The first day of Colts training camp is officially in the books, as the team took to the field in Grand Park on Wednesday. The day offered fans their first glimpse of several key new additions to the squad, including new QB Matt Ryan, rookie WR Alec Pierce, and new DE Yannick Ngakoue. When 11-on-11 drills opened up, Ryan did not disappoint, completing 7 of his 8 pass attempts. Two rookies who also made a nice first impression were Alec Pierce and Safety Nick Cross. Pierce made a nice play, getting wide open and gaining about 15-20 yards, while Cross made the play of the day when he picked off Ryan on his second pass attempt during 7-on-7 drills.
As the Indianapolis Colts began training camp, there were some notable players who did not see the field yesterday. LB Shaquille Leonard (back/leg) and WR Mike Strachan (knee) still remain on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List. Meanwhile, rookie defensive tackle Eric Johnson II is on the Active/Non-Football Injury list. Defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis and safety Rodney McLeod were both activated from PUP Wednesday morning, but Lewis did not practice. Finally, in what was somewhat of a surprise, All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner participated in positional drills, but did not take the field during the live 11-on-11 drills.
Big Ten Media Days continued Wednesday, where Purdue Head Coach Jeff Brohm spoke to the gathered media. Brohm told reporters that he’s not worried about what the offense will look like this upcoming season, and that’s thanks to QB Aidan O’Connell. Brohm also expressed confidence in his defense, saying “I think our defensive guys understand that they can achieve and be as good as they want to be if we allow them to do that, if we give them the proper package to help them be aggressive in their approach and help them take chances and play free.” The Boilermakers kick off the 2022-23 Football Season Thursday, September 1st, at Penn State, with kickoff set for 8pm.
