Indianapolis Colts training camp: Four positions to watch

Stephen Holder | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Key players facing the Colts in 2018 Here are some of the players Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich will have to pay special attention to in his first season.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts’ ever-evolving roster is about to change some more.

Training camp, which gets underway on Wednesday in Westfield, is certain to generate some personnel decisions that shake up the roster even more than General Manager Chris Ballard already has in his year and a half on the job.

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The roster won’t really begin to take shape until the Colts can get into the preseason and begin to make heads or tails of what they have. There’s a new staff, new schemes on offense and defense and a host of new players.

Even so, we know enough to establish that some units on this team are stronger than others.

Here are four Colts positions to watch in 2018 – units that bear watching for myriad reasons.

Defensive line

This position was sneaky good in 2017. The Colts had one of the NFL’s top rushing defenses, at least on early downs, and they would have had a much more effective defense overall if the pass rush had been more reliable.

The Colts haven’t exactly added a haul of big names here. They don’t have many of those to begin with. But they have made numerous mid-level acquisitions who figure to have an impact.

During an interview on Friday, Ballard extolled the virtues of a player like Denico Autry, a free agent picked up from the Oakland Raiders who should be an asset at both defensive end and defensive tackle.

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“Let me tell you the one you need to watch: It’s Autry,” Ballard said. “Denico Autry is legitimate. He’s long, he’s strong, he’s passionate. I am really excited to watch him play. He’s made up of all the right stuff. There are some good players on that D line.”

Throw in additions like former Chiefs starter Rakeem Nunez-Roches, the development of Tarell Basham, draft picks like Kemoko Turay and Tyquan Lewis and the return of Jabaal Sheard, and this defensive line is easily the most competitive unit on the roster. How do you know when a particular unit is one of quality? When you are forced to cut players you badly want to keep. That looks likely to happen on the Colts’ defensive line.

Linebacker

This position is one to watch for vastly different reasons. It is, perhaps, the weakest on the roster. At minimum, it’s the position at which there are the most unanswered questions.

That doesn’t mean some young players won’t step forward and become surprise contributors; we see it every year in the NFL. But as the Colts continue this transition from their former 3-4 defensive system used under former coach Chuck Pagano to their current 4-3 scheme, the linebacker spot is the one least prepared to adapt to the changes.

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That’s not surprising. A change in scheme this dramatic always takes time. The Colts knew that going in. Ballard made a conscious decision to focus on the front line in 2018. It’s not a bad philosophy – games are won in the trenches – but it certainly creates skepticism about the linebackers.

The Colts have no real leads on who their top three linebackers will be. Najee Goode, a veteran signee from the Philadelphia Eagles, is in the mix. So, too, is second-round pick Darius Leonard, but he’s far behind after missing the entire offseason with a quad injury. You can throw Anthony Walker, a 2017 fifth-round pick, into the conversation as well.

Expect the Colts to take an open-minded approach here, meaning just about anyone can rise to the top of the heap.

Offensive line

Are you sitting down? Good, because you’re never going to believe this: The Colts’ offensive line looks poised to be one of this team’s best units.

After years on end of shaky pass protection and a constant lack of depth, the Colts have what looks to be a strong and deep group of offensive linemen.

Drafting guard Quenton Nelson at sixth overall will certainly do wonders for a team’s offensive line, and the Colts were happy to make the investment. But the upgrades here go well beyond the former Notre Dame All-American.

Veteran guard Matt Slauson continues to earn the praise of Ballard and his coaches for both his ability and his leadership. He will raise the level of professionalism in the offensive-line room, and that’s important with a young unit. Meanwhile, Braden Smith, drafted in the second round from Auburn, will be nipping at Slauson’s heels, the Colts hope. He might develop at a slower rate than Nelson, but the Colts ideally envision Smith as their long-term right guard to go along with left guard Nelson.

The signing of veteran tackle Austin Howard will, at minimum, force players like Denzelle Good to raise their game. Howard is a prime candidate to start at right tackle, a position where there has been a revolving door of starters the past few seasons.

It might feel unnatural, but trust us: It’s OK to let yourself get a little excited about this offensive line.

Defensive backs

Three of the Colts’ top four returning cornerbacks in 2018 are going to be second-year players. Presumptive starter Quincy Wilson is 21. Kenny Moore, who started five games last season, is 22. At safety, Malik Hooker – who is recovering from knee surgery – has played in just seven games and is also 22.

So, yes, the Colts’ defensive backs are young. There’s plenty of youth on this roster given the recent turnover. But nowhere is that youth concentrated like it is in the secondary. It’s going to be critical that this group develop at a fast rate in the team’s new defensive system, though Ballard and others have stated it is a scheme that will not require as much of a mental load for young players.

Good thing, because the Colts don’t have much in the way of experience on the back end of their defense. Fortunately, what they do have, is some real upside from Hooker, Wilson, Hairston and veterans like Pierre Desir and Clayton Geathers.

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.