Colts give a promising update on Julian Blackmon
During OTAs, the Indianapolis Colts gave an update on Julian Blackmon as the young defender works his way back from an Achilles injury.
The Indianapolis Colts are set up to compete for a championship right now and a big reason why is the team’s young talent. One of those young talents is safety Julian Blackmon, who was drafted in 2020 and was an immediate starter.
Drafted in the third round, Blackmon became an impact player on the Colts’ defense. From the safety position, he would come downhill and make nice tackles while also being good against the pass. He brought a lot of excitement about his future to a lot of people in Indianapolis.
Unfortunately, the excitement was put on hold when Blackmon tore his Achilles in Week 7 of his second season. This forced him to miss the second half of last season but he’s been progressively working his way back onto the field.
Earlier in the offseason, Blackmon shared videos of his rehab progress. Now, he is back with the team for OTAs but he’s not on the field yet. However, Frank Reich did tell the media that Blackmon was ahead of schedule even though the team doesn’t have a target return date.
Reich is optimistic Julian Blackmon is ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab. Moving well in sideline work. #Colts not ready to put a date on a return just yet.
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) May 25, 2022
Julian Blackmon ahead of schedule in Achilles rehab
Blackmon being ready in time for the season would be great for the Colts. He will be able to step back into his role as the starting free safety and round out a very talented defense.
A defense that added Yannick Ngakoue to the defensive line and a veteran like Stephon Gilmore to the secondary. The safety group also has new additions in Rodney McLeod, Nick Cross, and Armani Watts, giving the Colts some depth that they didn’t have a year ago when Blackmon went down.
It would be perfect if Blackmon is cleared and ready to go when the season kicks off but Indy is prepared in case his debut is delayed. Whenever he is fully healthy, Blackmon should be able to slide in and contribute to a unit that has the talent to be a top-10 defense.
