Colts Top 5: Players on the Hot Seat in 2022
One week from today, the Indianapolis Colts will be back on the field.
On July 27, the Colts will hold their first practice of the 2022 season as they kick off training camp. Indy will hold camp at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind., for the fourth consecutive season.
The Colts are one of a handful of teams around the NFL with very high aspirations heading into the season. It is well-known to those inside the Colts organization that the team has not won the AFC South division title since 2014. However, Indy is focused on taking back the division crown and looking to make a deep run into the playoffs this season.
While the Colts do not take the field for another week, that does not mean we cannot speculate on what will happen this fall. It is time for another weekly “Colts Top 5” column where we will look to identify how certain players shape up as we head into 2022. From breakout candidates to those at risk for disappointment, the series has looked at various topics and which players fall into these categories.
The next topic in this series will be players on the hot seat for 2022. While these players are set to have prominent roles on the team to begin the year, their futures with the Colts could be in jeopardy if they do not perform at a high level this season. Here are the top five Colts players on the hot seat in 2022.
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WR Parris Campbell
Plain and simple, it is now or never for Campbell. The wide receiver is entering his fourth year in the NFL but has little to show for it. Injuries through his first three seasons have only allowed him to play 15 out of a possible 49 games.
Talent has never been the question with Campbell. When healthy, he has the speed and run-after-catch ability to be a major contributor for the offense. The question is whether or not he can stay on the field.
“I’ve always seen Parris since the day we drafted him as a guy who can play every position and can really do it all,” head coach Frank Reich said. “Really, that’s the upside if he can stay healthy. He’s got to prove it. He’s got to prove that he can stay healthy. He’s got to prove that he can execute and make play after play after play, but I see him as having that kind of potential.”
2022 is the year to come through on that potential. Campbell is entering a contract year and has given the Colts little reason to believe he deserves a second contract. Staying healthy and performing at a high level this season could earn him that second chance.
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TE Kylen Granson
Granson’s rookie season was anything but spectacular. The fourth-round pick out of SMU only managed to grab 11 catches for 106 yards in 2021 and failed to reach the end zone. He only saw the field for 21% of the Colts’ offensive snaps.
There are a couple of reasons for Granson’s lack of use. Granson is more of a receiving tight end and does not have the blocking ability of a Jack Doyle or Mo Alie-Cox. With the ascension of Jonathan Taylor and the Colts’ running game, the tight end snaps were given to those who could block. Granson received more snaps towards the end of the year but still failed to make much of an impact.
The Colts are not giving up on Granson and feel like he can still have an impact on the field. However, the Colts did draft two tight ends in this past spring’s draft in Jelani Woods (third round) and Andrew Ogletree (sixth round). Woods, in particular, has a chance to make an impact early and be a major part of the Colts’ plans moving forward.
Granson can still be the F tight end the Colts need, but production will need to come this season.
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OT Matt Pryor
Pryor was one of the biggest surprises for the Colts in 2021. The Colts traded for Pryor at the end of the preseason expecting him to be a versatile backup along the offensive line. Instead, Pryor had a great season filling in at both tackle spots and was arguably better than the starter at left tackle last year, Eric Fisher.
Pryor returns to the Colts on a one-year deal and will get the first crack at the starting left tackle spot. Both Reich and general manager Chris Ballard have said this offseason that Pryor has earned the right for the first crack at those snaps. But competition still lingers.
The Colts drafted Bernhard Raimann in the third round of this spring’s NFL Draft. The Central Michigan product played left tackle the final two seasons of his college career, where he only allowed one sack. Raimann is a very athletic prospect who excels in pass protection.
Pryor still has the edge over Raimann as the rookie is still a little raw and will need to adjust to the NFL game. However, if Pryor begins to struggle, the Colts have Raimann waiting in the wings to prove if he is the long-term solution at the position.
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LB Bobby Okereke
Finding Okereke on this list may be a shock to some people. But the reason he is on the hot seat is different from what you may think.
Okereke has ascended to the starting MIKE linebacker for the Colts’ defense. The former Stanford Cardinal is a very intelligent player who can cover all over the field and make plays on the ball. His status as a starter on this team in 2022 is not in question.
The reason Okereke is on this list is that he, too, is entering a contract year. Okereke has played well in his three years with the Colts, but with the Colts already paying Darius Leonard over $19 million per season – the highest for a linebacker in NFL history – will the Colts want to pay another linebacker to stay?
Okereke will need to play his best season in 2022 to show the Colts that they must keep him on the roster. Otherwise, Okereke could be playing his last season in Indy.
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K Rodrigo Blankenship
The 2021 season for Blankenship can be described as perplexing. Hot Rod got off to a great start in his sophomore campaign, winning the kicking competition in training camp over Eddy Piñeiro. Through the first four weeks of the season, Blankenship was 9-of-10 on field goals and 6-of-6 on extra points.
Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens is when it all went downhill. Blankenship suffered a hip injury in pre-game warmups, drastically affecting his kicking ability. He finished 2-of-4 on field goals and 1-of-2 on extra points in a game where the Colts lost in overtime.
Blankenship was placed on injured reserve, and Michael Badgley took over at kicker. Even though Hot Rod healed up and was ready to kick before the end of the season, the Colts stuck with Badgley and kept Blankenship on IR. He never saw the field again in 2021.
Fast-forward to 2022, Badgley is now a free agent, and Blankenship is back in the saddle. But he will have to earn the job once again.
“Rod was our kicker last year so in my mind, it’s Rod’s to (lose),” Reich admitted. “But it’s an open competition. We’re going in like (that) at every position, really. There are guys who are on the depth chart – I would say Rod would be on the depth chart as the ‘No. 1 kicker’ right now, but is it a competition? Yes.”
Blankenship will be going up against Jake Variety for the starting kicker job. While Hot Rod still has the upper hand, he needs to win the job for good.
More Colts Top 5
- Players Poised for a Big Season in 2022
- Players at Risk for Disappointment in 2022
- Breakout Candidates for 2022
Have thoughts on which Colts' players could be on the hot seat in 2022? Let us know in the comments section below!
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