The Arizona Cardinals, following a pair of joint practices against them, will take on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday on the road. They will not face them in the regular season and the game will likely feature none of either team’s starters.
In preparation for this Saturday matchup, Colts Wire managing editor Paul Bretl answers a few questions about the Colts and takes us “behind enemy lines”.
Below are my questions and his answers.
Who is expected to play and not play this weekend for Indy?
Following Thursday’s joint practice, Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced that the team’s starters and backup quarterback Joe Flacco would not be playing in Saturday’s game. This is the same approach that the team took during Week 2 of the 2023 preseason. Joint practices can provide a lot of value, and in some ways, more so than the preseason, with fewer vanilla looks and the key starters from both teams participating.
How has QB Anthony Richardson looked coming back from his injury?
There have still been some growing pains, which is to be expected from a quarterback with 98 career dropbacks, but overall, I would categorize this training camp as a success for Richardson. Now in his second season in Shane Steichen’s offense, you can see Richardson’s added comfort through his command and execution on the field. This is also a Colts’ offense that is stout in the trenches and has several playmakers around Richardson at the skill positions, so it’s not as if he has to do all of the heavy lifting either.
What are the biggest roster/position competitions to watch on the Colts?
The biggest question marks for the Colts lie at cornerback and safety. The secondary last season, in short, gave up too many big plays while not making enough plays on the football. This offseason, the Colts are banking heavily on the internal development of some young players to help raise the overall play of this unit. The position battles at cornerback safety seem to be taking shape, with JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones on the boundary and Nick Cross as Julian Blackmon’s running mate. However, the unknowns around the consistency of this unit still remain. With the starters not playing, it will be a good opportunity for CB Dallis Flowers and S Rodney Thomas to get some valuable reps.
Other positional battles include the third running back spot, playing time at tight end, backup middle linebacker, and swing tackle.
Who are some back-of-the roster guys you anticipate making an impact on this game?
On offense, rookie fourth-round receiver Anthony Gould has continued to flash his big play ability in the passing game at practice. He also brings some juice to the Colts’ return units as well. With Jonathan Taylor not playing and Trey Sermon sidelined with a hamstring injury, Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson should see their share of opportunities at running back. Along the defensive front, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Isaiah Land are both coming off impressive performances in Week 1, as is rookie nickel cornerback Micah Abraham, who forced a fumble that he then returned for a touchdown against Denver.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTubeor Apple podcasts.
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