Colts Chatter: Julian Blackmon On His Return; T.Y. Hilton Meshing With Philip Rivers

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» Removed from the Non-Football Injury list Monday, Blackmon says his knee feels about 95 percent: Blackmon underwent surgery in December after injuring his knee in his final collegiate game at Utah. He was still selected by the Colts in the third round of this year's NFL Draft, and he has continued to see steady progress in his recovery and rehab process, passing his physical this week perhaps even a little sooner than originally believed.


"It's been a process," Blackmon said. "It's one that I've always trusted, and to be honest, I never had any negative thoughts. As soon as I got hurt, I'm a firm believer in God, and I kind of just believed that I was here for a reason because, one, I could handle it, and two, I needed it for something bigger. And I was blessed enough to be put in this situation, so the journey's been long, but it's been worth it. And it's been a lot of progressing and learning along the way."


While Blackmon's is feeling almost 100 percent and he's been able to make his debut on the practice field this week, he said he's had great input from the Colts' training and medical staffs about when it'll be time to turn it up a notch from here.


"I feel really good, and the training staff has done a really great job with me, just making me understand that the better I feel the more I'm going to want to be out there, but I can't just rush out there," Blackmon said. "I've got to make sure that my knee can handle it, as well as mentally I've got to be prepared to come in and know what I'm supposed to do on the field. So it's been really fun, but I feel really good."


» Blackmon likes his potential within the Colts' defense: Blackmon was a standout cornerback at Utah his first three seasons before blossoming as a safety his senior year in 2019. He's projected more as a free safety to start out with the Colts, but eventually the belief is that Blackmon can line up all over the formation.


While he was forced to watch throughout training camp, Blackmon said he has a "good feel" for his role within the system.


"Like a lot of the players have said, seeing it is one thing, but being out there is another, and the more reps I get, the more comfortable I will feel," he said. " I think it plays very well into my strengths of just being a guy who likes to make plays and being all over the field using my speed, but as well as using technique and just trusting that what the coaches are telling me is true. And, I mean, so far, they're NFL coaches for a reason, so honestly I think that it helps me a lot, just being in a lot of zone and being able to get my eyes on the quarterback."


And, of course, Blackmon's versatility will only help accelerate that process.


"It helps a lot, especially when it comes to man-to-man," Blackmon said. "I'm used to playing man-to-man. I mean, at Utah, that's all we did was play man-to-man, and it's just our guys vs. their guys. So it makes me comfortable knowing that if I have to come down and get matched up with a receiver or whoever it may be, I'll be able to handle my own just due to fact that I played corner."


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