NFL: AUG 16 Indianapolis Colts Training Camp
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – The longest article I post each year is ready to go.
Below you will find 53 questions on the Colts (going off the magic roster cut down number of 53) heading into yet another training camp at Grand Park.
With camp report day on Tuesday and the first practice coming Wednesday, here’s 53 questions to watch heading into Shane Steichen’s third season with the Colts:
1. When will Anthony Richardson return to throwing? Sadly, the biggest storyline entering training camp once again surrounds the health of Anthony Richardson. Will Richardson begin throwing right away once the Colts evaluate him? How long will the ramp up period be for Richardson? Is this shoulder issue going to reappear as Richardson gets back to a consistent throwing routine? Ugh, these questions are not ideal at all.
2. Will learning Lou Anarumo’s defense be a challenge for the Colts defense? For the first time since the 2022 training camp, the Colts are learning a new defense at Grand Park. And, by all accounts, this defense is more sophisticated than learning Gus Bradley’s system. Will that be challenging? Will there be any extra learning pains for linebackers Zaire Franklin (ankle) and Jaylon Carlies (shoulder) as they get on the field for the first time this offseason?
3. Will there be a true quarterback competition? So, so much of this is dependent on Anthony Richardson’s health and his return to throwing. Assuming Richardson can get back to throwing consistently near the end of July, he should still have enough time to create some sort competition against Daniel Jones. But time is ticking.
4. What are Carlie Irsay-Gordon’s expectations for 2025? An unknown, yet such a critical part to how this 2025 season will unfold. Carlie Irsay-Gordon, the eldest of Jim Irsay’s 3 daughters, is now viewed as the biggest decision maker of the Colts franchise. While Irsay-Gordon isn’t going to show her cards too much, I don’t view her as someone who will be content coasting through her first season atop the organization, accepting of the worst playoff drought this franchise has experienced since the early 1990s.
5. Is the second-year jump coming for Laiatu Latu? It’s hard to look back on Latu’s rookie season and not say he hit the proverbial rookie wall. After a fine start his first NFL season, Latu didn’t have a sack, quarterback hit or tackle for loss in any of the final 5 games. The Colts are intrigued by new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo unlocking more production out of Latu, as the franchise is still searching for a true, disruptive presence off the edge.
6. Who will win the starting center job? This might be the truest 1 v. 1 starting battle the Colts will have in training camp. Danny Pinter, with his handful of years of occasional starting duty, vs. Tanor Bortolini, the 4th round pick in 2024. Ryan Kelly’s departure means the Colts will have a new starting center for the first time since 2015. Bortlini and Pinter traded off days working as the starting center during spring.
7. Is Spencer Shrader the Colts kicker of the future? The Colts are extremely high on the kicking future of Spencer Shrader. It’s a huge reason, more than the finances, of saying enough was enough with Matt Gay. Shrader has a booming leg, but he also has only kicked 5 field goals in the NFL. Shrader is competing with undrafted free agent Maddux Trujillo (Temple) in camp.
8. How much of a Jonathan Taylor workload do the Colts want in 2025? There are not many running backs in the NFL carrying a heavier workload nowadays than Taylor. In 2024, Taylor (21.6 carries per game) was second to Saquon Barkley (21.8 carries per game), as those two were the only NFL runners north of 20 rushes per game. Do the Colts still want Taylor to continue at that pace with another year of wear and tear on those tires?
9. Does Jelani Woods have a healthy season left in him? At times, you forget that Jelani Woods is still on the roster. This is the final year of Woods’ rookie contract, as he has been sidelined for each of the last two seasons. Woods did participate in the team’s spring offseason program, but him making this team is no guarantee.
10. Will Kwity Paye earn a second contract? While Dayo Odeyingbo walked in free agency, the Colts will see if their other top-2 round draft pick from the 2021 draft class makes it to a second contract. Paye will play in 2025 on a team option, with the Colts picking up that notable increase in salary back in the 2024 offseason. Remember for all Colts defensive personnel, it’s a new coordinating voice having impact in player retention/acquisition. Paye is one of the Colts with the most pressure on them this year.
11. How much playing time is there for AD Mitchell? The Colts were very pleased with what AD Mitchell showed this spring. But that doesn’t guarantee him consistent playing time in 2025. The Colts have what appears to be a locked in top-3 at receiver: Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs. However, the talented Mitchell can offer something different if he’s delivering on Sunday. IF that’s the case, how the Colts use him will be something to watch.
