The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up training camp with their final individual practice on Monday. They will conclude their time at Grand Park on Thursday with a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers, leading into their second preseason game. That preseason game will take place on Saturday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium. This will be the only home preseason game for the Colts this season, as they will conclude their preseason on the road in Cincinnati.
This season’s training camp has had plenty of storylines to dissect. The main storyline has obviously been the brewing quarterback competition between incumbent Anthony Richardson and veteran Daniel Jones. Neither quarterback has set themselves apart, and even when they begin, one of them seems to shoot themselves in the foot. From durability concerns or limited offensive ceiling discourse to the overall command of the offense, neither quarterback particularly invites confidence with their play.
The second main storyline that has emerged is the injury issues that are beginning to pile up. Nearly every single spot on the roster is dealing with either a major or potentially major injury. Colts head coach Shane Steichen is crafty with his “coach speak” and has yet to divulge much detail into the matter. With so much on the line this season and new ownership in charge, the urgency will need to kick up a bit if this team wants to have a successful 2025 season.
Injuries Are Piling Up
Every team tries to avoid them, but injuries will always plague NFL teams, whether large or small in their impact. Obviously, they want them all on the lighter side, but unfortunately, the injuries have begun to pile up for the franchise. Some of these injuries have piled up in key positions. Those positions include cornerback and linebacker. From CB1-CB5 have all seen injuries of some type. Colts rookie Justin Walley is out with a torn ACL, and we have hardly seen both Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents on the field with hamstring injuries.
On the linebacker side, we have finally seen the return of Zaire Franklin after an offseason surgery, and expected starter Jaylon Carlies has been out with an ankle injury and unable to practice. Other injuries this week included Kenny Moore II, Nick Cross, Kwity Paye, and Alec Pierce.
Teams always either figure out their injury problems or they die trying during the season. If the first preseason game is any indication of what is to come, it’s not a great outlook so far. In defense of the team, they were active in free agency this year and made some moves to not only shore up the starters, but we have seen throughout the offseason the continued drive to keep the roster deep.
They have plenty of time to get healthy, but the urgency is high for now. With so much on the line this season, the depth could be called upon early and often as the season progresses. The front office typically does not entertain many trades. However, if this cornerback room struggles to return to health, they may have to entertain a trade or at least look at a veteran to eliminate some doubt before the season begins.
Cloudy Quarterback Competition
Plenty has been written by all the local (and national) media about this quarterback competition. The inconsistencies and injuries for Anthony Richardson have been well documented. I don’t need to bore you or rehash the numbers for you. We all know what the issues are but how they get fixed is up for debate amongst the crowd of media and the fan base.
Whether you believe this competition is not real and it’s just to keep Richardson looking over his shoulder is completely fine. It appears to be very real, and the staff is taking it as such. Especially at a time when they must win if they want to keep their employment. This staff made their bed with Steichen and Richardson, and to get a full report, they now must sleep in it.
While I do think this problem is more on Richardson than it is on Steichen, the buck stops at the top with both Ballard and Steichen. Richardson has shown multiple instances of failure, from tapping out to admitting his poor diet, and now he seems not to have a full grasp of the playbook after three seasons. The NFL is a business just like any one of our jobs we work. If we don’t produce, we don’t get rewarded. At some point, it’s on the employee (Richardson) to deliver that return on investment.
