Indianapolis Colts want to see more from DE Ben Banogu

There has been an interesting development taking place as the Indianapolis Colts have made defensive end Ben Banogu a healthy scratch in each of the last two games.

Even with Kemoko Turay working his way back from the PUP list, Banogu failed to log much playing time during the team’s first seven games. Then he was downright scratched from the gameday roster against the Ravens and Titans.

While it seemed maybe the Colts were looking to implement more of a run-heavy game plan on defense, it seems the coaches simply want to see more from Banogu in practice.

“I just think that with any player, I think that it’s about practice. You practice well and you produce on the practice field, and then you move on to the game from there,” said DC Matt Eberflus on Tuesday. “Then you have to produce in the game. He’s working to get that done.”

This isn’t the first time this situation has taken place in Indy. The aforementioned Turay went through this during his rookie campaign. It was essentially the case throughout the tenure of 2017 third-round pick Tarell Basham, who never amounted to much before his release. This also happened with Tyquan Lewis, who is enjoying a Year 3 breakout.

So this is not the time to panic or move on from Banogu. His skill set is still intriguing for the Colts defense and he can turn into a solid piece in the rotation. Eberflus noted that they view edge rushers on more of a longer development scale.

“Again, he’s in his – we say on the defensive line, a lot of times it takes two or three years before the light comes on,” Eberflus said. “He just has to keep persevering and have some determination and keep working.”

Banogu has played just 92 snaps on defense this season and with Turay expected to make his debut sometime in the next two weeks, it won’t be a shock if the former continues to be a healthy scratch.

But in order for the TCU product to get back on the field, he has to start showing out more in practice.