Training camps have kicked off around the NFL, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The Indianapolis Colts' camp is taking place in Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. and Colts reporter Stephen Holder has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.
What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at camp. We will update this file often, including who's winning the QB battle between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones. