after the bye week. His return could be a big boost to the passing game.

Leonard has been missing since suffering a groin injury in Week 4 against the Bears. He missed two consecutive games and even though he was close to returning in Week 6, he was held out. The extra week should have given him enough time to rest.

The Colts are also hopeful to get the return of defensive end Kemoko Turay, who has been on the PUP list to begin the season. He’s eligible to return to practice, but it remains to be seen if the third-year pass rusher will come back in Week 8.

The bye week should help the Colts work out some issues on the field while also giving some extra time for injured players to get back from their ailments.

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Colts’ Kemoko Turay ‘making good progress’ toward return

Kemoko Turay could return after the bye.

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Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay is eligible to return from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list following the team’s Week 7 bye, but it remains to be seen if that’s when he will make his debut.

Turay has been on the PUP list since the season started, which required him to miss the first six weeks of the season. With the Colts have a bye in Week 7, it gives Turay an extra week to make his return.

Head coach Frank Reich told reporters Monday that Turay is making progress, but that it may be too early to say if he will be ready for the Week 8 game against the Detroit Lions.

“Making good progress, he’s another guy that I would put in that list. I didn’t mention his name, but making good progress,” Reich told the media. “We’ll see after the bye whether he’s ready for Detroit or not. I’m not sure about that yet, but he’s making good progress.”

Turay showed immense promise during the first half of the 2019 season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a tough blow to the pass rush, especially since Turay was showing so much promise.

According to Pro Football Focus, Turay had 14 total pressures on 69 pass-rushing snaps. That pressure rate was among the highest in the league at that point.

The Colts have enjoyed a nice uptick in pressure rate as a whole thanks to the addition of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. But if Turay can continue on the path he was on before the injury, it would provide a massive boost for the Colts.

The edge has been solid with veterans Justin Houston and Denico Autry while Al-Quadin Muhammad, Tyquan Lewis and Ben Banogu mix in behind them. But Turay gives the Colts both speed and bend when running the arc, something Indy doesn’t have too much of right now.

It still isn’t clear when Turay will return, but he’s eligible to return when the Colts come back from the bye so it will certainly be a situation to monitor.

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Colts’ Kemoko Turay had rehab complications due to COVID

COVID-19 put a wrench in Turay’s rehab.

Indianapolis Colts defenisve end Kemoko Turay has been working diligently trying to get back from the ankle injury that claimed his 2019 season early, but complications arose this offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Turay wasn’t the only person to have complications with rehabbing from surgery because of COVID this year, but it seemingly complicated the timeline for the third-year pass rusher.

>>>READ: Colts sign 14 practice squad players<<<

General manager Chris Ballard told the media Sunday that Turay is working hard to return but that it has been a long process.

“The surgery he had was a major surgery. COVID did not help this. (Kemoko) Turay has done everything we’ve asked,” Ballard said. “At the end of the day, he’s not ready and we’re not going to put a guy out there that’s not ready.”

Because Turay wasn’t ready to go by the time the Colts reported for training camp and began padded practices in August, the team placed him on the reserve/PUP list to begin the season.

This means the Rutgers product is forced to miss at least the first six weeks of the 2020 season. The plan is that will be enough time for Turay to get back healthy.

However, Ballard admits that Turay is still feeling some pain in the ankle that underwent surgery.

“We’re going to shoot for six weeks from now to try to get him back. He’s still having some pain in that ankle,” Ballard said. “He’s rehabbing his butt off and working his butt off. The trainers are doing a really good job with him, but he’s just not there yet. We’re not going to put him out there when he’s not ready to go.”

The Colts defensive end room will have to make up for the loss in Turay, who provides the pass rush with speed and bend from the edge. In his stead, the Colts will likely use a rotation of Ben Banogu, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Tyquan Lewis and Denico Autry.

Colts’ Kemoko Turay starting season on PUP list

Turay will start the season on PUP.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay will start the season on the reserve/PUP list, the team announced Saturday as a part of the roster cuts.

With Turay officially starting the season the PUP list, he will be forced to miss the first six weeks of the season as he works his way back from the ankle injury that ended his 2019 campaign early.

Seeing that the Colts have a Week 7 bye, it is expected that Turay will be ready to go for the Week 8 matchup against the Detriot Lions.

Turay wasn’t able to participate at all during training camp, which left a lot of reps for players like Ben Banogu, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Denico Autry—all of which had solid outings during the padded practices and scrimmages.

Turay showed a lot promise during the early part of the 2019 season before his ankle injury against the Chiefs, and the Colts will be expecting that same production when he comes back from the PUP list.

With Turay out, the role on the edge opposite Justin Houston will likely be in a rotation of Banogu, Muhammad and Autry.

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.

Colts place 3 players on active/PUP list, release TE Matt Lengel

Colts make some moves as camp opens.

The Indianapolis Colts placed defensive end Kemoko Turay, tight end Mo Alie-Cox and defensive end Jegs Jegede on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list, the team announced Tuesday.

The Colts also announced the release of TE Matt Lengel, which is the start of the organization bringing the roster down to the 80-player limit that goes into effect on Aug. 16.

The PUP list allows these players to stay at the facility and rehab but keeping them on the active roster. Once they are ready to return from their rehab and practice, they can be activated from the PUP list.

Turay and Alie-Cox are expected to have big roles on their respective sides of the ball while Jegede will be competing for a roster spot, though he’s a longshot to make it with the depth the Colts have at defensive end.