An uncertain immediate future for Jabaal Sheard opens up a huge opportunity for Kemoko Turay off the edge in the Indianapolis Colts defense.
Putting it mildly, expectations are high for the Indianapolis Colts. Under general manager Chris Ballard, this team has taken a decided turn for the better — so much so that the Colts are circled as a dark horse Super Bowl contender by some analysts around the league. Unfortunately, though, they’ve been answering some injury questions throughout training camp.
The most high-profile injury, of course, concerns quarterback Andrew Luck. With the excitement that his shoulder issues are behind him abound, the star signal-caller has been out of practice dealing with a calf injury. The team expects him to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season but this new injury is at least a mild annoyance. An injury to Jabaal Sheard, however, has more of an immediate impact.
On Monday, it was revealed that Sheard underwent surgery to address an issue he’s been having with his knee, per Mike Chappell of FOX59. Chappell did not provide a timetable regarding Sheard’s return but he will clearly miss preseason time and could be out to start the regular season still. That opens the door for Kemoko Turay.
Turay was the less-profiled Colts second-round pick from 2018, falling in the shadow of Darius Leonard, though rightfully so given the linebacker’s Defensive Rookie of the Year winning season. As a rookie in limited work, though, Turay did show flashes as he managed four sacks and 13 quarterback hits on the season.
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Though the Colts added Justin Houston this offseason, Turay was still going to play a big role even if Sheard was healthy. With the veteran edge rusher now dealing with this injury, though, the Rutgers product now has the opportunity to rise up and stake claim to a starter’s share of the snaps off the edge.
As proven as both Houston and Sheard are, they don’t have the long-term upside that a player like Turay does. Entering the NFL, Turay needed to add some technical refinement to his game off the edge but the physical tools and speed to succeed as a pass-rusher were there in an obvious way. With a year of pro experience under his belt, perhaps he’s now ready to be unleashed.
We’ll likely get a good look at Turay in the preseason from Week 1 on. Not only is he a guy that still needs to get as many reps as possible in regards to his development but the Colts will now be looking for him to prove he’s ready to be the one-for-one replacement for Sheard should the veteran miss time in the regular season.
Injuries have always made the NFL a next-man-up league. Thus, the next guy up in Indianapolis given this injury to Sheard is Turay. Given his youth and talent, this provides him the opportunity to establish himself as a critical component of the Colts defense for 2019 and the foreseeable future.