QUARTERBACKS
Three weeks into training camp, the Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson Sr. race is too close to call.
It's not because Jones and Richardson have consistently struggled, leading to no clear leader emerging. The opposite has, for the most part, happened: Both quarterbacks have had more good days than bad days. And days where one quarterback has clearly been better than the other have been rare, if they've happened at all.
"We expected competition to bring out the best in both of them, and that's what we're seeing," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "Hey, it hasn't been perfect here, there, whatever. Right? We get our pluses and our minuses, but the guys each run a different group different periods of the day and shoot, they're competing to score as many points as they can with that group, or move the ball as much as they can, or whatever the success is in that drill. I think it is raising the level of each of them. So, it's good to see. It's good for our offense. The better they're playing, the better the guys around them are playing. They're feeding off each other. That's been really good to see."
An important marker will be what Richardson does on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers, seeing as the Colts thought Jones did some good things over his 31 snaps against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Jones will start against Green Bay and play a couple of series, per head coach Shane Steichen, with Richardson finishing the first half after Jones exits.
We'll see after Saturday's game if Jones and Richardson have a roughly equal total of preseason game snaps. The Colts have kept things as even as possible in training camp practices, too. So a question that looms after this weekend: Will the Colts name a starting quarterback before their final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 23?
"We'll see," Steichen said. "We'll see how it plays out."
Steichen has consistently said there's no timetable on when the Colts will name a starting quarterback for their Sept. 7 season opener against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. The process will play out and, at some point, Jones or Richardson will learn they're QB1 to begin the 2025 season.
The Colts' thoughtful and intentional process, though, has produced a legitimately competitive quarterback competition to this point. And that's not an easy thing to pull off.
RUNNING BACKS
When the Colts signed Khalil Herbert as a free agent and selected D.J. Giddens in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it added some stiff competition for third-year back Tyler Goodson. Goodson, though, has done well in that competition – he's listed as the No. 2 running back on the Colts' unofficial depth chart, behind only Jonathan Taylor.
Goodson has run with decisiveness and burst during training camp, which isn't all that surprising: Those traits have led him to gain 240 yards on 45 career rushing attempts, good for 5.3 yards per carry.
It's a small sample size, but since the start of the 2023 season, Goodson's 5.3 yards per carry ranks sixth among running backs with at least 45 attempts.
"Goody is a pro that I've seen get better every week and every year since he's gotten here," Cooter said. "He's really had a nice offseason into training camp. And when you're a running back, you've got to take advantage of your opportunities when the pads are on, because when the pads are off, it's not quite running the football like it would be in a game, or when the pads are on. Goody is hitting runs and playing with some physicality and catching the ball well, and picking up blitzes and just making the most of his opportunity. So, he's been great around the group, around the locker room. A really good guy for our team, and he's working really hard, and you can see that paying off."
Giddens has put together a solid training camp, too, looking smooth with the ball in his hands both on running and passing plays.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Something that's keyed a standout training camp for Adonai Mitchell has been his ability to drill down on certain details before and after plays. It's not just that Mitchell's top-end talent is showing up on the practice field – Mitchell told me on last week's episode of The Colts Show that he feels more calm and comfortable than he did last year, which is allowing him to focus on certain things he wasn't able to as a rookie.
Coaches, too, have taken note of how Mitchell's increased comfort in Year 2 is paying off.
"He's always sort of talking about how to get open, how to run a route versus certain leverage or versus certain coverage," Cooter said. "He's pretty good for a young guy, especially about coming back and asking the quarterbacks, 'Hey, what did you think about that? I might have done something that maybe the rules say I shouldn't have released that way, but I won on it. Is the quarterback okay with it?' That's part of a young receiver becoming a veteran receiver is learning what the quarterbacks like, so when you do get open, that ball is where you want it. He's doing a nice job. He's really talented. We're excited about the future with AD."
Mitchell flashed quite a bit during training camp last year, too, but that was more a product of his raw talent than anything else. This year, Mitchell still has that talent – he's a natural with setting up releases at the line of scrimmage, is fluid and quick at the top of his breaks and has speed to pull away from defenders – but is combining it with the sort of details needed to succeed as a wide receiver in the NFL.
