While the Indianapolis Colts have gotten off to a rough start this season at 2-2-1, that hasn’t prevented some rookies from impressing early.
The Indianapolis Colts welcomed a draft class of eight rookies and then signed 22 undrafted free agents. This was Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard’s sixth class of rookies. Currently, Indy has all but one of their drafted rookies on the active roster. Curtis Brooks, who was drafted in the sixth round, is on the practice squad.
Four of the 22 UDFAs made the initial 53-man roster; Jojo Domann, Trevor Denbow, Dallis Flowers, and Wesley French. Currently, three of the four are on the active roster with Denbow on IR. The Colts also claimed Luke Tenuta off waivers from the Buffalo Bills to add to their assortment of rookies on the active roster.
Almost all of the rookies have seen the field minus Denbow (IR), French (AR), Brooks (PS), and Andrew Ogletree (IR). Let’s check in on how this rookie class has performed five games into the season.
Injured Reserve
Sadly some rookies have yet to see the field for the Indianapolis Colts due to season-ending injuries. Ogletree is one of the players. After having an impressive training camp he tore his ACL. The Colts drafted Ogletree with the 192nd overall pick in the sixth round out of Youngstown State, in the hopes that they could mold him into a premiere tight-end. While they still can do this, it is a tough setback for the rookie. Indy will be anxious to get him back into the fold using his size (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) to create mismatches in the red zone.
Denbow was another rookie lost to injury. The team placed him on the injured reserve list heading into the first week of the season which technically makes him eligible to return at this point in the season. The injury was undisclosed. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of SMU coming in at 5-foot-10, 280 pounds.
Practice Squad
Indianapolis added several rookies to their practice squad filling seven of the 16 positions with first-year players. Brooks remains on the practice squad after being drafted with the 216th overall pick in the sixth round. Joining him is Marcel Dabo who was added to the team as an undrafted free agent through the NFL’s International Pathway Program. Since he is in the international program he won’t count towards the Colts’ practice squad player limit and can be elevated to the active roster if necessary.
Chris Williams (who was inactive for the only game he was called up for), D’vonte Price, and Ethan Fernea are on the practice squad after Indy signed them as undrafted free agents. Leading up to the regular season, the Colts signed Segun Olubi after they were released from the San Francisco 49ers and Darrell Baker Jr. after being released by the Arizona Cardinals. Both were signed as UDFAs in the offseason. None of the players listed in this section have seen action yet in the regular season.
UDFAs and other signings
Out of the 10 rookies currently on the Indianapolis Colts active roster, four were either signed off waivers or as undrafted free agents. While they all haven’t contributed heavily five games into the season they still were able to carve out a roster spot and some are making an impact on special teams.
Tackle Luke Tenuta was signed to the team after being selected 209th overall in the sixth round by the Bills. They waived him after the preseason before the regular season started. He has been inactive for every game of the season thus far. Joining him on the inactive list has been center, Wesley French.
He has been out for four of the five games, getting to suit up for the team’s Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs because Bernard Raimann was inactive. He was an undrafted free agent that made the cut but hasn’t been on the field yet during the Colts’ five regular season games.
After being inactive for the first four games of the season, cornerback Dallis Flowers got the chance to play Thursday night against the Denver Broncos. He played 13 snaps on special teams during that game, registering one solo tackle and one forced fumble.
Jojo Domann impressed in training camp and during the preseason earning a spot on the 53-man roster to begin the season. He has been active for all five games thus far playing on special teams. He has been on the field for 84 snaps the fourth most on special teams. This number accounts for 65% of the Colts’ total special teams snaps. He has registered one solo tackle on the season.
Colts 2022 Draft Class
As previously mentioned, the Indianapolis Colts drafted eight players in the 2022 NFL draft. Out of those eight, six have been mainstays on the Colts’ roster since the beginning of the season. Defensive tackle Eric Johnson was selected with the 159th overall pick in the fifth round. Fun fact, Johnson was the first Missouri State player drafted since 2011. He has been on the field for 31 snaps on defense and 15 snaps on special teams five games into the season. Although he hasn’t registered any stats yet, he comes in to relieve DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart in a thin interior defensive line group.
Safety Rodney Thomas II has stepped in and up big as of late since Julian Blackmon has been out with an ankle injury. Thomas II was selected with the 239th overall pick in the seventh round and was the first player drafted from Yale since 2018. Since getting his first NFL action in Week 3 he has seven solo tackles, one interception, and two pass deflections. Thomas II has started the last two games and had his pass deflections and interception during the Colts’ win on Thursday Night Football.
While Thomas II’s stock is climbing fellow rookie safety Nick Cross’s stock is falling. After showing out in training camp and preseason earning the starting safety job opposite Blackmon, Cross has fallen out of favor with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. He is now out of the starting lineup, being replaced by the veteran Rodney McLeod.
