Colts S Julian Blackmon Could Be Ready for Training Camp

The young safety is ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab and pushing hard for a return to the field.

It is hard enough for an NFL player to go through a devastating injury in their career.

Now imagine going through two devastating injuries that each take over nine months to recover from.

Not only that, but the injuries happen in a span of 22 months.

That has been the life of Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon.

It started in December of 2019 in the final game of his college career. Blackmon tore the ACL in his left knee in the Pac-12 championship game. He made a tremendous recovery and was available by Week 2 of his rookie season with the Colts.

Blackmon immediately proved general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts’ medical staff correct in their evaluation. Not only did he make his way back very quickly, but Blackmon became a rising star on the Colts’ defense and took over a starting role at safety. In 15 games, Blackmon tallied 42 tackles, including three for a loss, two interceptions, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble.

His sophomore campaign got off to a fast start as well, recording 34 tackles with two for a loss and a forced fumble in six games. That’s when disaster struck once again as Blackmon tore his Achilles in the same leg he tore his ACL.

“It was practice, routine play,” Blackmon said this week as he recalled the injury. “It was like the last period of practice, last play. Routine, jumping up for a pick and it happened…just felt like my calf kind of just folded. My whole Achilles was gone. It sucked.”

In a flash, Blackmon’s season was over. He would have to go through another grueling recovery with months of rehab ahead of him.

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Many players, especially when they are young, might go into a dark place when an injury of this magnitude occurs. Months of hard rehab instead of practicing and being available for games can make it difficult for players to overcome the injury. When major injuries occur for these players, there is no guarantee they will be the same when they return.

But Blackmon never went to a dark place, and the young safety attributes that to a couple of things. First, Blackmon is a very religious person. He has spoken numerous times about his relationship with God in the past and how important it is to him. That relationship was at the front of his mind as soon as the injury happened on the practice field that October day.

“First thing I did was pray,” he admitted. “Even while it happened. I just looked up and something must be eating at me that I need to learn. Just being able to look at it in that light was good.

“I’m just a God-fearing person. I’ve always tried to stay positive in my life. That’s just how I am as a person. You can ask my teammates. Immediately as soon as it happened, I knew I tore it and I just looked up and prayed and said ‘Thank you’ because who knows, something worse could have happened and we’re just glad that it didn’t.”

Another reason Blackmon never became negative about the situation was that he has been through this before. Just like when he tore his ACL less than two years prior, he knew the difficult road that lied ahead and knew that having a negative mindset was not going to help him recover.

“It’s very easy to go that route, get negative about it,” Blackmon explained. “But that’s not going to help anything, honestly. So, for me it was just one day at a time, been here before, and now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re right here. It’s just been a blessing to be back.”

© Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

And just like before, he has attacked his rehab with a vengeance. In just over six months, Blackmon has made his way back to the practice field this week during Colts’ OTAs. While not yet 100% cleared, Blackmon participated in position drills and was on the field with the starters during the 11-on-11 walkthrough portion of practice.

Returning this quickly may be surprising to some, but Blackmon believes he is exactly where he is supposed to be in his recovery.

“No, I think I proved that coming in as a rookie in terms of being really good at rehabbing, making sure that I’m listening to the trainers, the coaches, staying mentally in it. I think that was the biggest thing for me. That’s catapulted me in a way to rehab properly and effectively.”

One person who has noticed Blackmon’s determination during his recovery is head coach Frank Reich. The Colts are taking a cautious approach with the safety as they ease him back into on-field activities, but Reich sees a difference both physically and mentally from Blackmon.

“I just see, when I see Julian, and I said this to him last week, I just feel like his mindset and even his body is physically at another level than it was when he got here,” Reich admitted. “So, super excited for him to get fully healthy and become the impact player that we really believe he’ll be.”

The Colts have a mandatory minicamp next week and will begin training camp at the end of July. When training camp begins, Blackmon will be just over nine months into his recovery. Will he be ready for camp?

“I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that,” Reich said.

For a Colts team implementing a new defense where a rangy deep safety holds high importance, getting back an emerging star in Blackmon so quickly after such a devasting injury is music to their ears.

Have thoughts on Julian Blackmon's return? Drop a line in the comments and let us know what you think!

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