Colts nose tackle David Parry seeing some reps with first-team defense in practice

Believe it or not, there were actually plenty of positives for the Indianapolis Colts despite a big 36-10 loss on Sunday to the Eagles in their preseason opener.  One of those positives was rookie nose tackle David Parry.

Parry, the Colts' fifth round pick out of Stanford in this year's draft, did a good job overall on Sunday while playing 33 snaps, looking very good against both the run and the pass.  He is a guy who brought with him a lot of excitement when he entered the league because of the talent he possesses and the fit he brings in the Colts' defense, and while we're not crowning anybody after just one preseason game (when Parry was playing against other second and third team players), it was a very positive first step for him in adjusting to the NFL.

The Colts noticed, and they might be giving him more opportunities in the weeks to come.  In fact, Colts.com's Kevin Bowen noted that Parry received a number of reps with the first-team defense on Wednesday in the Colts' practice against the Bears.  Wrote Bowen:

Fifth-round pick David Parry received several reps with the first-team defense up front. Those reps are deserving after the day Parry had on Sunday in the preseason opener (four tackles). The value of these practices was evident when you got to see Parry hold his own against Bears Pro Bowl offensive guard Kyle Long.

It's no secret that, since Chuck Pagano brought his 3-4 defense to the Colts in 2012, they haven't really and a great nose tackle - something that is very important for a 3-4 defense to have.  The nose tackle is an important position, and the Colts have been trying to find a reliable one for the past three years.  Josh Chapman was the team's starter last year and did a solid job in some areas, but he wasn't nearly consistent enough and the Colts know he needs to improve going into this year.  Furthermore, they have a rotation at the position, so Chapman isn't really playing all of the snaps.  With the Colts needing an answer at nose tackle, Josh Chapman needing to be more consistent, and having Chapman (the starter) not playing all of the snaps, that opens the door for someone else to step in and compete.  Perhaps that will be David Parry.

Look, let's not read too much into Parry getting work with the first team in practice after just one preseason game, but it does present an interesting possibility for the Colts.  I like Parry a lot and think he could turn out to be a good player, and if the Colts get him involved a bit this year I don't think that would be a bad idea.  But the next step for him is continuing the success that he had on Sunday in the remaining preseason games (where he'll likely see a bigger role and a bigger test), because if you remember, Josh Chapman looked great in the preseason last year.  Keeping that in mind, however, there's plenty to be excited about with David Parry, and it sounds like he's starting to get some first-team reps in practice as the Colts continue to work with him.