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Here are the studs and duds from the Colts’ 24-17 loss to the Titans.
The Indianapolis Colts (1-2-1) allowed another slow start to be their doom in a 24-17 loss against the Tennessee Titans (2-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
Despite being down 24-3 halfway through the second quarter, the Colts cut the lead to seven points halfway through the third. Still, the offense couldn’t find a rhythm and they failed to finish drives yet again.
Here are the studs and duds from the Week 4 divisional loss:
Without Michael Pittman Jr., these Colts have to step up in Week 2.
The Indianapolis Colts will be without a major part of the offense in Week 2 as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was downgraded to out due to a quad injury.
This is a big deal for the Colts offense. While the focal point will remain on Jonathan Taylor, it is Pittman Jr. who brings life to the passing attack. Pittman Jr. recorded 34% of the team’s receiving yards and 26.5% of the team’s targets in Week 1.
But now with this injury, and the fact that rookie Alec Pierce is out as well, the Colts have to rely on their depth.
Here are five Colts who need to step up in his absence for the Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars:
Here are seven Colts to watch against the Lions in preseason Week 2.
The Indianapolis Colts will host the Detroit Lions on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium as the preseason continues to roll into its second week.
The starting lineups for the Colts aren’t expected to play Saturday with the exception of one or two players, according to head coach Frank Reich. Even with the starters out following two joint practices with the Lions this week, there is plenty to watch.
We already detailed the position battles to keep an eye on during this game.
Now, it’s time to take a look at seven Colts to watch on Saturday:
Here are 10 takeaways from Day 5 of Colts camp.
The Indianapolis Colts were back on the field Wednesday for their fifth practice of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
After starting off the second week of camp with pads on Tuesday, the Colts took it a bit lighter on the physicality, opting to go with just the shells and shorts on Wednesday.
There were plenty of fireworks from the fifth practice of camp, including the first bout of fisticuffs between Michael Pittman Jr. and Rodney McLeod. We put together a quick roundup of the practice as well.
Here are 10 takeaways from Day 5 of Colts training camp:
The TE room is now being led by Mo Alie-Cox. Here’s our training camp preview of the position.
The Indianapolis Colts are just a few weeks away from returning to Westfield where fans will get to watch a tight end group compete for roles during training camp and the preseason.
This offseason featured the retirement of veteran Jack Doyle, who was one of the longest-tenured players on the roster in 2021. Despite still having one more year left on his contract, Doyle decided it was time to ride off into the sunset.
This expedited the process of the Colts needing to find his replacement. They re-signed Mo Alie-Cox to a three-year deal and picked up two more intriguing options during the 2022 NFL draft.
Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:
With training camp set to begin July 26, here’s a look at our preview of the position:
Kylen Granson joined Mo Alie-Cox at Tight End U this week.
The Indianapolis Colts were well represented at the Tight End University Summit held by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and NFL commentator Greg Olsen.
While we knew that Mo Alie-Cox was headed to Nashville for this year’s summit, we also found out that second-year tight end Kylen Granson joined him for the three-day camp.
It looks like #Colts second-year TE Kylen Granson is joining Mo Alie-Cox in Nashville for @te_university: pic.twitter.com/waBN8kYBgm
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) June 23, 2022
Alie-Cox and Granson were among over 20 tight ends to attend Tight End University this week in Nashville. Both players are primed for bigger roles in the offense after the retirement of Jack Doyle.
As Alie-Cox steps into the starting Y position, Granson will be working more as the F tight end in the offense. The latter will be looking to fend off rookie Jelani Woods, who presents clear upside given his elite athleticism.
Hopefully, the week of working with some elite tight ends will help Alie-Cox and Granson grow their games because the tight end position will need to be a strong component of the passing game with Matt Ryan taking over.
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These recent draft picks have chances for bigger roles in 2022.
The Indianapolis Colts are right in the middle of the offseason training program with the hope that some of their young players will continue their development in bigger roles on both sides of the roster.
As we know when it comes to the Colts, they love to build through the draft and develop those picks. Entering 2022, there are plenty of roles up for grabs for some of those recent draft classes. By recent draft picks, we mean the 2020 and 2021 classes.
We won’t be including obvious names like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr. and Kwity Paye—players with entrenched roles at their respective positions.
Here’s a look at six recent Colts’ draft picks with the opportunity to play more in 2022:
Keep an eye on these Colts looking to make a jump in Year 2.
The 2021 draft class for the Indianapolis Colts had a relatively quiet rookie season.
Outside of Kwity Paye’s strong finish to the year, the rest of the class was in backup and developmental roles for the majority of the season. With deep playoff run aspirations, the Colts are going to need some players from this class to take their game to the next level in their second season.
Here are a few players that have an opportunity to make a major impact for Indianapolis in Year 2:
3 things to know about Colts new TE Andrew Ogletree.
As the 2022 NFL draft winds down, the Indianapolis Colts added some much-needed depth at tight end picking up the young player out of Youngstown State in Andrew Ogletree.
It’s not often we see a team draft two tight ends in the same draft, but this position is vital to Frank Reich’s offense and Matt Ryan’s success. The Colts also added Jelani Woods out of Virginia in the third round.
How we graded the Colts’ selection of TE Jelani Woods.
The Indianapolis Colts continued to add weapons to the offense during the second day of the 2022 NFL draft. At No. 73 overall in the third round, the Colts selected tight end Jelani Woods out of Virginia.
Woods is a massive prospect, standing at a towering 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 259 pounds, and the idea of pairing him with another match-up nightmare in Mo Alie Cox is a potentially dangerous combo.
Alie-Cox is stepping into the starting role after the retirement of long-time reliable option Jack Doyle this offseason. Woods gives another great young option to develop behind him alongside second-year tight end Kylen Granson.
Woods is a very raw prospect, but clearly Chris Ballard and his staff see the huge potential in him at the position. Should he be able to keep growing into his size and developing into a pro-level target in the passing game, and also finding a way to contribute early on special teams, snaps should be very easy for Woods to find his rookie season.
In terms of speed, Woods was able to perhaps help his stock with running a 4.61 40 time at the combine and also adding 24 reps on the bench press. Woods has all the makings of a big and fast target, but will need to work on developing his receiving skills and growing as an in-line blocker to help the running game, which will still be a main focus of the offense.
Woods put up impressive stats in his only season at Virginia in 2021 grabbing 44 passes for 598 yards, and eight touchdowns good for a first-team All-ACC selection. Woods will take time. but should help improve a passing game for Indianapolis that disappointed many times in 2021.
Woods is likely a depth option early on in his Colts’ career as he continues to polish his game, and grow as a catcher and blocker, but with the coaching staff in place the sky is the limit for how much this huge match-up nightmare can grow in the NFL.
Grade: B+
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