It shouldn’t come as a major surprise, given how offseason programs unfolded, but Indianapolis Colts’ rookie cornerback Justin Walley was running with the ones during the first training camp practice, taking reps opposite of Charvarius Ward.
“Well, he’s a pretty damn good player,” Shane Steichen said after practice. “He did some really good things in the spring, so he’s going to compete at that spot.”
The reason that I say this shouldn’t come as a surprise is because throughout OTAs and minicamp, Walley received a lot of high praise from both coaches and teammates for his play.
A third-round pick by the Colts, Walley is a bit undersized, but hyper competitive and brings great speed to the position. His ability to play in man coverages, ball production, along with the Colts’ viewing him as a versatile defender, make him a very good fit for Lou Anarumo’s defensive scheme.
“That’s a good thing for him, a good thing for us,” Ward said, via the Indy Star. “He’s balling as a young guy, he’s only going to get better with more reps.”
As GM Chris Ballard outlined on Tuesday, Walley, along with Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents, are competing for that starting spot. Ultimately, as Anarumo described earlier this offseason, he is looking for consistency.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ rookie, not named Tyler Warren, gets key opportunity on Day 1 of training camp
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
