Colts Wednesday Notebook: Charvarius Ward Returns To Practice
INDIANAPOLIS – The first AFC South contest of the season awaits the Colts (2-0) in Week 3.
It’ll be the Colts and Titans (0-2), with a 1:00 PM kickoff against No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
What did we learn from the Colts first practice of the week?
-In progressing through the concussion protocol, CB-Mooney Ward returned to practice on Wednesday as he tries to clear the 5-step process for Sunday’s game in Tennessee. Ward was in a normal blue jersey, meaning he’s already passed through to a contact practice (as opposed to wearing a non-contact red jersey) That’s a very positive sign after Ward missed all of last week’s practice work.
-The Colts did re-insert DE-Laiatu Latu (hamstring) back into practice on Wednesday. Latu injured his hamstring last Wednesday, and then missed the final two practice days of the week, along with the win over Denver. Compared to the Colts recent hamstring injuries, is this one of those rare hamstring issues that only sidelines a player for 7-to-10 days?
-While the Colts had some good injury news defensively on Wednesday, a pair of key offensive starters sat out the first week of practice. Both Tyler Warren and Josh Downs were observing practice. Shane Steichen didn’t mention either injury at his pre-practice Wednesday press conference. Downs did deal with a hamstring injury during camp. Warren has yet to sit out a practice in front of the media in his NFL career. Warren did play 66 snaps on Sunday, which is one of the highest numbers a Colts tight end has ever played. We will have more info following the first injury report this afternoon
-What the Colts will see on Sunday is a Titans offense that is arguably the NFL’s worst through two weeks. Rookie Cam Ward has been sacked 11 times in 2 games, with a passing offense struggling to find anything of substance. The Titans have already dealt with several offensive line injuries. Defensively, the Titans have been slightly better than their putrid offense. Tennessee also leads the league in penalties committed. Expect Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to dial up more new looks that Ward has yet to see in his brief NFL life.
-One could easily say Weeks 1 and 2 marked the best back-to-back performance of Daniel Jones’ career. Specifically, the Colts offense has been other worldly on first down this season. Staying ahead of the chains is one thing, but the Colts are also creating some big plays, mainly through the air, on first down. While Jones has seen a high blitz rate in two weeks, it sounds like he should expect more of it, given how Titans defensive coordinator Denard Wilson is approach this Week 3 matchup.
-No Colts wide receiver is being targeted at a higher rate than AD Mitchell through two games. Yes, Mitchell has played just 22 offensive snaps, but he’s been targeted 6 times (4 catches for 41 yards) this season. That 27% target rate per snap is higher than Michael Pittman Jr. (10.9%), Alec Pierce (6.5%), Josh Downs (14%). Clearly, the Colts want to look Mitchell’s way when he’s on the field. And complete trust in him to play 40-50 snaps remains an area of growth, when the entire wide receiver group is healthy. Shane Steichen is very pleased with the growth of the 2nd year wideout: “Just his habits this offseason, the way he’s been working, his consistency, obviously been winning 1-on-1 on the outside the first two weeks, hell of a route runner. He continues to develop in all areas and all aspects. He’s in here, early morning, on the jugs machine, practicing the right way. I really like where he’s at.”
-Ample attention for Shane Steichen this week has been spent on the Colts improving in the red zone. Moving the football has been little issue for Steichen and the Colts offense, but finishing off those drives with touchdowns has not been there. The Colts rank 26th in the NFL in red zone conversions (5-of-12). The Colts have struggled a bit to run it in those condensed areas of the field, with a few penalties also leading to stalled drives.
-Since the departure of Mike Vrabel, the Colts have now won 4 straight games over the Titans. Back during the Colts 2023 coaching search, now Titans head coach Brian Callahan was a strong candidate of Indianapolis. If you go back to last season, Callahan and the Titans have lost 8 straight games. The Colts are just over a field goal favorite in this one. Shane Steichen is emphasizing the “discipline” aspect to this one. It’s not often you are a road favorite in the NFL. But that’s what is popping up on the schedule in Week 3. Yes, the Titans are likely heading towards another top draft pick, so it’s up to the Colts to handle their business in a professional manner.
-Should the Colts be monitoring the reps of Jonathan Taylor? Through 2 weeks, Taylor leads the league in rushing attempts, with 43. That’s despite Taylor missing the entire 4th quarter of the season opener. Given the fact that Taylor was the only Colts running back to carry the ball in Week 2 (25 carries for Taylor), it doesn’t appear the staff is too worried about his early-season workload. This differs from how many of the other teams with elite running backs are treating their stars (49ers, Falcons, Eagles, Ravens, etc.). On Wednesday, Taylor was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week with 27 touches for 215 yards and 1 touchdown.
-If Tyler Warren has another 70-plus yard receiving day on Sunday, he will set a Colts franchise record. Warren would become the first Colts tight end to have a 70-yard receiving game in 3 straight contests. And, yes, Warren would set this record in his first three NFL games. Amazing. And this is a franchise with tight ends in the form of John Mackey and Dallas Clark. Or even the likes of Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle, Ken Dilger and Coby Fleener. Warren has already shown 3-level tight end impact, plus after the catch ability, which is not a staple of tight ends.
-The Colts are now in their regular season mode, practicing Wednesday-Friday. With no Thursday night game or bye week until November, this should be their normal cadence for the first half of the 2025 season.
