Kwity Paye significantly limped off the field during today's practice.
Paye was working on pass-rushing drills when he went down on the field. Paye was tended to by trainers before leaving. Coaches have been working with Paye to utilize his speed more off of the edge, as opposed to using pure power all the time, something I noted he did in college too often.
The Colts are looking to make Paye more diverse in getting to the quarterback more quickly since NFL quarterbacks get rid of the ball quicker. I first saw the report of Paye being down in a tweet from ESPN's Mike Wells:
Uh oh! Colts rookie Kwity Paye is down and being tended to by the training staff.
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) August 11, 2021
Learning Curve
The Colts were already working with Paye to sure up his pass-rushing technique. Paye is one of the most explosive edge rushers from the 2021 draft and was selected 21st overall by the Colts. He needed to add more variety in the way he rushes the passer, though he has the tools to do it. Any playing time that Paye will miss hurts his chances of staying on the top of the depth chart.
Colts Depth
Paye was unable to return to practice after his ankle injury, which does not bode well for his ability to make an instant impact in the NFL. The Colts are flooded with depth at the position with enough experience and versatility to not be affected too vastly by Paye sitting out. Kemoko Turay seems to finally be healthy and has been making impact plays so far in camp.
Ben Banogu, a former second-round pick, has also been playing well in camp. Tyquan Lewis enjoyed a breakout season in 2020, setting a career-high with four sacks.
Paye was sitting at the top of the depth chart and was set to start next to Lewis. The Colts are hoping to make a deep playoff run this season, and will not let rookie growing pains get in the middle of that. If Paye misses significant time, he could easily be relegated to a rotational role across this defensive line.
The staff's goal was to make Paye utilize his speed more effectively. With an ankle injury, that will be hard to work on. I will keep you updated on this injury as soon as I hear more about it.
Update
Kwity Paye had missed the past few practices, including joint practices with the Carolina Panthers with an ankle sprain. The Colts Wire came with some great news today as not only did Kwity Paye participate today, but so did DeForest Buckner:
The Colts saw the return of DE Kwity Paye and DT DeForest Buckner, among others, on Tuesday. https://t.co/I3C7RCeGo1
— TheColtsWire (@TheColtsWire) August 19, 2021
It sounds like the ankle injury was minor, and Paye should be back with no restrictions.
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