The Indianapolis Colts traveled to Owings Mills this week to prepare for a preseason game with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. The two teams lined up for a joint practice on Tuesday and, by my firsthand account, the Colts won the day against one of the best teams in the league.
The Colts’ offense had a solid showing, with Anthony Richardson and Adonai Mitchell hooking up for several big plays. The defense also stood out with notable pass break-ups from Justin Walley and Kenny Moore II early in the practice. The biggest star of the day, however, was day-three rookie safety Hunter Wohler.
The two teams lined up for a simulated two-minute drill to end the practice. The Colts were hampered by injury and rest by this point, as Walley, Charvarius Ward, DeForest Buckner, and Zaire Franklin were all held out of this portion of the practice. Wohler served as a first-team linebacker, facing off against the vaunted Ravens’ offense.
With Wohler in there with the first-team defense, he made an outstanding interception against Lamar Jackson to end the day for the starting players. Jackson rolled out of the pocket, with pressure in his face, and forced an off-balance throw back to the middle of the field. Wohler high-pointed the ball beautifully and came away with the interception.
Fast-forward to the second-team defense, and Wohler is lined up back at strong safety against Cooper Rush and the backups. The Ravens were backed up after a few unsuccessful plays and facing a third-and-long situation. Rush attempted to force a seam ball up the middle of the field and linebacker Cameron McGrone made an outstanding play to knock it up in the air.
Wohler then slid under the pass for yet another interception, this one effectively ending the day for the defense.
Today caps off what has been an outstanding offseason for the young defensive back. Wohler has made his mark as an aggressive tone-setter thus far, but today, he showcased even more as a coverage player. If today is any indication, he may even have a role with the starting defense in two-minute situations as well.
At this point, Wohler should be a lock to make the Colts’ roster this offseason. He has shown enough on both defense and special teams to warrant a place on the team, and the coaching staff clearly has high hopes for his potential. Hopefully, the football he kept today in practice to commemorate his first interception against Jackson is the first of many to come.
