Time is Now for Indianapolis Colts' Tyquan Lewis to Show Something

The 2018 second-round pick out of Ohio State has missed 15 games due to injuries in two NFL seasons. The defensive tackle/end starts of year three as a reserve who must make the most of the snaps he gets.

INDIANAPOLIS — The frustration on his face couldn’t have been more evident when Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle/end Tyquan Lewis was sidelined eight games as a rookie in 2018.

The second-round pick out of Ohio State had played through pain before, like an injured labrum that required surgery after his sophomore season with the Buckeyes. Somewhat inexplicably, his pro debut was put off by a toe issue.

When he played, Lewis showed flashes of potential with 13 tackles and two sacks in eight games, six of them starts, in 2018. He assured he was just scratching the surface of what he could do.

But year two in 2019 didn’t provide the breakthrough season expected. Lewis was injured again. He missed seven games due to a nagging ankle injury. When he played, Lewis made just five tackles with no sacks.

It’s fair to say that Lewis must show something when the Colts reconvene for preseason, or he’s likely gone.

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle/end Tyquan Lewis during the 2019 season :: Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports

Defensive end Kemoko Turay, taken earlier in the second round in the same year as Lewis, was starting to emerge as a pass rusher when a broken ankle ended his second season. Before that happened, Turay’s progress basically shifted Lewis inside more as a defensive tackle.

Defensive tackle Denico Autry is entering the final year of a three-year, $17.8-million contract, which means he needs to play more like the guy who had nine sacks in 12 games in 2018 as opposed to the player who had just 3.5 sacks in 14 games in 2019.

But that also means Autry is going to get most of the snaps inside alongside All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. That means Lewis starts off as a reserve who must make the most of whatever snaps he gets.

It’s telling that Colts general manager thought enough of Buckner to trade the team’s 2020 first-round draft choice, 13th overall, to acquire him from San Francisco. The deal also means Ballard isn’t sold on Lewis. If so, there wouldn’t have been any need for the bold move.

Lewis isn’t alone in his precarious position. Each year, there’s a short list of players who must show something or else. Cornerback Quincy Wilson, like Lewis a former second-round pick, quickly comes to mind. He’s struggled to say the least in covering NFL pass catchers.

Again, Ballard didn’t have enough confidence in Wilson to stand pat with a secondary that had the best cover corner, Pierre Desir, released one year into a three-year extension because he struggled with injuries last season. Ballard signed former All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes to a one-year, prove-it deal. Cornerback T.J. Carrie also got a one-year contract to show something.

But it’s fair to say that in the case of all these cornerbacks, as well as Lewis, they had better make plays from the outset this year or else.