3 Colts most impacted by limited offseason workouts

These three Colts have to overcome a limited offseason.

With all that is going on in the world, everyone has been impacted in some form or fashion by COVID-19. The same can be said for the NFL as there have been no on-field workouts since the new league year started back in March.

With no on-field workouts, no preseason, and a very limited training camp, players will be impacted by the NFL having to change their offseason schedule.

Here are three Colts that will be most impacted by the limited offseason on-field work:

WR Daurice Fountain

For Fountain, he needed these offseason workouts on the field to show he has fully recovered from the ankle injury he suffered at the end of the 2019 training camp. Even if it were a long shot for Fountain, he was making plays last year in camp and in the preseason, and he was making a strong case to make the roster last year before the injury.

Now he’s in a battle with some other receivers for one of the last spots on the roster. One thing working against him is the Colts haven’t seen him on the field in somewhat live-action since last August, so they don’t know where he is at physically. Also, he was a fifth-round pick in 2018, so there isn’t a high investment from the team keeping him on the roster.

Fountain really needed the on-field workouts and training camp to show he’s ready to make an impact and he’s fully healthy. Now, the pressure will be on over the next month.

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5 Colts with something to prove at training camp

These Colts have a lot to prove in the coming weeks.

The Indianapolis Colts are expected to begin training camp on July 28 and while they are hoping to do so without any hiccups, it remains to be seen what kind of changes the team will undergo.

Regardless, once training camp does begin in a few weeks, there will be a number of players falling into the perennial category of having something to prove. Whether it’s coming back from injury, looking to bounce back after a poor season or simply looking to stay on the roster, a lot of players have something to prove in 2020.

Here are five Colts with something to prove at training camp:

WR Parris Campbell

Everyone’s favorite comeback kid. The 22-year-old wide receiver really went through it during his rookie campaign. Four separate injuries, three of which required surgery, forced him to miss crucial time in training camp, the preseason forced him to play in just seven games.

But now, Campbell is fully healthy and looking to regain his role as the slot wide receiver in the offense. He will have a chance to prove himself, too. The Colts are still in love with his skill set in the West Coast offense and he has the type of game that will be valuable to a quarterback like Philip Rivers.

But the Ohio State product has to stay on the field if he wants any shot of carving out the role as the No. 3 wide receiver.

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5 Colts under the most pressure in 2020

These Colts are under a lot of pressure for 2020.

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping that the big moves made this offseason will get them back into the playoffs after missing out during a 7-9 season in 2019.

With plenty of new faces and even more returners, the Colts will have several players facing pressure during the 2020 season. Whether it’s bouncing back from a poor campaign, proving their worth in a contract year or simply taking on a bigger role, the Colts are under a lot of pressure.

Here are five Colts under the most pressure in 2020:

QB Philip Rivers

The most obvious name on the list comes at the quarterback position. Regardless of the situation, the quarterback is always under the most pressure. But Rivers steps into the role looking to both prove himself worthy of the $25 million contract he received and also looking to bounce back after a poor campaign.

The Colts have a lot of confidence that Rivers isn’t finished yet. His 20 interceptions were tied for the second-most of his career since becoming a starter, but Indy is hoping that an upgrade at offensive line and more of an emphasis on the run will help.

The Colts didn’t make the playoffs mostly because of poor quarterback play 2019. For the veteran stepping in, the pressure is on to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

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How the Colts plan to replace Jabaal Sheard’s role

Lewis and Autry should see some time on the edge.

Despite being a veteran leader in the locker room for the last three seasons, the Indianapolis Colts decided to let defensive end Jabaal Sheard walk into free agency after the expiration of his contract this offseason.

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Sheard’s production hasn’t been strong enough to warrant another deal, but his presence on the edge will still need to be replaced. While his departure will allow for the potential growth of third-year pass rusher Kemoko Turay, the Colts are also giving some other players a chance to work on the edge.

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said Monday that the team expects to use both Denico Autry and Tyquan Lewis on the edge at times.

“That is a good question and I know there has been some talk about that. I certainly agree that that is something we should look at and we are looking at,” Eberflus said on the zoom call. “That is kind of what (Denico) Autry did before and Tyquan (Lewis). They have both done that. They both have played left end, they’ve played right end and they’ve played inside. So having players like that is certainly a good thing for our defense.”

The Colts are likely heading into the 2020 season with Turay and Justin Houston working as the starting defensive ends. Second-year pass rusher Ben Banogu will also get some looks like Al-Quadin Muhammad works in the rotation as well.

But with the addition of DeForest Buckner this offseason, the Colts will need to find ways to get Autry and Lewis some looks. Both were brought in to be flexible pieces on the interior and the edge.

