INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich spoke to local reporters today via video conference. What is the latest on wide receiver Parris Campbell, injured tight end Trey Burton, rookie offensive lineman Danny Pinter's versatility, the new injured reserve rules for the 2020 season and more?
You can catch the entire session above, but here are some top takeaways:
» Injury updates — Parris Campbell, Trey Burton, Anthony Castonzo, Matthew Adams: It was nine days ago that Parris Campbell was involved in a minor car accident and subsequently placed in the league's concussion protocol.
But now the second-year wide receiver is good to go.
"He's in good shape," Reich said today. "Through the protocol. Full-go."
The speedy Campbell stands to be a major piece of the Colts' passing attack led by new starting quarterback Philip Rivers.
Another big target in the passing game might have to sit out at least the first couple games of the season, however.
Reich said today that tight end Trey Burton, who suffered a calf injury in the Colts' scrimmage on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, is expected to miss "the first couple weeks" for sure as he works his way back.
The Colts return Pro Bowler Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox at the tight end position, and could possibly keep any mixture of Dominique Dafney, Farrod Green, Xavier Grimble or Andrew Vollert on their initial 53-man roster to help make up for the loss of Burton early in the season.
Reich also had injury updates on two other players today: left tackle Anthony Castonzo (oblique) and linebacker Matthew Adams (ankle). The third-year head coach did not think either injury is serious, however.
"I think both of those guys should be good," he said. "We'll see how they settle down the next couple of days."
» Reich has been impressed with rookie Danny Pinter's versatility: Pinter was selected in the fifth round of this year's NFL Draft for that very reason — his ability to play anywhere along the offensive line.
Pinter actually started his college career at tight end before making the switch to right tackle his junior year. By his senior year, Pinter was graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the five-best run-blocking players at his position in the country.
With the Colts, Pinter is seen primarily as an interior offensive lineman; he's listed at guard, but he was seen getting plenty of reps at center throughout training camp, and even was lined up as an extra tight end in some "big" packages.
Reich acknowledged today "it's hard" to ask a rookie offensive lineman to do so much, so early, "but I give Danny a lot of credit."
"He's adapted very well," Reich said. "For a variety of reasons we've put him under the gun and he's just responded to that."
» Reich is appreciative of the changes made to the injured reserve rules for the 2020 season: The COVID-19 pandemic brings with it plenty of potential unknowns heading into the 2020 NFL season, so to try to help alleviate some of those issues, the league and the NFL Players Association have agreed upon a few rule tweaks specifically for this year.
One of the more major tweaks is for players placed on injured reserve once the regular season begins. In previous seasons, if a player goes on IR during the season, they have to sit out at least eight games before they can return to practice; at that point, the team has 21 days to decide whether to return the player to the active roster or revert them to IR for the rest of the season.
This year, however, a player placed on IR during the season only has to miss a minimum of three games; the same 21-day rule applies thereafter.
And, on top of that, teams previously could only return two players from IR the entire season. This year, teams have unlimited return-from-IR spots they can use if needed.
Those IR rules go into effect next week, when it's officially Week 1 of the 2020 season. Any player placed on IR before Sunday has to sit out the entire year.
"The whole goal of the rule with everything and all the considerations is maximum flexibility," Reich said. "I really think the league has done a great job there of understanding the unique dynamics that we have and don't try to put teams in precarious situations. … I tip my hat off to the league for restructuring and adapting."
