Colts 2015 Player Preview: Center Jonotthan Harrison

Amidst all of the controversy surrounding the center position in 2014 for the Indianapolis Colts, it might surprise some to find out that Jonotthan Harrison actually started the most games of anybody, and by a rather significant amount too.  He started ten games, while A.Q. Shipley started four and Khaled Holmes started five.  Ideally, in 2015 the Colts would have a center start every game as they are looking for that consistency, and Harrison is right in the midst of the battle for the starting spot.

An undrafted free agent out of Florida last year, Harrison had a lot of physical talent to work with, but he did need work.  It wasn't expected that he was going to be a starter right away in the NFL but rather continue to work on some areas of his game and develop the obvious talent that was there.  And, indeed, he wasn't originally going to start either, but in the first drive of the preseason, starter Khaled Holmes went down with an injury.  Harrison stepped in and played in that game and started the others, seeing a lot of action and overall doing a positive job.  The Colts claimed A.Q. Shipley off of waivers the week before their regular season opener, however, and Shipley started the first four games of the season.  After that, he was inexplicably benched in favor of Harrison, who would go on to start the next ten games.  Simply put, he struggled.  Once again the physical skills were obvious and he did some things well, but overall he struggled way too much and showed why many thought that he needed some more work before starting.  He was benched after ten starts in favor of Holmes, who then finished the season as the starting center.

Now, entering 2015, Shipley is gone, as the Colts opted not to bring him back.  That leaves Khaled Holmes and Jonotthan Harrison competing for the starting center spot, and it is a battle that has yet to be decided.  In the opinion of many fans, it is likely the most interesting position battle, as the offensive line has been a focus because of the struggles.  The two centers split reps in offseason work and the battle will likely be decided in training camp, but the Colts are looking for a guy who can give them consistency at the position.  Harrison noted it as well, saying that consistency will determine the starter.  I think that Khaled Holmes might have the slight edge at this point, but Jonotthan Harrison is still very much in the running to be the team's starting center when they travel to Buffalo in week one.