Colts Impressed by Rookie Safety Julian Blackmon’s Recovery From Knee Surgery

INDIANAPOLIS — That rookie safety Julian Blackmon suited up for an Indianapolis Colts practice about nine months after undergoing surgery on his left knee was a welcome sight on Monday.

The third-round selection out of Utah tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the first half of the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon. He was made aware that the recovery timetable for ACL surgeries is usually a year, and how soon a player is ready for a game can vary.

When the Colts drafted Blackmon in April, he was told not to worry about the injury and just focus on getting better. Easier said than done, especially when considering he had never suffered an injury of this severity before. In a Monday Zoom video call, Blackmon said he did what he was told, and he never had any doubt about being able to make his NFL debut this season.

“It’s been a process,” he said. “It’s one that I’ve always trusted, and to be honest, I never had any negative thoughts. As soon as I got hurt – I’m a firm believer in God and I kind of just believed that I am here for a reason because one, I could handle it and two, I needed it for something bigger. I was blessed enough to be put in this situation. The journey has been long, but it’s been worth it. There’s been a lot of progressing and learning on the way.”

The Colts are going to be cautious with his practice routine. After two days of limited work, he was given Wednesday to rest.

Blackmon optimistically estimated his physical condition at about 95 percent, if not higher, but understands trainers and coaches won’t let him rush back. There’s something to be said for a player needing time to trust a repaired knee.

When does he think he’ll be ready to play?

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he said. “I would say it’s kind of up to my knee and whenever – one day I wake up and I’m not sore and I feel 100 percent, which will probably be later on within the year. Most people say it takes about nine months, but really to feel 100 percent from a knee injury like this, it takes about a year. Right now, I feel really good but I have to progress in the right way in order to keep on feeling good.”

If it takes until October, as general manager Chris Ballard previously suggested, the Colts still consider this worth the wait. They were excited to draft Blackmon, who covered to safety from cornerback for his final season at Utah. He brings the speed and ball skills of a cover guy to free safety.

(Check out Horseshoe Nation’s premium page)

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus shared his thoughts on the process of getting Blackmon up to speed.

“It’s just the process with (safeties coach) Alan Williams, being able to do the cone drills and going through the checklist you need to go through as a defensive player – learning the call and then going from the call and getting your adjustments by formation,” Eberflus said. “That’s a big communication position for us, that they need to set the defense with the linebackers and get the secondary all squared away.

“I think really for him it’s basically just getting comfortable doing that. He’s a talented player that has functional intelligence and he’s picking up the schemes really well. We have no doubt that he’s going to be awesome once he gets in there. We just have to get him through the process of it and he’s doing that right now with Alan.”

Free safety Malik Hooker, a 2017 first-round selection, is in a contract year after his 2021 option wasn’t picked up. He’s starting alongside Khari Willis, a 2019 fourth-round selection. The expectation is that Blackmon would earn snaps as a reserve when healthy. He says he’s benefited from watching the starters, in terms of getting mental reps.

But Blackmon concedes the proof is in the playing. Rookies need snaps to learn from their mistakes.

“Like a lot of the players have said, seeing it is one thing, but being out there is another,” he said. “The more reps I get, the more comfortable I’ll feel. I think that it plays very well into my strengths of just being a guy who likes to make plays and likes being all over the field using my speed, as well as using technique and just trusting what the coaches are telling me is true. So far – they are NFL coaches for a reason. Honestly, I think it helps me a lot, especially just being in a lot of zone and being able to get my eyes on the quarterback.”

(Check out all 32 NFL Team Previews by Sports Illustrated)

Reich was asked how impressed he was by Blackmon being on the field at the start of September.

“Very impressive, I mean nine months or a little bit under that,” the coach said. “It just goes to speak to his mindset, the kind of person that he is, how he attacked his rehab – even during a difficult time, right? Through the pandemic, in difficult circumstances, he has handled himself like a pro. You can feel the maturity from him. You can feel the competitive fire, how badly he wants to be out there. He’s obviously ahead of schedule. We’ll still be smart with him, have him on a play count, and gradually work him back.”

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)