Colts' General Manager Highlights Three Position Battles to Watch
Indianapolis Colts' General Manager Chris Ballard spoke with the Indy media following the first official day of training camp on Tuesday. While it is always tough to decipher what is really being said in these interviews, Ballard did give some interesting insight into a few positional battles going on this August.
Ballard brought up three major battles to watch in camp this offseason; starting left tackle, interior defensive line depth, and safety depth. So, who are the contenders at each of these spots? Let's dive in and take a look.
Left Tackle
This was the first position group that Ballard mentioned when he was asked this question. His exact quote was this:
Left tackle. We thought (Matt) Pryor did some really good things last year and anxious to see him and Bernhard (Raimann) compete.
Judging from this quote, and the mountains of evidence throughout the offseason, it appears the starting left tackle job will come down to Matt Pryor or rookie Bernhard Raimann. While Pryor certainly has a leg up to start camp, Raimann should get a chance to rotate in with the starters a good bit.
Pryor, 27, was acquired late last offseason through a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. While he was slated to be more of a depth player, he did manage to start five games for the Colts in 2021 (appeared in 438 snaps). He allowed just two quarterback hits and six hurries, all while seeing time at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard on the year.
Raimann, 24, was the Colts' third round selection (77th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite his age, Raimann is fairly inexperienced on the offensive line. He started just 17 games at left tackle in his college career, all of which being after transitioning to the position from tight end as a sophomore.
Interior Defensive Line Depth
The next positional group of focus for Ballard was depth on the interior defensive line. The team is noticeably thin at this position, behind Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner, and Ballard made it be known that snaps behind those two players will be up for grabs in camp:
Interior defensive line after Grover (Stewart) and (DeForest) Buckner – finding some depth in there. Those are going to be big.
The four players to watch at this spot are Chris Williams, Eric Johnson, Curtis Brooks, and Byron Cowart.
Williams, 24, was an undrafted free agent out of Wagner in the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent some time on the Colts' practice squad in 2021, but he did see action in eight games. He finished the season with two tackles and one hurry in 62 snaps played.
Johnson, 24, was selected by the Colts in the fifth round (159th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played his college ball at Missouri State, where he logged 6.5 tackles for a loss and three blocked kicks during his final season of play. He is currently on the Colts' NFI list due to an injury he suffered in training.
Brooks, 24, was selected by the Colts in the sixth round (216th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was a standout at Cincinnati this past season, totaling 12.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks as a senior. He comes into camp battling for snaps at the 3-technique position behind DeForest Buckner.
Cowart, 26, was selected in the fifth round by the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft. He had a productive first two seasons with the team, totaling 13 stops, one sack, and two quarterback hits in 462 snaps played. He missed all of last season with an undisclosed injury, resulting in his release earlier this week. The Colts claimed him on July 23rd.
Safety Depth
The final position that Ballard mentioned was the battle at strong safety. From Ballard's comments, it seems as though rookie Nick Cross is the likely candidate for this job, but some of the other young players could certainly surprise.
The safety position. We know what Julian (Blackmon) can do, but with Blackmon, (Nick) Cross and some of the other young guys we have. Those are going to be fun battles to watch.
This battle may be more of a competition at the bottom of the roster rather than at the top. Cross appears to be the guy at strong safety, and players such as Rodney Thomas (2022 7th round pick), Marcel Dabo (2022 UDFA), Trevor Denbow (20221 UDFA), and Armani Watts (FA Signing) are fighting it out for the last couple of spots.
This one isn't as interesting as the others but it is certainly one to watch out for in camp.
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