The Colts like to keep their defensive linemen in rotation and with so many players already at the top of the depth chart, working on the edge might be a way for Autry and Lewis to carve out some playing time.

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4 Colts in danger of losing their jobs

These Colts have to be careful of losing their jobs.

The Indianapolis Colts are boasting more depth on paper than they have in recent memory. While most of the draft picks selected in April will have to fight and claw for roles, there are still several position battles to keep an eye on entering the 2020 season.

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For the most part, the Colts have most of the roles locked down. There will be competition throughout the roster, but some players are truly in danger of losing their jobs at their respective positions.

Whether it’s because of an incoming rookie or simply a tight position battle, here are four Colts in danger of losing their jobs in 2020:

RB Marlon Mack

You already knew Mack would be on this list. Though he showed the Colts he could be an effective runner by running for a career-high 1,091 yards in 2019, the front office wanted to get more explosive. What better way to do so than to trade up for one of the most productive backs in college football history.

Mack will be joined by rookie Jonathan Taylor—a 5-foot-10, 226-pound back with 4.39 speed and the fourth-most rushing yards in college football history. It will be a shared backfield featuring the duo as a 1-2 punch, but there is a real chance Taylor takes over the lead role at some point in 2020.

That doesn’t mean the entire backfield will be his. Mack will certainly get his share of work, especially considering he’s in a contract year. What better reason to run Mack into the ground?

But even with that, Mack isn’t going to average the 17 carries per game he enjoyed over the last two seasons. He will absolutely be involved, but don’t be surprised if Taylor winds up being the leader of the 1-2 punch by season’s end.

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Colts need to see more from DT Tyquan Lewis

Tyquan Lewis faces a big 2020 season.

As there have been some solid selections in recent drafts for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, there have also been some that haven’t panned out. Through two seasons, it seems defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis is heading toward the latter group.

Of course, the jury is still out on Lewis. However, the 2018 second-round pick hasn’t been able to make any impact whatsoever since being drafted. Some of that comes from dealing with multiple injuries across two seasons while also simply not shedding his blocks consistently.

Entering a crucial third season in 2020, Ballard was not shy about what he needs from Lewis.

“I need to see more. I had a long talk with Tyquan [Wednesday],” Ballard told reporters Thursday. “What I told Tyquan was, this is a big year for him. We’re going to expect him to come in and really show what we think his talent level is. Where we end up playing him, we see him as a guy who can play both at end and inside, and he’s got to be able to give that to us.”

While the defense did some good things in 2019, one of the areas that hurt the unit was the interior defensive line. Rarely did the Colts get consistent pressure from the interior, which includes both Lewis and veteran Denico Autry.

It’s too early to call Lewis a bust just yet. But he’s approaching that territory quickly if he doesn’t begin improving in 2020. A player the Colts touted as a versatile pass rusher, Lewis hasn’t given them much of that at all in his two seasons.

In his 17 games played since being drafted, Lewis has just 2.0 sacks and nine quarterback hits. The potential is certainly there, but the Ohio State product hasn’t shown much consistency when he’s on the field.

Being on the field, though, has been extremely difficult for him.

“Last year, he missed, really, all of Training Camp and the first eight games with the injury, and then comes back and plays pretty good at end for us, solid at end, and then this year, gets hurt again, and the one position we’ve got a lot of depth in, we’ve got a lot of guys at defensive end, and then at defensive tackle we had some guys in there playing, and he was at a point where he wasn’t even active because he was coming off the injury,” Ballard said.

The Colts are likely to add to the interior this offseason given the need for talent, but Lewis will be fighting for his job when training camp comes around in August.

4 Colts to watch vs. Panthers in Week 16

Keep an eye on these Colts in Week 16.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) play host to the Carolina Panthers (5-9) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium as both teams look to get back on track and into the win column.

Both teams have combined for 10 consecutive losses and are out of the playoff picture in their respective conferences. But there is still football to be played, which means there are players to watch.

Here are four Colts to keep an eye on in Week 16:

DT Tyquan Lewis

Remember him? The highly-touted second-round pick from 2018 hasn’t done much since entering the league. Most of his struggles have been because of injury. But he’s been healthy lately and still hasn’t been making the type of impact expected of him from the interior.

In the last three games, Lewis has hovered around 35–40% of snaps played. That number should increase on Sunday with Denico Autry already being ruled out due to a concussion. Lewis hasn’t done much to prove he should hold a significant role in the future, but he will have a chance on Sunday.

Whether he will take advantage of his opportunities will be something to watch in this Week 16 matchup

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