Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. McGill Pushing for Starting Role

Even though the Indianapolis Colts looked sloppy in their 19-18 win over the Buffalo Bills, they still had some standout performers. Specifically, second-year defensive tackle T.Y. McGill raised some eyebrows.

So far, McGill has looked terrific in training camp practices. He has drawn numerous compliments from media members and the Colts’ coaching staff since camp opened late in July. McGill’s solid camp allowed him to start in the Colts’ preseason opener.

McGill backed up his strong training camp with a noteworthy performance in the Colts’ first preseason game. McGill recorded three tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection. Here is some of the commentary on Twitter about his play:

With a strong training camp and preseason so far, the Colts have to seriously consider giving McGill a starting role. This is shocking to even think about because it was only last year McGill was struggling to make a 53-man roster.

Originally, McGill signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie in 2015. He spent the entire offseason with Seahawks, but was released when teams had to make their final 53-man rosters.

The Colts quickly claimed McGill off waivers and put him on their 53-man roster. As a result, he ended up playing in 12 games in 2015. He finished the season with only eight tackles and three sack, but those three sacks came in the final two games of 2015.

Despite his strong finish in 2015, McGill was still on the roster bubble at the start of training camp. However, his standout performances in practices and in the preseason make him very hard for the Colts to cut.

In fact, McGill has probably worked his way off the roster bubble and is pushing for a starting role. The Colts only start three defensive linemen in their base defense, and McGill is making a strong case to be one of those three individuals.

McGill is also benefitting from the long rehab of Henry Anderson and the four-game suspension of Arthur Jones. With both guys expected to be out early in the season, McGill is getting a lot more first-team reps right now.

In camp, T.Y. McGill consistently showed the Indianapolis Colts he can be a reliable defensive lineman. His play Saturday only validated that point. Following his performance in the Colts’ preseason opener, McGill sent out this tweet.

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Most Indianapolis Colts’ fans are probably interested in seeing what his “something great” could potentially be in 2016.