The Colts are halfway through camp at Grand Park, and a few of the biggest battles are starting to take shape.
Thursday will be the seventh of 13 total training camp practices in Westfield, with the more revealing work still ahead. Full pads, joint practices and preseason games should sharpen the picture. For now, though, the early edges are beginning to show.
At quarterback, Riley Leonard has nudged ahead of Anthony Richardson Sr. as the early backup. It’s not some wide gap, and neither passer has really driven his unit with much consistency.
Still, Richardson’s ongoing trouble handling the snap stands out as a real issue, and that gives Leonard the slight lead through six practices. Both quarterbacks should see plenty of action in the preseason.
The race for the third wide receiver job has tightened. Ashton Dulin entered camp as the early favorite, but that cushion has shrunk.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Laquon Treadwell have both flashed more playmaking, to the point where the Colts could probably flip a coin on how they view the trio right now. The bigger concern is what the receiver room looks like without Alec Pierce, and the comfort level there does not sound close to where it needs to be.
A veteran free-agent addition may still be in play as camp moves deeper into August.
Up front, the defensive end battle still has a lot of room to change, especially with only two of the Colts’ six practices coming in full pads so far. That’s the best setting to judge trench work, and more of it is coming.
For now, Arden Key still has the edge over Jaylahn Tuimoloau for the starting spot opposite Laiatu Latu. The Colts are going to rotate heavily along the defensive line, but this one should keep unfolding as the padded sessions pile up.
Linebacker has been the most fluid group of the offseason, and that hasn’t changed. CJ Allen missed the first two practices, but he still appears to be the favorite to start.
His communication duties now sit with Cam Bynum, adding another wrinkle to the group’s responsibilities. Beyond Allen, the depth chart is still loose.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, who has history with Lou Anarumo, remains firmly in the mix. Rookie Bryce Boettcher belongs in that conversation too, followed by Austin Ajiake and then former draft pick Jaylon Carlies.
Safety opened camp with Hunter Wohler working with the starters for the first three days, but that picture was blurred by his hamstring injury. Lou Anarumo downplayed the significance of that early run, especially since A.J.
Haulcy was also pushing into the starting mix. Once Wohler is back, the competition should continue, though Haulcy looks like the eventual winner.
Jonathan Owens doesn’t appear to be chasing a starting role, but he seems positioned as a roster lock thanks to his versatility in the secondary and on special teams.
The clearest separation right now is at placekicker. Blake Grupe has not missed at Grand Park, while Spencer Shrader has struggled by missing left, something the Colts have identified and want to clean up.
If you count the spring minicamp kicking work in front of the media, Grupe is 17-of-17 and Shrader is 12-of-17. That makes Grupe the obvious leader at the moment.
Both kickers are set to go again Thursday night, then split the kicking work on Saturday and Sunday before the team heads to Foxborough next week.
In Other News...
Colts Backup QB Battle Just Put Anthony Richardson On Notice
Training camp has already turned the Colts backup quarterback job into a real subplot behind Daniel Jones, with Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson both getting long looks as the team sorts out its depth chart. Indianapolis still intends to keep Richardson in the fold, but the early tone of camp suggests the competition is doing exactly what it was meant to do: push both passers and force the staff to pay close attention to every rep.
Leonard has made the stronger early impression in practice, showing more consistency in key moments and flashing the kind of live arm that can change how a roster conversation sounds in a hurry. If that gap keeps growing, the Colts may have a tougher call than they expected, especially with Richardson trying to hold off a challenger who has already started to make his case. [Read more 🡒]
Daniel Jones Is Giving Colts Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Daniel Jones is back on the field for the Colts early in training camp, and the early signs are encouraging. Coming off the torn Achilles he suffered in December, the quarterback said he feels good and has been able to work through the playbook without limitations while taking part in practices.
Jones has already been lining up under center, a small but meaningful checkpoint for a player working his way back from a major lower-leg injury. The emphasis now is on how well he can keep pushing off that foot and stay on time, the kind of detail that will tell the Colts plenty about where he really stands as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]