The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their first day of training camp Wednesday at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.
While we went through a quick rundown of what all transpired during the first practice, we’re here to dive a bit deeper into the storylines and reactions from the first day of training camp practice.
Just about every player was on the field outside of a handful of injured players, and it was a compact practice in terms of the passing game, focusing mostly on the red zone.
Here are six takeaways from Day 1 of Colts training camp:
1
Injuries and Attendance
- RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle), DE Tyquan Lewis (knee) and TE Will Mallory (foot) remain on the active/PUP list and did not practice.
- S Julian Blackmon (hamstring) and CB Julius Brents (hamstring) did not practice.
2
Gardner Minshew took all starting reps
According to Kevin Bowen of 1075 The Fan, it was Minshew who took all 15 starting reps at the quarterback position Wednesday. Rookie Anthony Richardson followed that up with all nine of the second-team reps, which included two passes during 11-on-11 work.
Here’s what Bowen had to say about the quarterback work:
Gardner Minshew took all 15 starting reps during 11-on-11 periods Wednesday (3 separate 5-play periods). Minshew was 5-of-6, with a heavy amount of run-game in the Wednesday plan. Minshew completed passes to Zack Moss, Alec Pierce, Kylen Granson, Isaiah McKenzie and Evan Hull. Anthony Richardson then took all 9 second-team reps (3 separate 3-play periods). Richardson was 2-of-2 in his limited passing work, completing passes to Evan Hull and Ethan Fernea. As we saw in the spring, Richardson brings a definite leg component to his game, which is useful in the red zone. Richardson did have one big airmail of a throw during a 7-on-7 period. Sam Ehlinger took 6 reps with the third unit.
Head coach Shane Steichen mentioned to the media that the rotation at quarterback will be easy to see and that they will “flip flop” Minshew and Richardson to work with each unit.
3
Shaquille Leonard makes his return
Though there was no contact on this first practice of training camp, it was encouraging to see Leonard taking reps with the first-team defense. This is the first time we’ve seen Leonard on the field since he underwent a second surgery to correct a nerve issue in his back.
Speaking of nerves, Leonard certainly felt some pre-game jitters leading up to the first practice.
“I was nervous; I felt like this was a game day for me. First time in a while, no sleep last night, jitterbugs all morning, I probably didn’t truly feel like myself until after individual,” Leonard said Wednesday. “I was so nervous, then after that, it felt like right where I left off. Coming in and being a leader for this team and being able to run around and hopefully make some plays.”
We should expect the Colts to slow down on the amount of work once the contact practices arrive, but this was a very encouraging step for The Maniac.
4
Jonathan Taylor update
Starting camp on the PUP list was a bit of a surprise considering Jim Irsay said earlier in July that Taylor is “healed up,” so it does make one wonder about a potential contract hold-in situation. But that’s all speculation without grounded information.
Going off the information we do have, Taylor is on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a January ankle procedure. Head coach Shane Steichen told the media Wednesday that Taylor will be ready when he’s ready.
“We will see how long it takes, but once he’s 100 percent healthy he will be out there.”
5
Starting corners
It’s difficult to know exactly what the starting defense will look like with a few players nursing injuries. For instance, projected starting cornerback Julius Brents is dealing with a hamstring injury after he missed the spring workouts due to offseason wrist surgery.
According to Jake Arthur of Sports Illustrated’s Horseshoe Huddle, the starting cornerbacks consisted of Kenny Moore II (nickel) along with Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. on the outside. This will certainly be something to watch throughout training camp, especially since Baker Jr. was a solid standout during the spring.
6
Nick Cross replacing Julian Blackmon
It’s a big year for the second-year safety in Cross. With Julian Blackmon dealing with a hamstring injury to open camp, the starting strong safety spot will belong to Cross. This should give the 21-year-old plenty of chances to prove he’s made strides from a disappointing rookie campaign.
