INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts’ second preseason game turned into a lopsided afternoon fast, and the biggest takeaways weren’t about the score so much as the jobs still up for grabs.
Atlanta rolled to a 34-6 win Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium, and with most of the starters parked for the day, the focus shifted to a few key competitions - especially at kicker and quarterback.
Spencer Shrader strengthened his case in the kicking battle by drilling kicks from 48 and 53 yards, while Blake Grupe had the kind of miss that stands out in a close competition, pushing a 36-yard attempt wide right. The Colts have seen enough from Shrader in games this month to make this feel like a real race, and Saturday only sharpened that conversation.
Grupe had been steady since joining the team late last year, so this was his first real blemish in a Colts uniform. How the team handles the position in next Saturday’s preseason finale should tell the story before roster cuts hit the following day.
Quarterback play didn’t help clarify much, either. Riley Leonard started and finished 7-of-14 for 62 yards, but the outing was another rough one in what has been a difficult preseason for him.
The protection in front of him wasn’t exactly clean, and Leonard didn’t throw the kind of ugly interceptions that bury a quarterback, but the missed third-down throw to Coleman Owen was the sort of play that lingers. The sense here is the Colts could keep both quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but Leonard doesn’t look locked into the backup role.
Anthony Richardson Sr. also had a quiet day working with the third team. He went 3-of-9 for 24 yards and had to use his legs often because of pressure.
Richardson did help lead a 13-play drive, the longest of the game for Indianapolis, and he escaped a possible pick six in Colts territory. Still, he didn’t come close to matching the brighter moments he showed in the preseason opener.
With the preseason finale coming next Saturday against the Lions, the quarterback rotation is still very much worth watching. Daniel Joens isn’t going to play, and the Colts have already split the reps between Leonard and Richardson through the first two games.
The starter in that game could end up carrying some weight in the backup discussion.
Rookie linebacker CJ Allen finally made his NFL debut, though there wasn’t much to draw from on a night when the Colts’ front-line players were mostly sitting out. Jaylon Carlies and Austin Ajiake started at linebacker, with Akeem Davis-Gaither again inactive, and Allen entered on the second series alongside Bryce Boettcher.
He was on the field for Atlanta’s 49-yard touchdown run by Tyler Goodson, where several Colts got washed out, but Boettcher did flash with a run stop behind the line of scrimmage. How Lou Anarumo sorts through the five linebackers by September is still unclear, and the expected rotation only adds to the mystery around Allen, who back in April looked like a Day 1 starter.
There weren’t many easy standouts in a game this one-sided. Deion Burks, the seventh-round pick, showed a little more pop than he had in camp, but his path to the roster still looks crowded without punt return work, especially with Coleman Owen in the mix.
On the other side of the ledger, the Colts need more from 2025 second-round pick Jaylahn Tuimoloau, who again was hard to notice. Concerns also remain along the reserve offensive line and at cornerback, where Mekhi Blackmon drew flag issues.
The Colts’ starting offense Saturday lined up with Riley Leonard at quarterback, Seth McGowan at running back, Blake Freeland at left tackle, Dalton Tucker at left guard, Josh Kreutz at center, Jimmy Morrisey at right guard, Josh Sills at right tackle, Pharaoh Brown at tight end, Coleman Owen, Laquon Treadwell and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine at receiver.
Training camp in Westfield is done now. The Colts will go back to their facility and work through a regular-season style week with practices Tuesday through Thursday before closing the preseason Saturday against the Lions. Final roster cuts from 90 to 53 are due Sunday, August 30.
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Simone Biles was back on an NFL sideline Friday night, taking in the Colts preseason game against the Falcons to support her husband, safety Jonathan Owens. Owens, who signed a one-year deal with Indianapolis in March, got into the action and finished with a tackle, while Biles' presence gave the game an added spotlight beyond the usual preseason crowd.
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The bigger question is how much freedom Richardson will have to direct things at the line, because the Colts appeared to change their protection approach between the two plays. One snap pointed to the growing importance of his ability to identify pressure and set the slide, while the other showed how quickly a small breakdown can snowball into a turnover. For a young quarterback still learning the edges of NFL defenses, it is the kind of detail the Colts have to get right before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]