Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
**INDIANAPOLIS –** A rainy start to Wednesday in Indianapolis sent the Colts indoors for their first 11-on-11 work of the offseason program.
It was a split of starting reps for the quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones on Wednesday.
What did we learn from Colts during their first OTA practice of 2025?
\-In Day 1 of 2025 viewing, we witnessed Anthony Richardson go first through all the individual periods, before Richardson and Daniel Jones then split the starting reps during a pair of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 sessions. Richardson took the initial starting reps, in a 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 period. Jones then took the reps with the second unit. To end practice, the two flipped working with the starters/backups. Wednesday was an even rep split between Richardson and Jones. Steichen said the two quarterbacks should get around 170 reps across these 9 days of offense/defense work.
\-Let’s examine each quarterback’s first team work of the 2025 season, with the clear reminder of _this is non-padded action on May 28_. Richardson went 8-of-14 in 7-on-7 periods and then 2-of-4 during the 11-on-11 sessions. The highlight from Richardson was starting 6-of-6 in the first 7-on-7 period, with some beautiful downfield throws to Tyler Warren and Will Mallory. In-stride touch was on full display from Richardson. Later, the third-year quarterback was picked by linebacker Liam Anderson during a rockier 2-of-6 effort in his second 7-on-7 period. Richardson’s day was held back by chunk play drops from Jelani Woods and AD Mitchell.
\-Jones was 11-of-12 during his two 7-on-7 periods, while a 5-of-5 day in the two team periods. Jones lone incompletion was a ball that easily could have been picked by Samuel Womack. It was a very in-rhythm, consistent afternoon from the veteran quarterback. While Richardson might have created a few “bigger” completions with his day, Jones had a much steadier day with only one ball hitting the indoor turf.
\-Wednesday was a very active day for rookie tight end Tyler Warren. And this wasn’t Warren catching a bunch of underneath passes either. No matter the quarterback, Warren was a frequent target of Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, mainly during the 7-on-7 sessions. Simply, Warren moves differently from most tight ends at this size.
\-In other starting position battles, it was Tanor Bortolini over Danny Pinter getting the first look with the starting offense. Just a reminder, the media only watches 1 of the 3 OTA practices this week. That’s the same format next week, before we observe the entire team’s minicamp (June 10-12).
\-Players that didn’t appear to be participating in the first OTA of 2025 included: RB-Jonathan Taylor (working in Florida currently, Steichen said the Colts hope to have him back soon), WR-Josh Downs (soft tissue injury), TE-Drew Ogletree (soft tissue injury), LB-Zaire Franklin (boot on his left leg after ankle surgery earlier this month), LB-Jaylon Carlies (recovering from off-season shoulder surgery), CB-Charvarius Ward (re-integrating with into team drills after time away with his family). Reminder, this portion of the offseason program is still voluntary. The 3-day minicamp, June 10-12, is the only mandatory portion of the spring.
\-Steichen confirmed the Colts will have joint practices at Grand Park with the Packers in August. The Colts host the Packers on August 16th at Lucas Oil Stadium in the second week of the preseason. If the Colts follow the same joint practice cadence as past years, expect the those sessions to be on August 13th and 14th. Steichen said the Colts are working through some other possible joint sessions this August. They play the Ravens in Baltimore on August 7th and the Bengals in Cincinnati on August 23rd.
\-Wednesday’s post-practice media session began with an emotional Shane Steichen offering his condolences to the Irsay family for the passing of Jim Irsay. “Phenomenal human being. You guys know how generous he was. I told the team last week, every time I talked with him, in the building, on the phone, every time, he would always tell me at the end, ‘Coach, whatever you need for the team. We got you.’ We are going to honor this season for Jim and win for him this year.” Numerous Colts staff members/players rocked a t-shirt on Wednesday of Irsay lifting weights, something the Owner loved to do in his younger days. Wednesday’s practice soundtrack had many of Irsay’s favorites on it.
\-Steichen also offered some thoughts on Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who will continue to expand on the day-to-day operations she’s had in overseeing so much of the organization. “She’s going to do a phenomenal job. She’s been very involved with the organization for years and she’s done it from the ground up too. So we are very fortunate to have the girls.” Irsay-Gordon is seen on a frequent basis attending Colts practices and on the sidelines during games, oftentimes listening via a headset. “As far as football, she’s around, she understands it,” Steichen added. “When you talk football with her, she gets it, she understands it. She goes over the defensive stuff, the offensive stuff. She’s been involved ever since I’ve been where, very hands-on. She’s been tremendous.”
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