Colts camp observations: Kwity Paye injured, Jelani Woods impressive
WESTFIELD — Starting defensive end Kwity Paye sat out the second half of Wednesday’s practice with a left knee injury sustained in the middle of an 11-on-11 drill.
Paye, the 2021 first-round pick who is slated to line up opposite Yannick Ngakoue in the starting lineup this season, went down in the middle of a pile of players and was slow to get up, initially prompting players such as Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner to come check on him.
But Paye did not leave the field until the practice was over.
After examining Paye, the Colts’ trainers wrapped his left knee in ice for a portion of the practice, then took it off later. Paye walked the sideline for the final few periods of practice without any brace or wrap on the knee, then walked all the way off the field before taking a cart to the team facility.
Stock up
Rookie tight end Jelani Woods has put a couple of nice days together in the week since his roommate, fellow rookie tight end Drew Ogletree, tore his ACL, potentially pushing Woods into a bigger role in the offense.
“I really don’t see his role changing much. He and Drew are kind of different cats, as far as what they would contribute,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “I would say it would mean this, that Jelani will probably get even more playing time.”
Woods showed he might be ready Wednesday.
First, the rookie made a tough, contested catch over the middle from Matt Ryan on a play with rookie safety Nick Cross draped all over him in tight coverage, then he added another catch from Ryan in 11-on-11, plus a grab from Nick Foles.
A little inconsistent early in training camp, Woods has been on the rise.
Finishing it off
The bond between Ryan and Michael Pittman Jr. has been easy to see in training camp.
Pittman Jr. has caught far more passes in 11-on-11 work than any other Colts receiver, and he’s put together a handful of days where he’s dominated the target share.
Wednesday was another one of those days. Pittman Jr. caught five Ryan completions on a 10-for-12 day from the Indianapolis starting quarterback.
This time, though, Pittman Jr. had consistent help from Parris Campbell, who brought in three grabs from Ryan on a day when the Colts turned up the music to simulate game-day conditions.
Line shuffle
Indianapolis center Ryan Kelly did not practice Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19. With Kelly out, starting right guard Danny Pinter slid into center — Pinter appears to be the Colts’ No. 2 option in the middle — and second-year lineman Will Fries moved into Pinter’s guard spot for most of the practice.
For the second consecutive day, the Colts went through a period with rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle, right tackle Braden Smith sliding in to right guard and Matt Pryor, who is on track to be the team’s starting left tackle, on the right side.
Emergency punter
Forced to practice without a punter in a workout that fell between the loss of Rigoberto Sanchez to a torn Achilles tendon and the signing of veteran Matt Haack, the Colts still held a punting period in Wednesday’s practice.
Undrafted free agent safety Trevor Denbow, who leads the NFL in special teams tackles this preseason with five stops in two games, was back behind Luke Rhodes, launching an impressive set of punts into the air, then stepped back into the lineup later in the practice and broke up a Ryan pass.
“When I was evaluating Trevor in the offseason, I looked at his bio, and it said he’d punted for an entire season at SMU,” Ventrone said. “I figured if we didn’t have a punter at practice, we might as well see what he has.”
Denbow averaged 38.7 yards per punt as SMU’s primary punter during the 2019 season.
Injury report
Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (concussion), offensive tackle Dennis Kelly (knee), special teams ace Brandon King (hamstring), defensive end Kameron Cline (concussion) and safety Will Redmond did not practice.
All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back) remains on the active/physically unable to perform list.
Quick game
Free safety Julian Blackmon made the most impressive play a defensive back has made in 1-on-1 drills in camp, stepping in front of Mo Alie-Cox and tipping the ball to himself in a fluid motion. … Undrafted free agent running back D’Vonte Price has been given several snaps with Foles and the No. 2 unit, and he put together a couple of nice runs on Wednesday. Price has also been impressive on special teams. … Foles has been under siege the past two days playing against the Colts’ No. 1 defense; he likely would have been sacked at least twice in nine dropbacks in 11-on-11.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts camp: Kwity Paye injured, Jelani Woods impressive
