The Indianapolis Colts finally turned up the heat Monday, and the first fully padded practice at Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus brought exactly what you’d expect: shoulder pads cracking, run fits getting tested, and a defense getting a little more aggressive as training camp moved into its physical phase.
Day 5 had a different feel from the earlier sessions. Head coach Shane Steichen leaned into the ground game in the trenches and put extra emphasis on tackling angles for a young defensive group. The day even ended with a live tackling period for reserve players, which added another jolt of energy before the final team period.
The passing game never really found its rhythm, and Daniel Jones was kept on a short leash. He finished 5-of-7 across three team periods, and none of his throws traveled more than 10 yards downfield.
His one notable deep look came early in 7-on-7, when he dropped a slot fade perfectly into Ashton Dulin’s hands, only for Dulin to lose the catch after cornerback Justin Walley contested it. With Alec Pierce not on the field, Indianapolis didn’t have a vertical element to stretch the defense, and the coverage tightened underneath.
The secondary showed up right away. Sauce Gardner opened team work by breaking up a slant meant for Dulin, and every quarterback had a pass knocked away by a defensive back in that first team period. Jonathan Edwards read the run-pass-option and swatted away a slant from Anthony Richardson Sr., then Daniel Scott came up with another breakup in the flat against Riley Leonard.
While the air attack stayed quiet, the Colts’ backs did plenty of damage on the ground. Jonathan Taylor looked every bit like the NFL’s reigning leader in total touchdowns with 20, flashing burst throughout a practice built around the run game.
His best moment came on a slick screen pass that turned into an explosive play during one of the later team sessions. Taylor is now in the final year of his three-year, $42 million extension.
Rookie Seth McGowan kept building on a strong camp, too. The seventh-round pick put together back-to-back productive runs in the opening 11-on-11 period, first finding room on a counter behind the first-team offensive line and then bouncing another run the other way while staying with the second unit. He also turned a swing pass into a gain of more than 20 yards past midfield.
There was plenty for the new defensive faces to like as well. Bryce Boettcher continued to get significant first-team work next to Akeem Davis-Gaither, while first-round pick C.J.
Allen and third-round safety A.J. Haulcy kept increasing their involvement with the starting defense.
Up front, George Gumbs and Caden Curry both caused problems in the backfield. Gumbs blew through an interior blocker for what likely would have been a sack, and Curry added a tackle for loss along with another stop on a minimal gain.
Blake Grupe stayed perfect, drilling all six of his field goal attempts from 26, 33, 39, 45, 51 and 57 yards. He’s been spotless through camp and looks like the favorite heading into the 2026 season. Grupe also made all 11 of his field goal tries over the final five games of the 2025 season after Indianapolis claimed him off waivers in December.
With collisions now part of the mix, the Colts are officially into the real stuff. They have five practices and 10 days left to clean things up before their first preseason game against the reigning AFC-champion New England Patriots in Foxborough.
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