The second day of camp saw some of the day one rust knocked off as installation slowly but surely ramped up.
Westfield, IN — The second practice of Colts training camp was a scorching one. Hitting 90+ degrees Fahrenheit in the morning was nothing to scoff at, and a subsequent rest day for the team’s biggest veterans showcased just that.
This slow but sure ramp-up for installation in all three phases (offense, defense, special teams) was apparent in this short but sweet practice. The two quarterbacks vying for the starting job had better showings than yesterday, though plenty remains to be ironed out.
As alluded to yesterday in my first article of my training camp journal series, I spent today’s individual period focused on the offense. Before doing so, I made sure to check out the defensive linemen in warm-ups to get a better look at how defensive end Samson Ebukam is progressing from his Achilles tear that kept him out of the 2024-25 season.
Here are my notes from Thursday, the second practice of the Indianapolis Colts training camp:
- Rest day veterans and their replacements — A rest day on the second day of training camp has resulted in many fans scoffing at the mere idea of it all; however, those in question are among the most valuable and highest-risk. Perhaps this is GM Chris Ballard and Co. doing what they can to ensure their best players are healthy for the season, though Ballard himself did say that these practices will be among their most intense. I understand the concerns surrounding what seems like hypocrisy, but I, too, am trying to make sense of it.
Regardless, the veterans who had rest days and their replacements are as follows: DeForest Buckner (Neville Gallimore), Kenny Moore II (Justin Walley in slot, JuJu Brents on outside), Zaire Franklin (Joe Bachie), Braden Smith (Jalen Travis), and Tyquan Lewis.
- QB Competition — As mentioned, both Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones had better days than the first practice. Neither were perfect, nor did they have career-altering showings, but each limited mishaps they made yesterday.
Richardson, in particular, had the best jump from day one to day two. It started in the first team period of the day, which was a 7-on-7 session. Taking the starting reps in this first session, Richardson and Co. started strong. The offense went 4-5 through the air with a drop from Laquon Treadwell, and all four completions came in the underneath game.
Aside from the RPO-centric team period, which I’ll cover in the next section, there were two additional 11-on-11 periods. The first of which was focused on first and second down calls that were comprised of three plays: a completion to Jonathan Taylor in the flats, an impressive pass-and-catch through traffic to Michael Pittman Jr., and a difficult throw on the run that was bobbled and incomplete to Laquon Treadwell. The final 11-on-11 period for Richardson featured him with the second team. Began with a shot up the sideline to Dulin, intercepted by JuJu Brents. Defense followed this up with more solid coverage, forcing Richardson to scramble. Final play was potentially sacked, but AR ripped it deep and Brents defended.
Daniel Jones’ 7-on-7 period, though two plays less than the first team’s with Richardson, was perfect in his three throws. He connected with Jelani Woods twice, once on a wide-open wheel route up the sideline, and finished the session with an out route to Ashton Dulin, who had to tiptoe to get the job done. Jones and the second team only ran two plays in their first 11-on-11 period, resulting in a short completion to Adonai Mitchell, a false start by Blake Freeland at left tackle, and an incomplete in-breaker to Ashton Dulin. The final 11-on-11 team period saw Jones manning the charge with the first team. It was a session that played to Jones’ strengths. Four of the five attempts came near or at the line of scrimmage, with the only attempt past five yards going incomplete. He went 3-5 in this period, with the other incompletion being just out of Tyler Warren’s range on a throw in the flats.
- RPO-Centric Team Period — Jones ran with the first unit while Richardson led the backups. There were two short throws to Josh Downs (one completed crosser, one overthrown quick out), two rushes split by Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Goodson, and a nice play-action connection between Jones and Alec Pierce near the sideline. Richardson’s time with the second unit featured just three plays (and a false start). He connected with Tyler Warren in the flats after the rookie touched earth to secure the catch, had an incompletion to Ashton Dulin in the short area, and then found some green grass on a designed QB Run.
Miscellaneous:
- LT Bernhard Raimann joined Query and Company and said that contract extension talks between his camp and the Colts have halted — “we’re not on the same page.”
- JuJu Brents had a fantastic day in coverage with an INT (on an underthrow, still impressive play) as well as a PBU in the final team period
- Samson Ebukam looked quick and powerful in his warm-up routine
- Reserve tackle Jack Wilson (6’11”) got into a post-play scuffle that resulted in an unknown defender throwing punches
- Alec Pierce looks like he’s evolved his short-area quickness. A certified deep threat unlocking the tools necessary to thrive in the underneath passing game is concerning for defensive backs across the league, as well as the Colts’ collective bank account.
- Jelani Woods had two big plays in the passing game, looks definitively more polished than Will Mallory does at this point in time
- Tyler Warren’s catch radius is as impressive as it was in college
- You can see why LB Joe Bachie was the only defender to follow Lou Anarumo to Indy. It’s clear he has a great grasp on the defense and as a result is instinctive in his pursuit
