WESTFIELD - Justin Walley may be the least familiar name in the Colts’ cornerback group, but he looked anything but hidden during Saturday’s short training camp practice at Grand Park.
With the session built entirely around red-zone passing work, Walley made his presence felt in the end zone. He broke up two throws, including one where he rose over veteran receiver Laquon Treadwell and another where he stayed with Treadwell’s first move before driving back to knock the ball away.
That kind of showing matters for a player who has not taken an NFL snap yet. The Colts already treated Walley like a key piece this week, holding him out of Thursday night’s preseason game against the Patriots after he logged a heavy workload in a joint practice with New England two days earlier.
How Indianapolis deploys him figures to depend in part on Charvarius Ward’s health. Ward, who has a back injury, did not travel to New England last week.
If Ward - or any member of the team’s top cornerback trio - misses time, former Bengals cornerback Cameron Taylor-Britt would likely be next in line, with Walley or Taylor-Britt potentially sliding into the slot. On Saturday, Walley appeared to get work on the outside.
The defense’s work in the red zone made life difficult for Daniel Jones. The Colts’ starting quarterback completed 7 of 13 passes, and at least three of those were throwaways as the pocket tightened and he had nowhere to go.
When Jones did connect, the results were usually touchdowns. Tyler Warren started the day with a score on the first completed pass, and in the second offensive period Josh Downs, Treadwell and running back Seth McGowan all appeared to catch touchdown passes.
The backup quarterback reps were steady, too. Riley Leonard went 5 of 8 and closed with three straight completions, while Anthony Richardson finished 5 of 7. One of Richardson’s better plays came on a shovel pass to Ulysses Bentley IV after he worked his way around in the pocket.
There was some movement on the injury front as well. Jaylon Jones, who was evaluated for a concussion Thursday night, was back on the field Saturday. But several others sat out: offensive tackle Luke Tenuta (knee), rookie offensive guard Jalen Farmer (knee), wide receiver Anthony Gould, undrafted rookie offensive lineman Nolan Rucci and nose tackle Derrick Nnadi.
Ward remained out with his back injury, while rookie middle linebacker CJ Allen and second-year running back DJ Giddens are still sidelined with hamstring injuries. Wide receiver Alec Pierce is also still on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
Among the other notable moments, Bentley kept working as a third-down option with the No. 2 offense, catching three passes on five targets and occasionally being pushed beyond the usual checkdown role for a back. Laiatu Latu opened the practice with a blind-side “sack,” rookie defensive lineman Caden Curry added a late “sack” of Richardson, and Johnathan Edwards responded to a rough preseason outing by blanketing a corner route to the end zone and breaking it up with clean coverage.
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Riley Leonard Just Made The Colts Backup Battle A Lot Tighter
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Leonard had a rough night overall, and Richardson was hardly more convincing, as each put the ball in danger and failed to produce the kind of clean, sustained drive that might have tilted the job battle. Leonard did show a few positive signs late, but the bigger takeaway for the Colts is that this decision remains unsettled, with preseason reps now carrying even more weight for two young passers trying to make their case. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Brought In A Record-Setting Quarterback For A Tryout
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Indianapolis also worked out three veteran receivers in Josh Reynolds, TreQuan Smith and Equanimeous St. Brown, plus cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau, a former Texas starter. For the Colts, the mix says a lot about where roster churn can still matter this time of year, with experience on the perimeter and a young defensive back all getting a look as the team keeps evaluating who might fit into the next wave of depth moves. [Read more 🡒]