The Indianapolis Colts have no plans to use their starters in Saturday’s preseason game against Atlanta, and Shane Steichen is leaving the door open for only a limited appearance in the finale.
After the Colts kept their starters out of the preseason opener against New England, Steichen said Sunday that the same approach will carry over this week when Atlanta comes to town. For now, the head coach is leaning toward Game 3 if any of those key players are going to see preseason snaps.
"Most likely Game 3," Shane Steichen said on Sunday, via Colts.com. "Right now, Game 2, we're obviously going to get the two joints against Atlanta; those will be the game for those guys. And then I'll make a decision for Game 3."
That lines up with the way a lot of teams are handling August. Joint practices have become the main stage for starters, giving them live work against another team without the full chaos of a preseason game. Steichen pointed to that setup as the reason many of his veterans can get what they need without taking the field in exhibition play.
Still, preseason action has its own value. Even a short outing can help players settle in through warmups, pregame routine and a series or two before the regular season starts.
Steichen can still change course before the third preseason game, and even if the Colts do decide to play starters, that doesn’t mean everyone will go. Daniel Jones is one example of a player who might not be part of that group.
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