INDIANAPOLIS – If you are in the Tyquan Lewis camp, you should feel pretty good about how Chris Ballard views the versatile defensive lineman.
On more than one occasion during Ballard’s season-ending presser, he singled out the play of Lewis in 2021.
When Lewis suffered a season-ending knee injury on Halloween, the Colts felt his absence in the final half of the season.
“Lewis was a big loss for us,” Ballard said. “He was really coming on and playing good football for us.”
That’s good news for Lewis wanting the Colts to bring him back as a free agent in 2022.
Of course, the patellar injury that Lewis did suffer was another black eye on his health resume.
Since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Lewis has played in 41 games, while missing 24 contests. Lewis has played double-digit games in just 1 of his 4 seasons.
Re-signing Lewis could be something similar to what Ballard did with Jack Mewhort a few years back. It would be a short-term deal (one year, for example) to a player (and person) the Colts like and hope can return to full health (Lewis did play all 16 games in 2020).
A healthy Lewis gives the Colts a key versatile presence, which is something that Ballard really covets in wanting to build defensive line depth.
Bringing Lewis back should not break the bank and he’s another body to throw in the mix of a group that needs an upgrade, but also one that missed his unique role last year.
