Colts camp observations: Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin wreak havoc on Indy offense

WESTFIELD — The first day of full pads arrived at Grand Park on Tuesday with a thump.

The Colts defense did most of the thumping.

Frustrated by an Indianapolis secondary that has drawn rave reviews from the Colts coaching staff, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan threw incomplete on his first four attempts in 7-on-7 inside the red zone, was part of at least two broken plays and finished 7 of 11 in full team drills, all while taking pressure throughout.

Even in 1-on-1 drills, the quarterbacks and receivers had a difficult time racking up completions.

Ryan would likely have been sacked at least twice, the first time a combination of Grover Stewart and Yannick Ngakoue, the second time by an onrushing Bobby Okereke when Ryan rolled out of the pocket.

Backup quarterback Nick Foles had a little bit more success by finishing 8 of 11 in full team work, but he likely would have taken a sack from Ben Banogu rushing off of the left side.

And when Colts head coach Frank Reich put suicides on the line between offense and defense for the final three plays of each practice, the defense won two out of the three chances.

“I went down pretty hard on one of them, it was a little slick,” Ryan said of the suicides. “We’ve got to win those periods at the end as an offense, but it’s good stuff, it’s good for us.”

Okereke and running mate Zaire Franklin were monsters throughout the day. Okereke had the sack, laid a physical hit on Mo Alie-Cox to break up what looked like a sure touchdown and made several plays. Franklin, for his part, flashed with a pass breakup and a couple of nice plays in the running game, including a flying hit of Nyheim Hines on the outside.

Ngakoue, who has been a menace in training camp so far, kept putting pressure on Ryan.

The Colts offense did have its moments.

On one play, a beautiful move from Michael Pittman Jr. and a perfect pump fake from Ryan fooled cornerback Brandon Facyson badly, and Pittman Jr. got free for a gain of 40 or more yards. Hines showcased his speed on the outside at times, and Foles made several tight-window throws in the red zone, hitting Ashton Dulin and Keke Coutee without much space to work with.

Even the other two quarterbacks had nice moments. Undrafted free agent Jack Coan threaded the needle on a nice touchdown pass to Nikola Kalinic, and late in the session, and a scrambling Ehlinger found Isaiah Ford for a touchdown with a strike.

But for the most part, the defense won the day.

“That usually is the case on the first day in pads,” Reichsaid. “We did a lot of red zone today. … and when you get in training camp, we’re typically just installing plays on offense, and typically in the red zone, you’re very specific about how you game-plan teams. We’re not game-planning our defense. They had some things covered up.”

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Field goal fight

For the first time in front of the fans during training camp, Rodrigo Blankenship and Jake Verity went head-to-head early in Tuesday’s practice.

Both Blankenship and Verity made all four field goals, each kicker hitting from 33, 40, 46 and 52 yards. Blankenship, who was the Colts’ starting kicker in 2020 and the early part of 2021, likely opens with an edge due to familiarity, but Indianapolis is intrigued by Verity’s leg strength.

“We’re just looking for consistency, production,” Reich said. “Rod’s been our guy. We’re really happy with the way Rod’s continued to develop. Jake looks good.”

Baptism by fire

Rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce was matched up against five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore for the second time in 1-on-1 drills, and the second-round pick is still looking for his first catch.

Gilmore broke up both of Ryan’s throws to Pierce during the period, a development that was partly due to the veteran’s savvy and in part because of two missed reads on where the ball should go. On both of the snaps, Pierce got free behind Gilmore, only to see the ball go elsewhere.

Ryan, who has diligently worked with the receivers throughout training camp, went over to the rookie after both throws to help Pierce understand how the route needs to be run.

Off the radar

A talented group of undrafted free agent linebackers is making a collective bid for a roster spot, setting up a battle that could potentially be one of the tightest for the 53-man roster.

Indianapolis likely has at least one spot, possibly two, open for a linebacker to make the roster after letting Matthew Adams sign with the Chicago Bears in free agency and releasing Jordan Glasgow this summer.

The hard part is that the Colts have four undrafted linebackers who have all made a case, including three different guys who flashed on Wednesday alone.

Nebraska’s JoJo Domann broke up a pass and made an impressive tackle of Phillip Lindsay in the hole. Clemson’s James Skalski got his hand on a Coan pass, and Miami of Ohio’s Sterling Weatherford leaped high to knock away a Ehlinger throw in the end zone.

Injury report

Veteran offensive tackle Dennis Kelly, who was signed this offseason to shore up the team’s depth at the spot — a problem the past couple of seasons — missed practice with a knee injury.

“We’re evaluating,” Reich said. “That’s going to have him out for a little bit.”

Fairly injury-free to this point, Indianapolis was forced to put two players on injured reserve Tuesday, placing wide receiver John Hurst (ankle surgery) and Carter O’Donnell (undisclosed) there in a move that ends their seasons. The Colts signed center Alex Mollette to fill one of the spots.

Veteran safety Rodney McLeod, defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis and rookie defensive tackle Eric Johnson are all practicing, but Indianapolis has limited some of their snaps in practice in an effort to help them rehab from injuries suffered either last season or in the offseason.

“I think I’m pretty close,” McLeod said. “It’s not a full practice, but I’m getting a good amount of reps, so I’m getting good looks, getting a lot of action.”

Starting tight end Mo Alie-Cox, who “tweaked” his knee in Sunday’s practice, was able to return to full participation on Tuesday, along with cornerback Tony Brown, who missed one practice. All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back) and wide receiver Michael Strachan (knee) remain on the physically unable to perform list; defensive tackle Chris Williams is still out with a boot on his right foot.

Quick game

Johnson has flashed impressive quickness off of the ball in 1-on-1 pass rush drills, creating problems with his first step; fellow rookie Curtis Brooks, a sixth-round pick, has had some success with lateral quickness. … Cornerback Chris Wilcox, a player the Colts picked up on the waiver wire at the cut deadline last season, had a nice pass breakup for the second consecutive practice. … International player Marcel Dabo picked off Ehlinger in the red zone during 7-on-7 drills.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts camp: Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin wreak havoc on offense