WESTFIELD – Most of the core of the Colts – not necessarily its stars, but its veterans and the culture setters of the locker room – have been part of the franchise for close to a decade. Some, even longer.
And it’s those players – 33-year-old long-snapper Luke Rhodes, 32-year-old tight end Mo Alie-Cox, 32-year-old defensive tackle Grover Stewart and 31-year-old punter Rigoberto Sanchez – who’ve paid witness to 10 training camps, where dozens of new 20-something players join the fold.
Most of them wind up cut. A few enter as presumed offensive or defensive focal points. Maybe one or two splash as a surprise.
Rarely, though, is someone signed who could match those core players in age, who finds themselves joining their fourth team in five years at a moment where their defensive snaps have been in a freefall, and yet, the addition feels like someone who could not only stick around but leave a mark.
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Jonathan Owens remembers who those players were in the early days of his career – journeymen safeties Mike Adams and Mike Thomas, who crossed paths with a second- or third-year Owens in Houston in Years 16 and 8 (respectively) in their NFL careers.
At that point, neither was seeing but a scant opportunity on defense anymore. Beating out younger, faster players for the final couple special teams spots was their only way to hang around, and it left a lasting impression on Owens.
Now in their shoes, he aims to carry on their legacy by becoming the ‘captain’ of the Colts’ special teams unit. Earlier this month, Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason name-dropped Owens, the 31-year-old former undrafted free agent, among a handful of prospective special teams breakout players he’d be looking to fill a key role as the backfield’s “personal protector.” That player’s job is to ensure the group is lined up properly, that blitzing defenders are accounted for and then keep Sanchez untouched.
Then, that player is unleashed as a second-level gunner charged with swallowing up the return man if he hasn’t already been tackled or forced into a fair catch. It’s a little-known, often overlooked, somewhat thankless job.
And it’s also what Owens lives for.
“I love it, absolutely,” he said when asked about his prospective leadership role on special teams. “I feel like you’re pretty much the captain of the special teams, in a way, and just like having everyone listening to my calls. You’re pretty much running the show, and that takes a lot of trust from the special teams coach to have you there.
“I love that accountability and that pressure, and then I consider myself a third gunner when I’m running down there. I’m just trying to go and do whatever I can to make the team better.”
For the better part of his first three years in the league, that was special teams for Owen, who only played in a combined 14 games over that stretch without more than a dozen defensive snaps in a season. By Year 4 in 2022, Owens was an every-game starter for the Texans defense at safety, logging close to 1,000 snaps with the unit. His role on special teams shrank to almost nothing, and that offseason, he jumped to Green Bay, where his role on defense was still notable – 775 snaps (70% of the share) in 17 games – but where his appearance on special teams (233 plays, 54%) jumped back up.
By the end of a two-year stint that followed in Chicago, Owens wasn’t logging a single start – even though he played in every game – and averaged fewer than three defensive snaps per game while racking up 264 on special teams (58%).
This offseason, he joined a Colts secondary that already had a veteran starter at free safety in Camryn Bynum, that was waiting on young upstart Hunter Wohler to make a full return from a Lisfranc injury a year ago and selected ball-hawking safety A.J. Haulcy in the third round of the draft with an eye at a potential starting spot. To boot, the Colts added a much younger safety – Juanyeh Thomas – around the same time in free agency who seemed full of potential but in need of a new home.
At the outset, it wasn’t hard to imagine Owens eventually being the odd man out. He’s refused for that to be the case – rising up to grab additional snaps while Wohler missed time with a hamstring injury and now not only carving out a crucial spot on special teams but serving as a bit of a mentor for the rookie Haulcy.
“I feel like I’m coming in, bringing a different energy than what they had last year (at safety). I’m a different person than who they’ve had, but I have a lot of experience in my nine years,” Owens said. “I’ve been to a bunch of different places, and I can give a different perspective to the coaches and players who’ve only been (with the Colts).
“And special teams, I’m a dawg on special teams. Whatever the coaches ask me to do, man, the more you can do. That’s pretty much been my career.”
Part of Owens’ goal is letting that doggedness shine through to Haulcy and others.
“They see it from me every day – my pride on special teams. Regardless of who’s playing (on defense) with the 1s, the 2s, the 3s, when we get to special teams, it’s the same energy – the same effort from me always,” Owens said. “I just feel like that energy’s contagious. Anytime you step on that field, you’re a starter – no matter what that role is, and that’s the perspective I love to give.
“Especially for the younger guys. For A.J. to see that and see I’m in Year 9 and I’m still doing all this and doing it at a high level, I feel like it’s good for everyone to see.”
That leadership extends back into the team’s temporary training camp facility, where Owens said the secondary has started an “accountability board” for players – and players only – to point out others’ mistakes during practice to hold each other to task in a non-confrontational, constructive manner. It’s something Owens loves about his new home, where the competition is fierce and where he feels he’s already left a bit of a mark.
“There’s a lot of guys that can make plays here, and honestly, it brings out the best in you every day because you really want to put your best foot forward. Every day, everybody’s pushing everyone, and we want to hold everyone accountable,” he said. “We just started something where we have an accountability board.
“It’s something where no one’s sensitive, but it means more coming from the players than the coaches all the time. It’s joking. It’s all love, but at the same time, everybody wants everybody to play their best.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts’ veteran safety Jonathan Owens lives for special teams. It may earn him a roster spot.
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
