Throughout training camp and the preseason, the Indianapolis Colts rotated heavily at the linebacker position. It sounds like that will continue into the regular season.
Among the starters, the mainstay for much of the summer was Akeem Davis-Gaither, with several others rotated in next to him.
In preseason games, we often saw Jaylon Carlies and Austin Ajiake working together, along with the duo of CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher getting early reps as well.
"I think you'll see that a lot," Ballard said of rotating at the linebacker position. "I think it's an evolving position in the league a little bit, where you're seeing a little more situational from team to team. I think you'll see that with the group as the guys continue to grow and become who
they can be."
My guess is that we see Allen next to Davis-Gaither on early down or obvious running situations, with Carlies coming on the field during more obvious passing situations.
The Colts remain very bullish on Allen, but he is a rookie who missed a lot of time this summer due to injury. Rotating -- at least early on -- will help ensure that not too much is on his plate right away as he acclimates to the playbook and play at the NFL level.
"I think you're seeing more where certain guys are (rotated), especially on third down; they're coming in coverage situations," Ballard said when generally speaking about the linebacker position league-wide. "So I do think you're seeing a little more than that. ... You got to with these young guys let them grow and get better."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Ballard weighs in on Colts' linebacker position after roster cutdowns
