There are worse places for a 21-year-old to be than in an NFL jersey with an assigned number as the season kicked off Thursday.
And that’s exactly where Carter O’Donnell found himself after earning a spot on the Indianapolis Colts practice roster on the weekend.
“Yeah, not bad at all,” said the six-foot-five, 313-pound University of Alberta Golden Bears product, who parlayed a strong showing in Florida during January’s East-West Shrine Bowl into an undrafted free agent contract in the frenzy that followed April’s NFL draft. “I’m just grateful to have another day and another opportunity to be in the NFL.”
Getting a foothold in the top league is never the easiest thing for a Canadian player to do, let alone one without the benefit of attending big-name U.S. college. Especially when said opportunities are difficult to come by during a global pandemic, when training camps were cut back and no preseason games were played.
“That might not have played in my favour, not having training camp and OTAs (organized team activities) and kind of just getting into it,” said O’Donnell, a graduate of Red Deer’s Lindsay Thurber high school, where at one point, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to continue to play football. “But, you know, you just adjust to it.”
There was, however, one piece of the puzzle working in O’Donnell’s favour, as grooming a player like O’Donnell on the practice roster could very well have been in the cards all along for Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who was named the 2018 NFL Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association.
“He was voted the best talent evaluator, so they don’t really see big-name schools,” O’Donnell said. “They kind of see how you play, and all that stuff.”
From the player’s perspective, a roster spot, either active or on the practice squad — which was increased to 16 bodies for the upcoming season — was an attainable goal from the moment he stepped foot in Indianapolis.
“I thought so,” O’Donnell said. “There’s a big learning curve, everyone’s so fast and it’s a little bit different game.”
Still, it’s playing football from the trenches, and that’s nothing new for O’Donnell, whose locker is located next to — albeit recently separated by a Plexiglas panel, of course — fellow rookie O-lineman Danny Pinter, from Ball State.
And while the two are becoming fast friends, the one new face in the room that O’Donnell had to look the most wide-eyed at belongs to 38-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers, who arrived in free agency.
“Philip’s a great competitor and he just learns to get better,” O’Donnell said, before laughing: “Even after 17 years (in the league).
“So, it’s amazing just seeing that and just having these amazing workouts ”
While it’s the foot in the door O’Donnell was looking for while spending the past four years under the tutelage of Golden Bears head coach and Edmonton Football Club Wall of Honour member Chris Morris, the Colts appear willing to invest in finding out just how high his ceiling can reach one day.
One thing is clear at this point, O’Donnell is a better football player than anthem singer.
During a team gathering where rookies were led on stage, one by one, to put on an impromptu talent show, he pulled off his Colts sweater to reveal the red Maple Leaf, before piping O Canada through the mic just as best as he could.
“Yeah, everyone got it,” said O’Donnell. “I talked to someone who didn’t get it until a week or two later, but I think everyone realized what was happening.
“It’s different (singing) in front of a crowd.”
With travel restrictions, he’s had no visitors come across the border yet, which he says can make it feel like he’s even further from home.
“Yeah, for sure, but once things open up it will be nice to see them,” said O’Donnell, who received a $25,000 signing bonus — the most the Colts gave out this year — on a three-year contract worth up to a reported $2.31 million, another $25,000 of which is guaranteed.
Another guarantee is O’Donnell won’t soon forget his rookie foray into professional football amid a global pandemic.
“Yeah, it’s totally full of new experiences and, I think, just kind of new for everyone and we’re just working through it together,” O’Donnell said. “Every morning, you go into the building and get tested and then start your day.
“On all the fronts, we’re doing pretty well.”
Lucas Oil Stadium has been approved for 2,500 fans at a time. And while it’s better than nothing, makes the 67,000-seat facility seem cavernous.
“It’s definitely different,” O’Donnell said. “I’ve never been inside an NFL stadium before and it’s been weird just seeing them all pretty much empty.”
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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