The Colts get their first preseason look at home Saturday afternoon, and while the starters are expected to stay parked, there’s still plenty to sort through when Indianapolis hosts Atlanta at 1 PM EST on CBS4.
Indianapolis comes in at 0-0-1, while the Falcons arrive at 0-1. Fans can also tune in on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan, with Matt Taylor on play-by-play, Charles Arbuckle as the analyst, and Rick Venturi joining the TV booth this preseason.
The quarterback plan is already mapped out. Riley Leonard is set to start the first half for the Colts, with Anthony Richardson Sr. taking over to open the second half. Atlanta is expected to follow a similar script, with Jack Strand and Cooper Rush splitting the work at quarterback.
With the top names likely watching from the sideline, this one becomes a deeper evaluation of the roster battles that actually matter.
One of the clearest ones is at running back. Rookie Seth McGowan appears to have moved ahead of second-year back DJ Giddens behind Jonathan Taylor, and Giddens’ hamstring issue has only complicated things. Giddens returned to practice later this week, but the question now is whether he has enough time to fend off Ulysses Bentley IV for the third running back spot.
There’s also movement along the offensive line. Rookie right guard Jalen Farmer turned heads in his preseason debut and now looks like the Colts’ top swing-tackle option if extra help is needed up front during the season.
At receiver, veteran Laquon Treadwell finds himself in a more interesting spot after the signing of Keenan Allen. Ashton Dulin could be pushed back into more of a special teams gunner role, which raises the possibility that Indianapolis keeps rookie seventh-round pick Deion Burks instead of Treadwell. Special teams value could tip the scale, and Treadwell still brings that to the table.
The edge rotation is another group worth tracking closely. Jaylahn Tuimoloau struggled against second-team competition, while rookies George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry made more noise against lesser opposition. Once teams get past the first couple of units, offensive line depth gets thin fast, but Tuimoloau needs a stronger, steadier showing if he wants to keep those younger challengers behind him.
Linebacker will offer another interesting rookie pairing. CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher should get the start with the second-team defense, especially with Jaylon Carlies and Akeem Davis-Gaither continuing to work with the first-team unit late in camp. Allen and Boettcher bring the kind of speed, instincts, and athleticism that can jump off the field, and they should still see subpackage snaps as rookies.
The secondary is under the microscope too. Mekhi Blackmon and Jonathan Edwards both had rough coverage outings last week, and that matters even in August.
Charvarius Ward’s injury history means Indianapolis needs someone ready to step in, whether that’s Cam Taylor-Britt or another option. Jaylon Jones is also a name to watch, especially if his playing time stretches into the second half again, which could say something about where he stands in the job race.
And then there’s the kicking battle, which remains very much alive. Spencer Shrader cleaned things up a bit in Preseason Week 1 after a rocky training camp stretch, while Blake Grupe has been more consistent overall. Grupe still seems to have the edge, but another strong showing from Shrader could make this a lot tighter.
In Other News...
Colts Left Preseason Week 2 With 3 Big Roster Questions
The Colts left their Week 2 preseason game with a better sense of some things and a lot less clarity on others, especially at linebacker. Akeem Davis-Gaither appears lined up to start, but who will work alongside him is still up in the air, and that uncertainty sits right next to another area that looked thin again: the pass rush. Indianapolis managed only one sack and one quarterback hit, leaving the front seven with more questions than answers as the roster picture starts to sharpen.
There is also a real decision coming at backup quarterback, where Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson are both trying to separate themselves for different reasons. Both had their share of passing struggles, but their styles are not the same and that matters as the Colts keep sorting out how they want the position behind the starter to look. With one preseason game down and another layer of evaluation still to come, the race on the depth chart feels far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Richardson Keeps Colts Backup Debate Alive For One Big Reason
Anthony Richardson got another look in the second half of the Colts Week 2 preseason game against the Falcons, and the final line was uneven enough to keep the conversation around Indianapolis quarterback room going. He completed 3 of 9 passes for 24 yards while dealing with pressure from offensive line issues and limited separation from his receivers, but he also flashed the kind of movement and improvisation that has long been part of his appeal, extending plays and leaning on zone reads when the pocket broke down.
For Shane Steichen, the bigger question is still unresolved. The Colts coach has not set a timetable for naming the backup quarterback, and Richardsons overall preseason has been stronger than Riley Leonards, which keeps the competition from feeling settled just yet. Even with the rough patches, Richardsons ability to survive adverse situations and create something out of them is giving him a real case to stay in the mix a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Real Jaylahn Tuimoloau Problem
Jaylahn Tuimoloau arrived with real draft capital behind him, the kind of investment that usually buys a young edge rusher a longer runway in Indianapolis. Instead, the second-year pass rusher has spent the preseason and his rookie season trying to find his footing, and the latest reminder came against the Falcons, where he finished without registering a statistic.
For a Colts team that has already had plenty of trouble hitting on quarterbacks and edge rushers in recent years, Tuimoloaus slow start is more than just a depth-chart nuisance. The organization can afford patience to a point, but if the production does not come in 2026, the conversation could shift from development to whether a benching or even a release becomes part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]