Defense wins the day: Defensive Camp Notes
Thursday's Colts practice was the last before the team travels to Buffalo to take on the Bills for their preseason opener. The team was not in pads and only practiced for an hour, but still, this practice answered more questions than any practice in training camp so far. Defensive Takeaways: Depth concerns at nickle corner […]
Thursday's Colts practice was the last before the team travels to Buffalo to take on the Bills for their preseason opener.
The team was not in pads and only practiced for an hour, but still, this practice answered more questions than any practice in training camp so far.
Defensive Takeaways:
Depth concerns at nickle corner behind Kenny Moore II
Thursday’s Colts practice continued the absence of starting nickel CB Kenny Moore II. While Moore II has been out it’s been noticeable how much the slot WRs are dominating the slot corners playing in his place.
Whether it is rookie Josh Downs or veteran Isaiah McKenzie, the level of separation the two have created since Moore II has been out with an injury is eye-opening. The corner room will be one to monitor throughout the season, but if Moore II has to miss any time, I wonder if the team will elect to add a veteran nickel to the room to minimize the hole.
Nick Cross showing improvment
2nd-year Nick Cross is coming off a rookie season where he struggled to see the field. A 7th-round rookie (Rodney Thomas) carved out a larger role than the 3rd-rounder Cross. Cross has had a larger role through camp than expected because of injuries to starters Julian Blackmon and Rodney Thomas.
During Thursday's practice, Cross switched back and forth between SS and FS and stayed with the 1st team throughout the entire practice. He held down the back end of the field today, limiting any real shots by either QB through 11 on 11s and 7 on 7s. Cross should see a good chunk of snaps with the starters Saturday, and it'll start a critical year for the 2nd year safety.
Dayo Odeyingbo dominates the day
The defensive player that impressed me the most Thursday was 3rd-year defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo. Odeyingbo lined up on both sides of the line today at times and got the best of 2nd-year Bernhard Raimann and rookie Blake Freeland.
What made the day even more impressive is Odeyingbo was winning reps with both his speed and strength. Showing off his versatile skill set and ability to play all over the defensive line for the Colts.
Odeyingbo is currently slated as the backup LEO for the Colts at the moment behind veteran Samson Ebukam, but the battle is still very on between the two. Saturday's preseason game will be interesting to watch Odeyingbon go up against the Bullo Bills' offensive line and see if he can build off Thursday's success.
The next time we see the Colts in action will be this Saturday when their preseason opener gets kicked off in Buffalo at 1 pm eastern standard time.
Steichen names starter: Offensive Camp Notes
Takeaways from the Colts final practice before their preseason kicks off
Indianapolis Colts WR Alec Pierce is in for a monster sophomore season
How does the new Colts offense fit Alec Pierce?
Featured Image By: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
