Four Colts Who Need to Bounce Back in 2021
We're still about a month and a half away from the beginning of Indianapolis Colts training camp, and with that being the case we'll continue to turn over every stone in regard to the team's roster.
The Colts have done a great job of finding young talent in recent seasons, but some players obviously take longer than others either to develop or for things to go their way.
Today, we'll take a look at a handful of young Colts players who need to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 campaign.
Whether it's training camp, the preseason, or the regular season (if they make it through onto the active roster), these guys really need to capitalize.
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WR Parris Campbell
There are zero issues with talent here. Rather, Campbell can't catch a break when it comes to injuries. He missed 9-of-16 games as a rookie in 2019 dealing with sports hernia, foot and hand injuries that all required procedures, and then all but two games in 2020 after injuring his knee. His talent and athleticism are immediately obvious when he's on the field, as he's racked up 248 yards, 13 first downs, and 1 touchdown on 30 touches on offense and 175 yards on 7 kickoff returns through nine games.
If it becomes three straight seasons battered by injury, the Colts can't count on Campbell to be a part of their future.
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DE Ben Banogu
Banogu showed a couple of flashes as a rookie in 2019 with 2.5 sacks and 3 tackles for loss, but he was essentially non-existent last year with zero of either. He was only active for nine contests all season, as he spent much of the season as a healthy scratch on gamedays.
Banogu doesn't have any issues with work ethic, but it apparently hasn't "clicked" yet. Year Three is typically a big one for pass rushers, so the hope is that he can put something together moving forward. If not, the additions of rookies Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo seriously threaten Banogu's spot.
"This is a big year for Ben Banogu, this is a big year for him," Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters this offseason. "He knows it. It’s time for him to step up. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a good kid, he works. Let’s see what he can be."
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CB Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin is another from the Colts' 2019 draft class who needs to regroup and put together a solid summer. After a 2019 campaign that saw him play about as well as any other rookie corner down the stretch, he hit some turbulence in 2020.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ya-Sin finished with a grade of 65.3 in 2019 but dropped to 49.9 in 2020. He also had a suboptimal nine penalties in 2019 with six more in 2020.
"Rock Ya-Sin has done a really great job of being here," Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus told reporters recently. "He got injured last year at the end of the season and he stayed around and got himself healthy. We like where he is. He knows it’s open competition and he knows what he has to do and how he has to do it."
As his defensive coordinator mentioned, Ya-Sin's starting outside corner spot is now an open competition, and players like T.J. Carrie and Marvell Tell III could legitimately threaten him.
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K Rodrigo Blankenship
On the surface, Blankenship had a really good rookie season in 2020. He was 33-of-39 on field-goal attempts (84.6%) and 44-of-46 on extra points (95.7%), but most of his damage was done within 40 or so yards. Once it got to attempts of 50-plus yards, he was just 1-of-3 (33.3%).
The Colts recently brought in competition for Blankenship this summer by signing Eddy Pineiro, who most recently kicked for the Chicago Bears in 2019 and had a modest season.
As head coach Frank Reich alluded to, it's still Blankenship's job to lose, but it won't be handed to him.
“Not quite like last year, it’s open competition but Hot Rod (Blankenship), he’s the incumbent," Reich told reporters. "Everything has to be earned. Hot Rod had a good season for us last year, so that’s obviously taken into consideration. He’ll have to earn it again this year, but it is open competition.”
What do you think about these players being on the hot seat? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
