The 2024 season is right around the corner, with the Indianapolis Colts set to report for Training Camp on July 24th.
Each year, Training Camp has allowed fringe roster players the opportunity to shine and grab headlines that they might not be able to do during the regular season due to them being buried on their teams' depth chart or other situations that prevent them from reaching the breakout status many projected form their Training Camp and/or preseason performances.
In 2024, multiple under-the-radar players will use this time to try and earn a spot on the Colts roster, but before we focus on the future, I thought we should look at the past. The Colts have had multiple Training Camps and preseason standout players grab fans' attention during their play and/or unique paths to the NFL. Below, you will find some of the most notable, as well as an update on where they are now.
Deon Cain
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The Colts drafted WR Deon Cain out of Clemson with the 185th pick in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. When the Colts drafted Cain, there was already talk about him being a steal in the draft due to him being viewed as a third-round prospect on most draft analyst draft boards.
And from the start of Training Camp, he was proving those who were high on him in the draft process right. He was stacking great practices, and the national media began to take notice.
He looked poised for a big rookie season, but then abruptly, it ended before it could even begin. After having a fantastic camp, Cain tore his ACL during a preseason game and would be placed on the IR. The Colts had to wait until 2019 to see him take the field. He would go on to make the team's roster for the 2019 season, but he struggled to regain the momentum he had from his rookie season. He only recorded four catches for 52 yards and no touchdowns before the Colts decided to waive him from the roster after just seven games. What looked like a sixth-round steal with a bright future ended up just being a trial run like many day-three draft picks.
Where is he now:
Cain has stayed around football with a few different stints in the NFL over the years, most recently being with the Philadelphia Eagles for their 2023 Training Camp. He recently just won the championship during the inaugural season of the USFL as the Birmingham Stallions' leading WR with 33 receptions, 436 yards, and three touchdowns.
Daniel Adonago
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Daniel Adongo's journey to the NFL was anything but typical. Before signing with the Colts ahead of their 2013 training camp, he had never even put on a football helmet. Instead, Adongo spent his time playing rugby, including being a member of the Kenyan national team. He displayed his talent on the rugby field (or pitch) and clear NFL measurables at 6'5 and 257 lbs.
He ended up competing as a LB on the Colts roster, but with him still not knowing much about the game of football, he began his first season on the team's practice squad. However, he got elevated to the team's active e roster for two games during his rookie season in 2013. He didn't see the field during the regular season again in 2015 when he appeared in three games for the team before he was released during the season following them benching him after police were called to check on a domestic violence issue involving Adongo.
Where is he now:
There is no significant update on where Adongo is today.
Duron Carter
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Duron Carter is the son of NFL Hall of Fame WR Chris Carter. After a disappointing college career in which he was enrolled at four different schools. After a failed tryout with the Minnesota Vikings, he went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft and later joined the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Montreal Alouettes. After two seasons in the CFL, he signed with the Colts ahead of the 2015 Training Camp to a three-year contract.
After signing, he had multiple standout performances in training camp, and many thought he had earned a roster spot. Unfourtanly wasn't able to make the team's 53-man roster, so he joined their practice squad for the 2015 season season. That was the furthest his journey in the NFL would go, with him never appearing in a regular season game as he would rejoin the CFL in 2016.
Where is he now:
The most recent update on Carter's football career came in 2022 when he signed with the Edmonton Elks in the CFL but not as a WR, instead a defensive back where he would be released after just one season.
Today, he has hung up the cleats and picked up a microphone as he is now a rapper with the stage name "DC NoName." His most recent single, "Clear Vision," dropped in May of this year.
Stephon Morris
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The 2017 Training Camp and preseason was a time Colts fans would like to forget, with Andrew Luck having to miss the entire season with an injury he suffered. The Colts had expected veteran backup Scott Tolzien to be the clear starter, but they weren't expecting Stephen Morris's emergence. Morris was a three-year veteran who went undrafted in 2013 out of Miami. He had spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Philadelphia Eagles in training camp over the years before signing with the Colts during the 2016 season.
He stacked solid practices in Training Camp and outperformed Tolzine in each preseason game, his best performance coming against the Dallas Cowboys, where he completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 111 yards and a touchdown. The Colts would end up trading for Jacoby Brissett with the intention of him being their starter for the 2017 season with Luck sidelined. But the Colts had to pick between Morris and Tolzien to be their week one starter and backup for the remainder of the season, with Brissett not yet knowing the offense. Fans were clamoring for Morris after an incredible run during Training Camp and the preseason, but ultimately, the Colts rolled with the veteran Tolzien and cut Morris.
The following week, Tolzine led the Colts to a brutal 46 to 9 Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, where Tolzien completed only 9 of his 18 pass attempts for 128 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Sadly Morris never got his chance to start an NFL game after this, but he spent time with three different teams during the 2019 offseason the Washington Commanders (Formally known as Redskins), the Seattle Seahawks, and the Houston Texans.
Where is he now:
The most recent update we've gotten on Morris' football journey came in 2019 when he was drafted in the second round of the inaugural Alliance of American Football draft by the Orlando Apollos. His time there would be short with him being cut before the season even began.
