With training camp around the corner, the Colts are heading into one of those stretches where a few strong weeks can change a player’s entire outlook. OTAs and minicamps are done, the real competition is about to sharpen, and Indianapolis has several spots where the pecking order still feels very much in flux.
That’s especially true on defense, where the Colts added depth in free agency and then found more long-term options in the draft at linebacker and on the defensive line. Some players are still trying to climb. Others may have already done enough to put themselves in position for bigger roles before camp even starts.
Arden Key is one of the clearest examples. The battle opposite Laiatu Latu is still alive, and the Colts are weighing second-year player Jaylahn Tuimoloau against the six-year veteran. Key arrived as a free agent this summer and has a real chance to claim a role he has rarely held in his career.
There’s reason to wonder whether Tuimoloau is ready for a full-time starting job after his rookie season. Key, meanwhile, has never been a full-time starter either, but his experience gives him his best shot yet to lock down that spot.
He is expected to beat out Michael Clemons, and he may already have separated himself through OTAs and minicamps. Right now, he looks like a player on track to start for the first time.
Justin Walley is in a different kind of fight. The Colts have their starting corners set with Sauce Gardner and Charvarious Ward, so the real intrigue is behind them, where Cam Taylor-Britt, Mekhi Blackmon, Cameron Mitchell and Walley are all chasing backup jobs.
Walley would already have a season of experience under his belt if not for the ACL tear that wiped out his rookie year. Instead, he’s back in the mix and trying to make up for lost time.
The encouraging part for Indianapolis is that he’s reportedly fully healthy, and Lou Anarumo said Walley hasn’t shown much of a drop-off and has picked up right where he left off. That matters for a player the Colts still believe in, and it gives him a strong base heading into camp.
Then there’s Bryce Boettcher, who may be the rookie making the loudest push of the group. The Colts’ 135th overall pick is competing for a starting opportunity on the open side of the linebacker group, with CJ Allen expected in the middle and Akeem Davis-Gaither next to him.
Boettcher has reportedly done nothing but impress since arriving, and the buzz out of Indianapolis is that he’s making a legitimate run not just at playing time, but at becoming the second rookie to start at linebacker. He was already building momentum during OTAs, and with training camp about to begin, he may only need one more strong stretch to turn that buzz into a real job.
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These 3 Colts Entering Camp Could Change Everything
Training camp is arriving with more than the usual roster churn for Indianapolis, because a few key names are walking in with something to prove. Jaylahn Tuimoloau needs a stronger showing after a quiet rookie year and a groin injury that cost him four games, while Sauce Gardner is under the microscope after the Colts paid a steep price to bring him in and now need to see the kind of health and explosiveness that made the move worthwhile.
Anthony Richardson adds another layer to the camp conversation, since the quarterback room is set up in a way that could squeeze his opportunities. Daniel Jones is expected to be cleared for full contact, which should shape how many reps Richardson gets, and that makes every snap he does take matter even more as the Colts try to sort out who can still help them now and who is simply fighting to keep his value intact. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Camp Battle For Final Cornerback Spots Is Already Heating Up
The top of the Colts cornerback depth chart looks set heading into training camp, with Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward and Justin Walley giving the defense a clear starting point. After that, though, things get crowded in a hurry, and the battle for the remaining roster spots is already taking shape among Cam Taylor-Britt, Johnathan Edwards, Mekhi Blackmon, Jaylon Jones and Cameron Mitchell.
For Indianapolis, the intrigue is less about who is locked in and more about who can separate over the next few weeks of practices and preseason games. The final group has not been decided, and there is a real chance two or three of these contenders end up on the outside looking in, with the early edge seemingly going to Blackmon and Edwards while Jones tries to reestablish himself after an uneven, injury-hit season. [Read more 🡒]