Has Colts position battle taken unexpected turn late in training camp?

Has the linebacker battle for the Indianapolis Colts taken an unexpected turn late in training camp?

For much of the offseason, the thought was that rookie CJ Allen would start, and then there was an open competition to determine who would be playing alongside him.

Unfortunately, Allen has missed a lot of time this summer, dealing with a calf and then a hamstring injury. For many players, but particularly rookies, overcoming missed time isn't easy.

Allen has been back on the field as of late, but during Thursday's second joint practice with Atlanta, it was Jaylon Carlies who took the bulk of the first-team reps, alongside of Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan noted that Carlies has consistently started over the last week of training camp.

Jake Arthur of Roundtable Sports also wrote that Carlies took advantage of his reps on Thursday, intercepting a pass from Michael Pennix in 7-on-7s and then generating a sack later on.

All that said, whether or not Carlies is the Week 1 starter still remains to be seen. He is, however, firmly in the mix of that conversation.

This also doesn't mean that we won't see Allen on the field this season. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo discussed recently that the Colts could utilize a rotation early in the year. In this instance, the matchups and in-game situations would dictate who is on the field.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Has Colts position battle taken unexpected turn late in training camp?