Colts cancel final day of mandatory minicamp

After two days of mandatory minicamp, the Indianapolis Colts wrapped things up early, canceling the third and final day of practice.

The Indianapolis Colts canceled its final day of mandatory minicamp after the conclusion of Tuesday’s practice. The two-day minicamp featured suffocating defense, rocky quarterback play, and unorthodox punt returners.

This season's rendition of the overreactionary mandatory minicamp saw all of its participants in the flesh, however, a decent chunk of them were sidelined due to rehabbing and/or nursing an injury. The players in question were comprised of five rookies and several veterans, some of those vets being Jonathan Taylor (ankle surgery), Shaquille Leonard (back surgery), and Michael Pittman Jr. (hip).

Canceling the final day of mandatory minicamp may seem like a bad sign, but this is actually quite popular amongst NFL teams; the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots also forewent their final day(s) of 2023 minicamp. Head coach Shane Steichen certainly felt as if it was in his team's best interest.

When teams do continue with their regularly scheduled programming, the final day is often a fun, light-spirited practice before they embark on a six-week hiatus between the conclusion of minicamp and the beginning of training camp.

This decision was an easy one for the Colts, who are already dealing with a plethora of injuries. Not to mention, fifth-ound pick Daniel Scott, a safety product by way of California, tore his ACL on the final play of OTAs just the week prior. Add this tragic injury to the mix of Isaiah Rodgers Sr.'s gambling investigation and the Colts DB room is back to where it was pre-draft: thinner than one-ply toilet paper.

Six weeks away from the facility will give everyone time to deal with their respective situations as well as visit family. All the while the Indy brass can work towards getting their affairs in order when it comes to addressing any roster weakness(es) and/or surplus(es) in the meantime. A true win-win.

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