Colts' Mike Strachan Reportedly Expected to Miss Start of Training Camp
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The Indianapolis Colts got a pleasant surprise last summer when rookie seventh-round pick Mike Strachan became one of the team's breakout stars in training camp.
The 6'5", 224-pound wide receiver routinely made impressive plays during practice and defied the odds as a final-round pick to make the team's roster.
Unfortunately, we may have to wait a little bit to watch Strachan make highlight-worthy plays in this year's camp.
According to Charlie Clifford of WISH-TV News 8, Strachan is expected to miss the beginning of this year's training camp due to an undisclosed injury.
"A source tells News 8 that Strachan is expected to miss the start of training camp on Wednesday as he continues to work back to full strength from an undisclosed injury," Clifford said. "In June, the former NCAA D-II wide receiver from the Bahamas was injured for the team’s mandatory minicamp and spent all three days watching from the sidelines."
As Clifford mentioned, Strachan had the injury and was unable to participate in the Colts' mandatory minicamp in June.
Despite making a strong impression in his first training camp, Strachan saw just 61 snaps during the season — primarily during the first quarter of the schedule — exclusively on offense, nearly all of them at outside receiver
In six games, Strachan had 2 receptions (3 targets) for 26 yards (13.0 avg.). Both catches resulted in first downs. Per Pro Football Focus, Strachan had no drops, caught the only contested catch target thrown his way, and generated a passer rating of 93.8 on passes thrown to him.
The Colts' wide receiver corps has been a big point of contention throughout the offseason, as people on the outside argue that the unit doesn't have enough firepower while the Colts pledge their belief in guys like Strachan and the team's young, high-potential players.
The Colts had plenty of opportunities to add established, veteran wide receivers to the roster throughout the offseason but have elected not to so far. Strachan and his teammates have taken notice.
"It's a big thing for me to make sure that they made the best decision possible by not bringing in anybody," Strachan told Horseshoe Huddle during the offseason. "I want to be that person they can rely on. My teammates, my coaches, Chris Ballard, I want to be that player they can rely on so they don't have to go looking for anybody else.
"Right now, I'm just working to get myself better," Strachan continued. "I plan to come back better each time they see me. So I'm just taking it up a notch and showing that they made the right decision in not bringing anybody in. The role now for me, it's time to rock and roll."
While Strachan may have been a star in last year's camp, he still has work to do in order to carve out a bigger role in 2022.
"Year 2 for me is a big year," Strachan said. "They've been encouraging and telling me how it's time to step it up, even being a leader now. I'm a second-year guy now so it's coming in and knowing what to expect, and just taking over now, and letting myself go and being who I really am as a person."
What do you expect from Strachan in 2022? Drop your thoughts in the comment section below!
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