He'll still need to translate it to the regular season, but Mitchell has set himself up to do just that and earn snaps along with an established trio of receivers in Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce.
"I feel more poised," Mitchell said. "Last year, it just felt like I was ripping and running from the start of camp to the end of the year. But I got the ability to get my first offseason under my belt, got a lot of time to first of all relax and work at the same time. And now, we in year two now, and I just feel more comfortable, whether it's in the meeting rooms, walkthroughs. I'm not focused on what the play is, what do I have to do? I'm focused on how I'm doing it, and why I'm doing what I'm doing. And that's just – I feel like that's kind of Year 2 things."
TIGHT ENDS
Tyler Warren is putting together an impressive training camp, from his natural receiving ability to the physicality he's tapped into to adjust to the NFL. But a guy who's had some flashes has been third-year tight end Will Mallory, who's looking to carve out a more consistent role in the Colts' offense after catching just four passes for 29 yards in 2024.
Mallory has always been a good route runner with solid hands and some speed, but something Steichen has noticed this training camp is his ability to make catches in traffic more consistently.
"He's got a really good feel, a good knack (for) certain routes we put him on, but he's made some tight-window catches in training camp so far," Steichen said. "And you need to make tight window catches in this league. I think he's done a nice job of that."
Expect the Colts to get more production from tight ends in their passing game because of Warren's presence – he caught 104 passes in his final year at Penn State; Colts tight ends combined for 39 receptions in 2024 – but Mallory could see an increase in usage, too, if he can carry over a solid training camp to the regular season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Tanor Bortolini has emerged from a competition with Danny Pinter to consistently run with the Colts' first-team offense after rotating with the veteran at center early in camp. He got some valuable work next to right guard Matt Goncalves against the Ravens last week, with those two second-year linemen playing the entire first half (38 snaps) together.
"I thought they played well," Jones said. "Communication was good up front. I thought we operated well. I think that is the biggest thing with the guys up front and the quarterback, making sure we are all communicating, getting on the same page and operating. I thought they played well."
Both Bortolini and Goncalves showed the Colts enough as rookies to earn opportunities to replace O-line stalwarts in center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries, both of whom signed with the Minnesota Vikings as free agents earlier this year.
"Some big shoes to fill with Ryan and Spud (Fries)," Bortolini said. "I think those are two really tremendous players that this team has had for multiple years now. So obviously, the bar is high. We don't step in with the expectation of being any drop off. So, it's been a challenge to me and Matt both, but I think we're doing a great job learning each day, getting better, finding one thing to improve upon and doing our best for ourselves and the group."
The Colts are confident in those two young offensive linemen for a few reasons beyond their talent and work ethic. One reason: They're surrounded, quite literally, by good players in left tackle Bernhard Raimann, left guard Quenton Nelson and right tackle Braden Smith. Another: They're coached by Tony Sparano Jr., and the Colts think highly of Sparano's ability to coach and develop offensive linemen – as he did with Raimann and Fries, who in the last five months have signed contracts worth, in total, a little under $200 million.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The real test will start on Sept. 7 against the Miami Dolphins, but the early returns on Laiatu Latu's progress in Year 2 have been encouraging.
Latu came to the Colts in 2024 with a well-developed toolbox of pass rushing moves, but spent his rookie season figuring out how and when to use them. That he only had four sacks doesn't totally line up with some encouraging moments on tape.
Throughout training camp, Latu has been disruptive, forcing Jones and Richardson off their spots or creating "sacks" – plays where he clearly would've got hands on the quarterback in the pocket.
"I think he's made a hell of a stride," Steichen said. "I just think his body obviously, he's maturing more going into Year 2 – the way he's getting off the ball, the way he's able to bend around the edge, his pass-rush ability has been phenomenal. The way he moves – his euro chop, speed to power. You can see the development going into Year Two. So, really looking forward to him."
The Colts haven't had a player total double-digit sacks since Justin Houston had 11 in 2019. We'll see if Latu can get there in 2025, but another thing to keep in mind here is how defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will draw up creative pressure looks. Those simulated pressures and funky blitzes helped Trey Hendrickson total 35 sacks over the last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals – even as teams knew they had to focus on keeping Henderson out of the pocket, Anarumo still found ways to get him singled up on a blocker to create those pressures and sacks.