12. Will another kickoff rule change effect the Colts approach at all? Expect even more kick returns in 2025 as a new touchback rule placing the ball on the 35-yard line will probably lead to teams trying for more returnable kicks in the field of play. The Colts allowed a season-ending kick return for a touchdown in that awful Week 17 loss to the lowly Giants.
13. How much will Shane Steichen’s changes to training camp impact the Colts? They are not substantial, but Shane Steichen is making some tweaks to his third training camp as head coach. Those include more practices in the first week of camp and incorporating more random sudden change/situational periods within a practice. Will any of this matter or even help get the Colts to end that dreadful Week 1 winning drought, which dates back to the 2013 season?
14. Which rookie will play the most in 2025? Tyler Warren seems to be the obvious choice. At cornerback, if Justin Walley somehow becomes cornerback No. 3, he would then challenge Warren for that honor. Outside of those two, there doesn’t appear to be a real threat. Perhaps Jalen Travis at one of the tackle spots if Braden Smith and/or Bernhard Raimann suffered a serious injury.
15. Do the Colts have enough room for 5 tight ends? I’d be stunned. You would looking at a group of Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory and Jelani Woods all on making the team. The Colts would really be pinching at other spots to make such a luxury occur.
16. Will Alec Pierce find more to his game in a contract year? As Alec Pierce heads into a potentially very lucrative second contract, he’s got some individual improvement on his mind. We know Pierce is dynamic as a home run threat. But he wants to be better in making plays after the catch and more consistent in producing underneath (think more singles and doubles to continue the baseball analogy).
17. Is Matt Goncalves a locked-in starter at right guard? It certainly seems that way. Despite little right guard experience in his background, the second-year guard out of Pittsburgh was the team’s definite starter there during the spring. With Will Fries now in Minnesota, the Colts will look internally for that replacement and think that Goncalves as more future there, versus at right guard.
18. How much will Daniel Jones/Anthony Richardson play in the preseason? An annual question takes on even more of a focus when you have an actual quarterback battle. How much will Shane Steichen want to see these guys in game settings, across the three preseason games? Both players need vast improvement and with only two joint practices in 2025, one would think those August games would take on more importance.
19. How unique will the Colts be in their short-yardage run game? If I could bet on any aspect of the 2025 Colts being truly elite, this would might be the area I’d put atop the list. Think about the possibilities of Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren and even Daniel Jones in those situations? Given Shane Steichen’s willingness to be creative in those moments, there’s no reason why the Colts shouldn’t flourish in short-yardage.
20. Is a revival coming for Daniel Jones? One definite benefit of Anthony Richadson missing 7 of the 9 team practices this spring is it allowed Daniel Jones to get some valuable, and needed, reps with a new team. Jones has a chance to save his career in Indy.
21. Is there a role for a pass catching running back? No one emerged into this role last season. The Colts are going to try some new guys potentially here with free agent addition Khalil Herbert and draft pick D.J. Giddens. It would benefit the Colts greatly if someone emerged into this area, allowing Taylor to primarily be used as the elite 1st and 2nd down runner he continues to be.
22. How different will Lou Anarumo’s defense be? The thought with bringing in Lou Anarumo is the Colts defense will be dictating more and less reactionary than life under Gus Bradley. Some more pressure, some more man coverage, some more disguising are all areas the Colts are looking to implement under the veteran defensive coordinator.
23. Which tight end should be sweating a roster spot? Jelani Woods has to be the answer here. On paper, the Colts have 4 tight ends that look to be in good standing: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory. It’s hard to see where Woods cracks the 53-man roster, given the roster mechanics.
24. Who makes up the third-down pass rush package? The “Indy Car” package, as we like to label it, is going to have DeForest Buckner in it. After that though you have some questions. Laiatu Latu needs
25. Is the deep ball going to part of the Colts offense? How much of this depends on the quarterback? With Anthony Richardson you know that Alec Pierce is going to get some home run attempts. But what about Daniel Jones? We did see Jones hit some homers with Pierce in the spring, but that hasn’t really been part of his NFL game. So much of this could be quarterback dependent.
26. Is there a sleeper on defense that will impact in 2025? If you look at the overall depth of the defense, answers are a bit lacking at linebacker, cornerback and safety. Names like Segun Olubi, Darrell Baker Jr. and Ronnie Harrison Jr. are guys that were off the radar this time last year and ended up being needed to some degree in 2024.
