ANDERSON, Ind. -- The talent is there for guard Hugh Thornton. That’s the why the Indianapolis Colts haven’t given up on their 2013 third-round pick despite his injury and inconsistency problems during his first three seasons.

Thornton acknowledges he hasn’t always played to his potential. Part of the problem is because of the weight he has lugged around. He believes that issue is taken care of after reporting to training camp 27 pounds lighter than he did in 2015.

The other issue has been Thornton's toughness. He believes that’s going to improve. All he has to do is look at his back if he needs a reminder. Thornton spent 27 hours getting a tattoo of a lion on his back during the offseason.

“Lion is one of the top five animals on the planet,” he said. “That’s how I plan on playing this year, like a lion.”

Thornton better play with the passion, anger and determination of a lion because time is running out for him. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract and the starting right-guard spot is far from guaranteed even though he has started 32 of the 37 games he’s appeared in during his career. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski made it very clear Sunday that the starting right-guard spot is wide open. Denzelle Good and Jonotthan Harrison are Thornton’s primary competition.

“I feel like I’m confident in my abilities,” said Thornton, who recently suffered an ankle injury in practice. “I’m confident in what I can do and what I can bring to the table. If it doesn’t work out here, it’ll work out somewhere.”

Thornton put a heavy emphasis on his diet during the offseason.

Gone are the Sour Patch Kids candy and M&M’s, no more skipping breakfast and binging on late-night meals. Thornton hired a chef and replaced those poor food choices with things like vegetables, fish, and lean meats, and he cut out carbs in the evening.

“I was happy with what I did,” Thornton said. “I think it was the best decision I made. I slimmed down and I’m healthier. My problem before was not eating... I made the decision because I want to live a long time. I wasn’t practicing a healthy lifestyle."

Thornton was on a 3,300 calorie-a-day diet during the offseason. He reported to training camp weighing 313 pounds after reporting at 340 pounds in 2015.

“Meeting with my agent and the different people I work with and finding the common denominator with things I struggle with,” he said. “If it was a quick step, let’s try to get lighter. So I have more power, get stronger at the same time so I can move a little bit quicker laterally.”