Cross has played 117 total snaps on defense and 22 on special teams. He has now been out-snapped by McLeod by over 100 snaps. After playing 70 snaps in Week 1 (100% of the team’s defensive snaps) his time has declined to 46 snaps and then only one defensive snap in Week 3. Since then he has played no snaps on defense in Week 4 or 5 and only four and six on special teams respectively. During the time he was playing, he totaled seven solo tackles and nine total tackles.
Tackle Bernhard Raimann
Out of Central Michigan, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle Bernhard Raimann was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round with the 77th overall pick. Trying to sure up their offensive line, the Colts used this pick to invest in the future of their line. Bernhard was playing second fiddle to Matt Pryor as the starting left tackle for the team throughout the offseason. He played 16 snaps in Week 1 and 15 in Week 2. After being inactive in Week 3 due to an ankle injury, Raimann only played four snaps on special teams in Week 4. Then in Week 5, his number was drawn.
Indianapolis decided to shake up their offensive line in Week 5 sending Danny Pinter and Will Fries to the bench moving Braden Smith to right guard and Pryor to right tackle. This left a whole at left tackle for the rookie to fill. He has played 106 out of 110 snaps at the left tackle position. Although his debut wasn’t as spectacular as many fans had hoped, he wasn’t terrible.
He committed four penalties in that game which, according to PFF, is tied for third in the league among tackles. He was given a 66.9 run block grade and only a 43.1 pass block grade. This brought his season totals to a 67.6 run block grade, 54.2 pass block grade, and an overall offense grade of 55.8. The Colts have confidence in Raimann which was shown by not pulling him after his string of penalties. Maybe they don’t have anyone else to throw out there or are out of ideas. On the positive side, they are willing to deal with the penalties if the rookie can develop with real game experience.
Tight End Jelani Woods
After losing Jack Doyle to retirement the Colts knew they needed to grow their tight end room. With their second selection in the 2022 draft, they picked Jelani Woods out of Virginia. With the 73rd overall pick in the third round, Indy got a huge red zone target in a 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame. Woods had a slow start to training camp and the preseason but has started to take shape over the last few weeks.
After playing eight offensive snaps in Weeks 1 and 2 he saw his count double in Week 3 where he saw 16 snaps. He also scored two touchdowns on two receptions for 13 yards. Quarterback Matt Ryan looked for Woods in the red zone and connected with him. He played 15 snaps in Week 4 and caught his only target for 33 yards. This week, he played 23 snaps but couldn’t haul in his lone target.
Head Coach Frank Reich has committed to getting the tight ends involved and has seen the red zone product from Woods and Mo Alie-Cox in back-to-back weeks. Hopefully, more is on the horizon for the promising rookie as the Colts look to spur on their struggling offense. If they can get Woods the ball in open space it could be dangerous. He and Alie-Cox showed they could shed tackles and drag defenders with them on their pursuit of the endzone.
Wide Receiver Alec Pierce
With their first pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Alec Pierce, a 6-foot-3, 211-pound receiver from Cincinnati. Without having a first-round pick, Indy missed out on some of the premiere receivers in this deep wide-out class but is hoping to have found a gem in Pierce. He was selected in the second round with the 53rd overall pick.
From day one of the offseason, Pierce has been heavily involved in the offense but struggled in his NFL debut. He was targeted twice in Week 1 playing 47 snaps on offense but suffered a concussion that ruled him out of Indy’s Week 2 game. In Week 3, he capitalized on time missed hauling in three of his five targets for 61 yards. He played 32 snaps in this game which was almost half of the team’s total offensive snaps.
Week 4 saw his lowest snap count to date (29) but caught four of his six targets for 80 yards. Last week, he matched his career-high snaps at 47, which was almost 60% of Indianapolis’ total offensive snaps, and set career marks for targets (9), receptions (8), and yards (81). However, he did have one fumble that was luckily recovered by fellow wide receiver Parris Campbell.
In total, Pierce has eclipsed 200 receiving yards on the season, averaging almost 15 yards per reception, a 68% catch percentage, and 10 yards per target. He is second to WR1 Michael Pittman Jr. and the team in targets and yards and third in receptions (Nyheim Hines is second to Pittman with 18).
Pierce has made his name on 50/50 balls but showed some promise this week on catching the ball in open space showing off his speed. The wide receiver group was a hot topic for fans this offseason as the Colts declined to add a veteran or free agent presence. Pierce has been playing well but everyone is expecting more and hopeful to get it.
Colts rookie review
All-in-all the rookies have performed well but right now, they are nowhere near the most talented class Ballard has brought in. It’s too early to tell what this group will become but so far, Pierce has shown his abilities, but the Indianapolis Colts are looking for more from Woods, Raimann, and Cross. Thomas II could be a sneaky pick that many teams will regret passing on.
As far as everyone else goes, it’s too early to tell. The UDFA class this year was large and talented leading many to believe someone in this group could pop off. Domann and Flowers are two names that come to mind to watch out for. The Colts are in a better place after the draft and rookies are starting to develop and grow week to week. However, they are far off from where they expected they would be five games into the season.
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