The Indianapolis Colts are over halfway through training camp before it leads into the preseason games, conducting their eighth practice at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield on Sunday.
The mid-afternoon practice session was held outdoors after the previous practice forced the team to work indoors due to weather. It was another padded practice as the team prepares for the preseason opener in less than a week.
We also put together a quick rundown of the news, notes and highlights from Sunday’s practice. But here, we’ll take a slightly deeper dive.
Here are five takeaways from Day 8 of Colts’ training camp:
1
Injuries and Attendance
- RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and DE Tyquan Lewis (knee) remain on the active/PUP list and have not practiced since camp opened.
- S Julian Blackmon (hamstring) did not practice for an eighth consecutive day while DE Samson Ebukam (hamstring) did not practice for a seventh consecutive day.
- TE Jelani Woods (hamstring), G Emil Ekiyor (knee) and LB Liam Anderson (arm) missed their fourth consecutive practices.
- DT DeForest Buckner (foot) missed his third consecutive practice.
- LB Cameron McGrone (undisclosed) has now missed two consecutive practices. The same goes for CB Kenny Moore II (ankle).
- Rookie TE Will Mallory (hamstring) missed his second practice in a row.
- DE Genard Avery (undisclosed) was a new addition to the injured list for Sunday’s practice.
2
Anthony Richardson thrives with 1s
This is what we call stacking days. Richardson had his best day of camp working with the second-team offense during Saturday’s practice. He turned right around Sunday to put together his best performance while taking every snap with the starting offense.
During team drills, the rookie’s day included three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Two of his passing touchdowns came in the red zone while the other was a deep bomb to Alec Pierce for roughly 40 yards.
According to multiple reports, Richardson completed 6-of-8 passes with his touchdowns going to Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Kylen Granson.
Here’s a snippet from Jake Arthur of Sports Illustrated’s Horseshoe Huddle on Richardson’s day:
Richardson punctuated his day with the two-minute drill, which was simulated as the offense having 46 seconds remaining on the clock, one timeout, and down by eight points. It only took Richardson three plays to erase the deficit as he picked up a handful of yardage on a scramble, hit Granson on a touchdown from about 15 yards out, and then ran the ball in from a couple of yards out for the two-point conversion.
Seeing Richardson stack days and improve at a consistent rate is extremely encouraging as we head into the preseason.
3
Rodney Thomas II injured?
The second-year safety didn’t participate in team drills during Sunday’s practice. Head coach Shane Steichen couldn’t provide an update following practice, telling the media he needed to talk to the training staff to see what the issue was. Trevor Denbow worked in place of Thomas.
If Thomas misses time, the Colts will be without both of their starting safeties considering Julian Blackmon hasn’t suited up yet at training camp due to a hamstring injury.
4
Drew Ogletree getting a bump
The second-year tight end, who missed all of his rookie season, was working with the first-team offense Sunday due to the injuries that have hit the room. While Kylen Granson also worked with the starters, Ogletree stepped in for the trio of injured tight ends in Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods and Will Mallory.
5
Rookie CBs making some noise
The Colts have a trio of intriguing rookies comepting at the cornerback position, and they seem to be making some noise. In only his second practice, second-round pick Julius Brents made a nice play in coverage against Ashton Dulin while seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones has quietly had a solid camp when it comes to making plays on the ball. Meanwhile, Darius Rush has been working with the second-team defense since returning from a shoulder injury.