27. What is the rookie impact for Tyler Warren? You will find a variety of rookie-year production levels for first-round picks at tight end. But you could also make the case we haven’t seen a tight end exit college coming off the season Warren just had. In the spring, Warren looked pretty comfortable in an NFL setting.
28. Will any undrafted rookie make the team on offense? Unlikely. The Colts do have a quartet of undrafted wideouts on the 2025 roster, but I can’t see any of them cracking the top 5-6 on the depth chart. Offensive tackles. Marshall Foerner is an interesting possibility if the Colts are done with Blake Freeland, but I can’t see that.
29. What is the rookie role for second-round pick J.T. Tuimoloau? A bit forgotten in this year’s draft class, Tuimoloau had a tremendous end to his college career, shining in Ohio State’s run to the National Championship. But this was a 2nd round pick, under a new defensive coordinator, who produced at a very high level. Will that lead to a consistent rotational role for him in 2025?
30. Will Anthony Gould find any offensive role? I would expect a good amount, if not all, the return duties to go to the 5th round pick from 2024. Gould lost that role early in his rookie campaign, before earning some trust later in the season. I’ll be curious if the Colts use Gould anymore offensively though ( he had 1 catch in 15 offensive snaps in 2024). The speedster had some practice moments with Joe Flacco, so does any of that translate in 2025?
31. Any contract extension for Bernhard Raimann? You could make the case Bernhard Raimann has been the best draft pick under Chris Ballard. A third-round pick turning into a quality left tackle. Raimann’s final year on his rookie contract is this season. Typically, the Colts treat such players with an extension around this time of year. Do we see that before September for Raimann?
32. How healthy is Braden Smith? Off the field, Braden Smith seems to be in a much better head space after leaving the team for the final month and a half last year. On the field, Smith has battled some lingering issues over the years. He was pretty healthy in the spring, but this is something to keep an eye on.
33. Who emerges as the No. 2 running back? This was a definite issue for the Colts last season. Reliable depth behind Jonathan Taylor was hard to find. The Colts have retooled that in 2025 by signing veteran Khalil Herbert and then drafting D.J. Giddens. Do we see one of those guys emerge into being a consistent bullpen option to relieve Taylor?
34. How far behind will starting linebackers Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies be? One of the disappointing aspects to the spring was a new defense being installed without starting linebackers Zaire Franklin (ankle) and Jaylon Carlies (shoulder) participating. Both should be healthy early (at the start?) of camp and that’s important for the key communicators in the middle of a new defense.
35. Will Anthony Richardson find methodical better in the passing game? Oh yeah, about Anthony Richardson “the player” questions. Richardson must improve as a thrower with better accuracy and better anticipation. He didn’t make strides in this general area last year, but it was a major focus during his first healthy NFL offseason.
36. What is the depth at linebacker? When healthy, the expectation is Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies will hardly come off the field for the Colts. But after that is anyone’s guess. In the spring, the Colts used Joe Bachie and Cam McGrone quite a bit with the starters. Segun Olubi is back and has a couple starts in his Colts tenure. You could argue no position has less depth on the entire roster than linebacker.
37. Is there a battle for a 3rd cornerback spot? This is one I didn’t foresee asking at the start of the spring. But the combination of Jaylon Jones missing time with a soft tissue and rookie Justin Walley impressing has me rethinking some things. Plus, any defensive question pondered has to be acknowledged with the arrival of a new coordinator in Lou Anarumo.
38. Where is Samson Ebukam at from his torn Achilles? We are nearing 12 months removed from Samson Ebukam going down at Grand Park with a torn Achilles. Where Ebkam is at and how he factors into defensive end playing time will be a storyline as he plays the final year of a notable contract. Remember, Ebukam started all 17 games for the Colts in 2023.
39. Will we see a veteran free agent addition at linebacker? The Colts have largely held off in this area throughout the offseason. Lou Anarumo doesn’t seem to have a massive emphasis on the position though. They did sign Joe Bachie, who has history with Anarumo, but has just 2 career starts (2021). This is why I view Zaire Franklin as one of the most indispensable players on the roster.
40. Will any undrafted rookie make the team on defense? Unlike on offense, the Colts have a few more depth questions when it comes to the defense (i.e. linebacker and safety). How does that aid LB-Solmon DeShields (Texas A&M) or S-Ladarius Tennison (UCF) or S-Trey Washington (Ole Miss)? Those are the positions and names that I’ll be watching for in the UDFA department.
