The Colts wrapped up their final morning practice at Grand Park on Sunday, and the next stop is Foxborough, where they’ll hold a joint practice with the Patriots on Tuesday before their first preseason game there on Thursday.
It was a tougher day for Daniel Jones and the starting offense than they’ve had for much of camp. Jones was unofficially 7-of-13 and took a red-zone sack, and he was intercepted twice on balls that were there to be made.
Early on, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine couldn’t come down with a throw that was a bit outside his reach, and rookie A.J. Haulcy picked it off.
Later, Jones tried to work to Jonathan Taylor out wide, but the pass ended up in Cam Bynum’s area and the veteran safety was waiting for the turnover.
The closing situational period didn’t bring much relief. With the offense down 1, 52 seconds on the clock and one timeout left, Jones and the starters went 2-of-5 as Spencer Shrader drilled one from 55 yards.
Sauce Gardner and Cam Taylor-Britt each had pass breakups in the sequence. For a unit that has usually made throwing the ball look manageable this camp, Sunday had a different edge to it.
The second-team quarterback work tilted a little more toward Anthony Richardson Sr., who got one more session than Riley Leonard. Richardson opened a red-zone period by going 2-of-5 against stick coverage, but he also had his best snap of camp when he hit rookie Deion Burks to kick off the same field-goal situational period. After a defensive pass interference penalty, rookie Seth McGowan finished off a quick three-play touchdown drive.
Leonard answered with a strong moment of his own. He went 3-of-4 on a touchdown drive and delivered a particularly nice throw to Eli Pancol for the score. Positive stretches have been tough to find for Richardson and Leonard this camp, but both quarterbacks found some on Sunday.
That pair should see the bulk of the work in Thursday’s preseason opener. Shane Steichen is still deciding how much, if any, starter action will happen in Foxborough, though it doesn’t sound like many regulars will be out there. Jones, for his part, seems highly unlikely to play a preseason snap.
The kicker competition is also starting to take shape. Sunday belonged to Spencer Shrader, who finished 4-of-8, making kicks from 25, 33, 42 and 48 yards while missing from 50, 52, 55 and 55.
His misses have mostly drifted left, and the overall numbers now have him at 20-of-30 in camp. Blake Grupe sits at 27-of-30 and still holds a slight edge.
With injuries piling up around the receiver room, the Colts may not be done looking outside. Asked whether the team is considering adding a wideout, Steichen said, “We are looking,” Shane Steichen said after Sunday’s practice.
“We are always looking and doing our research in that. But I like the group we got.
And those guys are battling right now. So we’ll see where it goes.”
He added that Alec Pierce’s return from an ankle issue does not appear close, while Josh Doens could be back Tuesday for the joint practice with the Patriots.
Richardson also addressed the media on Sunday and was non-committal about his pending trade request. He was asked about the snap-handling issues seen in camp and said it was more about hand placement than anything connected to his vision, adding that he believes he has corrected it.
One name to keep in mind as the roster picture tightens is Coleman Owen. The slot receiver spent last year on the practice squad after a productive camp and preseason in 2025, then appeared in two late-season games and handled one punt and five kick returns.
With Anthony Gould, Deion Burks and Owen all built similarly and all in the mix for return work, there may only be room for one of them. Owen made a case Sunday with a nice run after the catch on a crosser from Riley Leonard during 7-on-7.
The offensive and defensive first units on Sunday looked like this:
Offense: Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Ashton Dulin, Mo Alie-Cox, Tyler Warren, Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves and Jalen Travis.
Defense: Laiatu Latu, Grover Stewart, Arden Key, Colby Wooden, Austin Ajiake, Bryce Boettcher, Cam Taylor-Britt, Charvarius Ward Sr., Sauce Gardner, Cam Bynum and A.J. Haulcy.
Among the players who stood out were Coleman Owen, Eli Pancol, Devin Veresuk and Anderson Castle.
Several players were not seen participating Sunday, including Alec Pierce, Hunter Wohler, CJ Allen, Laquon Treadwell, D.J. Giddens, Josh Downs and Justin Walley.
The Colts are set for joint practice with New England on Tuesday, then their preseason opener against the Patriots on Thursday at 7:30 PM. After that, they return home for practices on Saturday and Sunday before joint practices with the Falcons on August 19 and 20, followed by the preseason game against Atlanta on August 22 at 1:00 PM.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Daniel Jones Problem They Cant Ignore
Daniel Jones has been giving the Colts a steady showing at training camp, and that matters more than ever for a team trying to build some confidence behind center. The problem is what comes next. Indianapolis has been rotating the QB2 reps between Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson, and the early returns have left the staff with more questions than answers about who could keep the offense on schedule if Jones were to miss time.
Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has already pointed to the uneven play from the backups, and the concern is less about one bad day than about a pattern that has surfaced throughout camp. Leonard has had stretches where he looks fine, then slips out of rhythm, while Richardson has continued to battle the kinds of mistakes that can stall an offense in a hurry. For a team that needs real depth at quarterback, the Colts are still waiting for one of those options to show he can be trusted. [Read more 🡒]
Riley Leonard Faces A Colts Backup QB Test That Could Change Everything
Riley Leonard has spent training camp trying to make a case that a sixth-round pick can force his way into a meaningful quarterback role with the Colts. Behind Daniel Jones, the competition for the No. 2 job has been active, and head coach Shane Steichen has made it clear that Leonard and Anthony Richardson are still battling for that spot. Leonard has flashed enough to hint at upside, with a few big plays showing why Indianapolis kept giving him chances, but the steady consistency needed to climb the depth chart is still a work in progress.
What makes the fight so interesting is how much of it comes down to the details that separate a camp standout from a backup quarterback the staff can trust. Leonard has focused on sharpening his pre-snap decision-making and getting quicker after the snap, areas that often decide whether a young passer moves forward or stalls out. The Colts are still sorting out the position, and Leonards path to the job may hinge on whether his recent promise turns into the kind of clean, repeatable execution that keeps coaches leaning his way. [Read more 🡒]
Pat McAfee Calls Out Colts Hype After Brutal AFC South Outlook
Pat McAfee is not buying the early optimism around the Colts, and his pushback lands at a time when the roster still feels like a work in progress. Indianapolis spent aggressively enough this offseason to invite bigger expectations, yet the market has the Colts at +380 to win the AFC South and pegged at a 7.5-win total, a combination that hardly suggests division favorite status.
The quarterback situation has at least looked steadier, with Daniel Jones signing an extension and turning in a strong camp, but the offense is still waiting on more clarity elsewhere. Alec Pierce is recovering from ankle surgery and does not have a set return date, leaving one of the teams top receiving options in limbo as the Colts try to turn offseason investment into something more convincing by opening day. [Read more 🡒]