5 Things Learned: Key Colts Injuries Piling Up

1. Solid Work From Anthony Richardson

As planned, Anthony Richardson got some extended work in Saturday’s preseason game with the Packers, working mainly with the second unit skill guys. And it was a much better outing for Richardson than what we saw in the preseason opener, or in Thursday’s joint practice against the Packers. Richardson was outstanding on his first drive Saturday, with an accurate right arm leading a TD drive. Richardson was 5-of-6 on the drive, with decisive, on-target tosses. Following a defensive turnover, Richardson had his worst miss of the day in throwing behind rookie D.J. Giddens during his second drive. Then a holding penalty set the offense behind the chains, and Richardson couldn’t make up for that. Unfortunately for Richardson, and the Colts, the best throw of the day from No. 5 won’t show up in the box score. As Richardson escaped a possible sack on his third drive of work, he threw a picture perfect over the shoulder ball into the hands of Anthony Gould for a chunk play. But laundry was on the field, as AD Mitchell lined up offsides, negating the play and halting a potential two-minute drive to end Richardson’s 3 series of work. While Saturday wasn’t perfect for Richardson, he did check some needed boxes. He stayed healthy. He showcased necessary improvement and stayed away from turnover worthy plays.

2. After Rough Start, Daniel Jones Leads Scoring Drive

Unlike Richardson, a big key for Daniel Jones is proving he can provide this offense with second and third level throws. That focus was not achieved by Jones in his opening drive on Saturday. The veteran quarterback sailed a wide open Tyler Warren on a 3^rd down, leading to an early punt. But Jones bounced back with a really nice second drive, hitting on several of the throws he needs to tap into more of. For the day, Jones was 7-of-11 for 101 yards. All in all, it was definitely a better day at the quarterback position, with both signal callers having to overcome another absurdly penalty filled day of work for the Colts (and Packers). Now, we await a QB decision from Shane Steichen. The Colts will treat this week like a regular season practice type week (practices Tuesday-Thursday before Saturday’s preseason finale in Cincinnati). Has Steichen seen enough to name a starter, or does he want to let this competition ride out one more week?

3. Starting Defense Gets Quarter Of Work

In missing several defensive starters due to injury, Lou Anarumo got some of his first unit around a quarter of work, although a few of the frontline guys exited earlier than that. The starting unit faced Packers backup QB-Malik Willis yet still struggled on the opening drive in getting the elusive quarterback on the ground. Seeing Green Bay get into very manageable field goal range with their second unit against the Colts defensive starters wasn’t ideal. The Colts were very competitive on the back end though, routinely contesting balls and forcing some tight windows. The pressure did ramp up a bit, via some stunts, after that. It’s hard to overanalyze such a small sample size of your “starters” vs. their ”backups.” But I do think we continue to see an emphasis on stickier coverage on the back end.

4. Who Stood Out?

Once you got past one of the most penalty-filled preseason games you’ll ever see, Saturday did bring some individuals who helped themselves. Veteran cornerback Chris Lammons was brought back during camp, as the cornerback injuries started to pile up. Lammons was one of those contesting things at a high level early on Saturday. He is not only threatening for a roster spot but maybe more, depending on the return date for Kenny Moore II (knee). Speaking of guys in the secondary, third-year safety Daniel Scott made a nice play on an INT that was called back. Depending on the injury for rookie Hunter Wohler (foot), Scott might be needed more. Also, Kicker Spencer Shrader should have locked up the placekicking job on Saturday, connecting on field goals from 25, 29, 32 and 56 yards.

5. Injuries Piling Up

Entering Saturday’s second preseason game, the Colts sat about a handful of starters due to injury. Well, Saturday only added to the notable names on that list. By my count, around 4-5 Coltsdf5 left Saturday’s game in the first half due to injury, with all of those being players you would have on the 53-man roster. That list included S-Hunter Wohler (foot), RT-Braden Smith (left groin), OT-Blake Freeland (right ankle) and RB-Tyler Goodson (left elbow). Then in the third quarter, second-round pick JT Tuimoloau let with injury. Severity on the injuries will obviously be massive to watch, but Freeland was carted off and Goodson had his injured elbow in a sling as he headed to the locker room. Wohler was starting for an injured Nick Cross. Smith is obviously one of this team’s most indispensable player. Losing Freeland means rookie Jalen Travis is likely your swing tackle to start the season. And Goodson was having a tremendous camp, pushing for 2^nd string running back duties, while also serving a key special teams role. With roster cuts looming a week from Tuesday, the Colts are going to have some serious injury-related questions to address, especially at cornerback, offensive tackle, safety and running back.

6. QUICK HITTERS

-Starting Offense: QB-Daniel Jones, RB-Jonathan Taylor, WR-Ashton Dulin, WR-Michel Pittman Jr., TE-Mo Alie-Cox, TE-Tyler Warren, LT-Jalen Travis, LG-Quenton Nelson, C-Tanor Botolini, RG-Matt Goncalves, RT-Braden Smith

–Starting Defense: DE-Tyquan Lewis, DT-Grover Stewart, DT-DeForest Buckner, DE-Laiatu Latu, LB-Joe Bachie, LB-Cam McGrone, CB-Charvariys Ward, CB-Chris Lammons, CB-Johnathan Edwards, S-Cam Bynum, S-Hunter Wohler

–Injury Report: The following Colts left Saturday’s game due to injury: S-Hunter Wohler (foot), RT-Braden Smith (groin), OT-Blake Freeland (right ankle), RB-Tyler Goodson (left elbow), DL-JT Tuimoloau, CB-Johnathan Edwards (concussion)

-What’s Next: The Colts are done with training camp at Grand Park. They will return to their facility on Monday and prepare for their preseason finale, in Cincinnati, next Saturday at 1:00 PM. Roster cuts are a week from Tuesday.