Colts camp observations: Rookie TE Jelani Woods shines, WR Michael Pittman Jr. dominates

WESTFIELD — One day after the Colts lost rookie tight end Drew Ogletree to a torn ACL, Jelani Woods showed why he might be able to handle the increased role he likely has to play in Indianapolis this season.

Woods made three catches in 11-on-11 drills during Thursday’s practice, showcasing the size and speed that convinced the Colts to use a third-round pick on him in April.

The big rookie opened practice by making a pair of tough, contested catches over the middle from Nick Foles, reaching behind himself in traffic to make the first and plucking the second out of a congested middle of the field.

Then Woods showed what he can do after the catch. Big and physical at 6-7, 253 pounds, Woods also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and that blend of size and speed can be devastating in the open field. On both of his catches from Foles, Woods shrugged off Detroit defensive backs left and right, blazing into the secondary.

Woods then capped off a nice day by making a grab on a slant from Matt Ryan to open the next series of plays.

More:Insider: A sleeper emerges on Colts defensive line

Budding superstar

Michael Pittman Jr. has hit it off with Ryan right away. From the start of training camp, he’s been the new starter’s No. 1 target by far, hauling in 34 passes over 13 practices.

The Lions could barely cover the Colts' No. 1 receiver in the two joint practices. One day after making three catches against Detroit, Pittman Jr. racked up five of Ryan’s nine completions — the Colts’ starter completed 9 of 12 passes on the day — including a pair of explosive plays over the middle that would have gone for 20 or more yards.

Pittman Jr. also drew a clear pass interference over the middle in the two-minute drill, beating a Lions cornerback so badly that a grab was his only recourse.

In two days of work, Pittman Jr. had just one hiccup, a drop of a tough, contested catch Thursday, but he has been a reliable, consistent target for Ryan throughout the team’s practices at Grand Park.

Learning curve

The Colts have thrown Mike Strachan into the fire this week after the second-year wide receiver missed the first three weeks of training camp to finish up his rehabilitation from a torn meniscus suffered during organized team activities.

Strachan has been given considerable playing time this week, and a lot of targets, and he’s shown both his potential and the room he still has to grow.

For example, Strachan made a nice catch from Foles on a crossing route early in the practice, but he also dropped a deep ball from Foles the next series, and in the red zone, failed to handle contact and get up for a high throw from Foles, instead looking for the flag.

Three days into his 2022 season, Strachan has been more active than any of the other receivers competing for the No. 5 spot, but he’s had his fair share of hiccups, too.

Rough red zone

A day after the Colts offense steamrolled the Lions in the red zone, Detroit was much tougher to beat.

Ryan completed both of his passes, one to Pittman Jr. and one to Ashton Dulin, and the Lions were flagged for defensive holding on Jonathan Taylor’s first run.

From there, though, the Colts offense had trouble: Nyheim Hines was dropped for a loss by Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, Taylor was stopped short of the end zone on a run and on the only live play, backup Deon Jackson fumbled the handoff from Ryan. Fumbling exchanges has been a recurrent issue for Jackson in training camp; he’s had at least three.

The running game's struggles in the red zone came as something of a surprise after an impressive day in the open field. Taylor ripped off a gain of 30 yards or more on his first carry, Hines picked up 10 yards on another and Phillip Lindsay added a nice gain.

A similar story played out for the No. 2 team, in large part because of the struggles of the backup offensive line. Foles was sacked on a play that center Wesley French was beaten on, a shovel pass to Michael Jacobson with a huge hole was blown up by backup offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark running into the tight end and D’Vonte Price had little room on three carries, including his live carry at the goal line.

Foles played under pressure throughout the practice and would likely have been sacked three times in 14 dropbacks — he finished 8 of 11. Tackle Jordan Murray and guard Alex Mollette appeared to be primarily responsible for the other two “sacks.”

Two-minute troubles

Drops derailed the first-team offense’s two-minute drill.

After a short completion to Pittman Jr., Kylen Granson couldn’t hang on to a perfect strike from Ryan at the third-down marker, and on fourth down Parris Campbell dropped a perfectly-placed ball from Ryan past the sticks.

The third-down play, Pittman Jr.'s pass interference, should have been a conversion, but Colts head coach Frank Reich declined it in order to get into a high-pressure situation.

“I wanted the fourth-and-5 situation, because that’s who we are,” Reich said. “I just wanted us to feel that pressure that we’ve got to make that play.”

Foles completed 3 of 4 throws in the two-minute, two to Jackson and one to DeMichael Harris, but his fourth-down attempt to Harris was stopped short.

Better safe than sorry

Ryan wore a brace on his left knee — his front foot in his throwing motion — in both practices against the Lions, even though he hasn’t worn one at all in training camp to this point.

Turns out he’s always put on a brace when another team is on the field. A quarterback’s front foot is often exposed in the pocket, and passers such as Carson Palmer and Tom Brady, among others, have sustained serious injuries to that leg in the pocket.

“I’ve worn a brace on my left knee since college,” Ryan said. “I don’t typically wear it during practice, but just going against another team — not that I thought anything would happen — but you just don’t know. The competitiveness … it can be unintentional, too.”

Kicking chasm

Rodrigo Blankenship appears to have taken firm control of the Colts’ kicking job over the past week. Blankenship made all five of his attempts on Thursday, hitting from 33, 40, 45, 50 and 55 yards.

Jake Verity, on the other hand, missed the 55-yarder, a problem that has lingered throughout training camp. The former Ravens understudy has a lot of leg, but he hasn’t been able to get the direction down from distance.

Blankenship has made all 10 of his field goal attempts in training camp this week, and after missing an extra point against Buffalo, Verity has made only 7 of 10.

Injury report

Veteran offensive tackle Dennis Kelly continues to recover after undergoing a knee procedure early in training camp.

“He’s doing very well,” Reich said. “Talked to him this morning, he’s in good spirits, making good progress.”

Backup cornerback Anthony Chesley returned to the lineup for Thursday’s practice, and defensive tackle R.J. McIntosh sat out with a minor injury suffered on Wednesday against the Lions.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (concussion), wide receiver Keke Coutee (groin), safeties Will Redmond and Armani Watts, linebacker JoJo Domann and defensive tackle Chris Williams remained out of the lineup.

All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back) remains on the active/physically unable to perform list.

Ogletree was placed on injured reserve on Thursday after suffering a torn ACL in practice Wednesday. According to Reich, Ogletree faces a roughly 9-month timetable, meaning he won’t be ready for action again until next spring.

Quick game

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox made two touchdown catches during a red zone 7-on-7 period, using his size to outleap Lions defenders. … Hines made a nice touchdown grab in the same red zone period. … Price, an undrafted free agent who missed a week of training camp with an injury, has been getting some carries with Foles and the No. 2 offense.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts camp: Jelani Woods shines, Michael Pittman Jr. dominant