41. Is there a sleeper on offense that will impact in 2025? At running back, you are just one Jonathan Taylor injury away from needing to rely heavily on the likes of Khalil Herbert (1,905 rushing yards in 4 NFL seasons) and/or D.J. Giddens (5th round pick). At tight end, someone needs to emerge besides Tyler Warren. Do we see more from Drew Ogletree (6th round pick in 2022) or Will Mallory (5th round pick in 2023). Or, dare I say, Jelani Woods (3rd round pick in 2022).
42. Will Nick Cross back up his breakout season? Similar to Alec Pierce, Nick Cross was one of the few individual bright spots for the Colts in 2024. Cross was one of the youngest players in the 2022 Draft, but he showed some of his potential last year. Will that continue in an ever-important contract year, playing alongside new safety mate in Cam Bynum?
43. Do we see the Colts scale back the playing time for their starting defensive tackles? It’s unfair to say that DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have shown a decrease in their levels of play. Still, Stewart is 31 years old with 124 games of NFL experience. Buckner is also 31 years old, with 141 games of play time. Both have played a lot of snaps in their careers, so is it time the Colts explore more rotating in their defensive interior?
44. Who is the backup swing tackle? As always, the top backup offensive tackle carries a lot of importance throughout the grind of a 17-game season. The Colts should feel very good about starting tackles Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smtih. Behind them though, it is not as calming. With Matt Goncalves penciled in at right guard, it’s like either third-year tackle Blake Freeland (9 starts, all in 2023) or rookie Jalen Travis (4th round pick). Is that uneas?
45. Is rookie Justin Walley going to carve out a rookie role? The Colts staff did not hold back this spring in offering some public praise for the third-round cornerback out of Minnesota. But finding clear playing time for him though is a tad harder. The question comes if Jaylon Jones is definitely that 3rd cornerback when the nickel personnel grouping expands (Kenny Moore II and Charvarius Ward being the top two cornerbacks).
46. How will the tight end playing time play out? One would think Tyler Warren will be the heavy snap man at tight end, but the Colts will still need some bodies behind him. You have quartet to choose from in Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory and Jelani Woods to complement the Penn State product.
47. Who will make up the defensive line depth? How does a starting defensive line of Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Laiatu Latu sound? If that hypothetical plays out, look for depth pieces in the form of Tyquan Lewis, Neville Gallimore, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Samson Ebukam and J.T. Tuimoloau.
48. What role will be there for the No. 2 running back? Jonathan Taylor averaged more than 21 carries per game last season. He played around 65 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, per game. So that’s a nice chunk available to split up behind Taylor. It would appear those snaps will go to some combination of veteran Khalil Herbert and rookie D.J. Giddens.
49. Which Day 3 draft pick will play the most in Year One? Unless injury occurs, I feel pretty confident in saying it’ll be 5th round pick D.J. Giddens at running back. Now, if we see a serious injury at offensive tackle, Jalen Travis would be needed a lot. I still view this year as mostly a redshirt for quarterback Riley Leonard.
50. Is there a third quarterback competition? Remember, the NFL has a new quarterback rule in that teams can dress a 3rd quarterback on game day. With Sam Ehlinger now in Denver, the Colts have this spot open. Is it definitely going to Riley Leonard or will we see Jason Bean challenge for that emergency role? It’s hard to imagine either will get too many team reps in camp, unless Daniel Jones and/or Anthony Richardson are limited due to injury.
51. How much shadowing will be there for Charvarius Ward? It is a new, and interesting, wrinkle coming to the Colts playbook in 2025. The Colts defense, led by new coordinator Lou Anarumo, seems open to letting Ward explore such matchups, if it makes sense week-to-week. And the extremely confident corner loves the sound of that. The frequency of how often it gets implemented though remains to be seen.
52. What leadership is Cam Bynum bringing to the safety position? In losing Julian Blackmon, the Colts no longer have a key voice at the back end of their defense. Cam Bynum enters though eager to fill that void. Bynum helped quarterback an exotic defense in Minnesota, so there shouldn’t be too much of a concern about putting more things on his plate.
53. Will Josh Downs be unlocked in his third NFL season? Josh Downs has had a very nice start to his NFL career, with 68 catches as a rookie (17 games) and then 72 catches last season (14 games). Does a 100-catch season seem possible in Year 3?