LINEBACKER
Linebacker depth was a question mark coming into training camp, but solid play from Cameron McGrone and Joe Bachie has helped solidify things there. Former undrafted free agent Austin Ajiake has had some standout moments, too. And, as things stand now, McGrone is atop the Colts' unofficial depth chart next to Zaire Franklin at linebacker.
Jaylon Carlies, the 2024 fifth-round pick, has missed practices recently with an ankle injury.
"I think we've got a great group there," Anarumo said. "I'm excited about all of them. I'm excited the way they run around."
McGrone and Bachie have primarily been special teams players in their respective careers – McGrone only played eight defensive snaps with the Colts from 2022-2024; Bachie played 220 snaps for Anarumo's Bengals defenses from 2021-2024, but most of those (160) came in 2021.
Still, the guy they've been playing next to – Franklin, a 2024 Pro Bowler – largely played special teams the first four years of his career before becoming a starter in 2022. Since then, he's set a franchise record for tackles, broken his own record for tackles and then led the NFL in tackles.
CORNERBACKS
Few, if any, teams escape training camp unscathed by injuries, but the Colts' cornerbacks has been hit especially hard over the last couple weeks. Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents sustained hamstring injuries (neither has returned to practice) and then Justin Walley, who was in line to start even before Jones and Brents were injured, sustained a torn ACL in the Colts' joint practice with the Ravens last week.
Kenny Moore II, too, left Sunday's practice with a knee injury.
Despite entering training camp with both top-end talent and depth, the Colts' cornerback room had had to dig down the roster to find guys to play. One player that's had some flashes has been undrafted rookie Jonathan Edwards, who's had a few pass break-ups in practice and has worked his way into playing a handful of snaps with the first-team defense. Alex Johnson, a 2024 undrafted rookie who joined the Colts' practice squad last October, had an interception against the Ravens and has got some work in the slot.
"It just creates opportunity for everybody," Anarumo said. "Those guys are going to get a ton of reps in these next two preseason games. It's going to benefit us down the road. Both guys are challenging. They've got their good moments and bad moments. That's playing corner in this league. But they're doing a lot of good things."
The good news here is Charvarius Ward has looked like one of the Colts' best players on the field during training camp.
SAFETIES
Seventh-round rookie Hunter Wohler's physicality has jumped out in training camp, and he's made several plays in pass defense – he had two interceptions in the Colts' joint practice with the Ravens and has had several more passes defensed during practices at Grand Park. With starter Nick Cross out with a hip flexor over the last few days, Wohler has got an opportunity with the Colts' first-team defense; he could continue to get looks as part of Anarumo's dime packages (six defensive backs, one linebacker) owing to his safety/linebacker versatility.
"There's certainly those flash plays that you see," Anarumo said. "Still got a ways to go with some of the other things. But certainly, he's done a good job coming in, inserting himself into the defense and knowing – he does a great job of studying what the calls are obviously, and where he's supposed to be. He's done a good job communicating for a young guy. So, I'm pleased with where he's at.
"... Still a long way to go for him, but we like what we see and we're certainly not going to keep any good players on the bench."
SPECIAL TEAMS
It looks like Spencer Shrader will go into the 2025 season as the Colts' kicker – he'll be the only kicker in Saturday's game against the Packers, special teams coordinator Brian Mason said, and he's connected on 87 percent of the kicks the Colts have charted this preseason. Shrader made three of four attempts against the Ravens last week and was one of two from 50-plus yards, with the one he made a 53-yarder.
"Spencer Shrader I think overall, has been doing a really good job," special teams coordinator Brian Mason said. "He's made 87 percent of his kicks overall throughout training camp. I think he's kicking better in training camp than he was in OTAs. I think he's kicking better in Week Three of training camp than he was in Week One. Obviously, anytime you have a new starting kicker, there's going to be some bumps in the road, but I think he's getting more comfortable. I think he handled pregame really well in Baltimore. He certainly has the leg up in this competition. Maddux (Trujillo) is kicking 78 percent versus him kicking 87 percent. So, Spencer will start to get a bulk of the load as we move forward today. He had a majority of the kicks today in practice. He will be the starting kicker and the only kicker that will kick this weekend on Saturday against the Packers."
