The Indianapolis Colts travel Saturday to Orchard Park, NY, for their first action in the Shane Steichen era. The Buffalo Bills host the Colts at Highmark Stadium for a preseason Week 1 game.
With so many new faces and schemes still being installed, there is a lot to work out, but perhaps the most exciting part: Colts football is back.
Here are the five things to know for Week 1 of the preseason:
1
The first unofficial depth chart is here
The Colts released their first unofficial depth chart of the season Tuesday. There are no significant surprises as most of the chart aligns with training camp storylines, but something noteworthy: the Colts do not indicate who QB1 is.
“Gardener Minshew OR Anthony Richardson” is how the position is notated, followed by Sam Ehlinger. To date, Minshew and Richardson are alternating first-team reps. Steichen has not released details about what starters will play against Buffalo, but that should take shape over the next few days.
2
Jonathan Taylor is away from the team
The Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor are not on the same wavelength. Both sides maintain their stances, and neither has yet to move. However, while that ongoing battle remains, Taylor is taking time away from the team.
Taylor is away from the team to get treatment for his ankle. (This is the same ankle that was injured multiple times last season and ended with him having surgery in January.) There is no timeline for when Taylor will return, which is something to monitor.
3
The RB room is getting a makeover
With Taylor’s status up in the air and backup Zack Moss out with a broken forearm, the Colts wasted no time adding depth to the running back unit. The unit now holds Deon Jackson, fifth-round pick Evan Hull, Jake Funk, undrafted free agent Zavier Scott, and veteran Kenyan Drake who recently signed with the team.
Another wrinkle in the story: the team brought in veteran Kareem Hunt for a visit Wednesday, but he left Indy without a deal. Hunt has spent the last four seasons behind Nick Chubb in Cleveland.
4
Nick Cross is turning heads
Nick Cross spent much of his rookie season playing special teams. Veteran Rodney McLeod’s experience landed him 15 starts, pushing Cross down the depth chart and giving him more time to develop and learn. Now, in his second season, Cross has more responsibilities on his plate, something playing safety in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense requires.
“You’re communicating with every level of the defense,” Cross said during training camp. “It requires you to know what you’re doing, know how to do it. Not only know what you’re doing but know what everybody else is doing as well so that you’re able to help everybody else.”
The second-year safety has stepped in as the starter for the first two weeks of camp as Julian Blackmon deals with a hamstring injury.
5
Darrell Baker Jr. is helping a depleted secondary
The Colts cornerback room has been through a lot this offseason. Stephon Gilmore, Brandon Facyson, and Isaiah Rodgers are no longer with the team. That left Kenny Moore, a handful of players who have pitched in when needed, and several rookies. Then, Darrell Baker Jr. enters the equation.
Baker joined the Colts in 2022 as a practice squad member before being elevated to the active roster last December. Early reports from camp indicate that Baker has been getting first-team reps, and he says that he expected to be here based on the preparation he puts in.
“All of the work that I have put in through this offseason, and then when I get those opportunities to step up for my brothers and my coaches give me that trust; you just come in, do the right thing, and make the right plays.”
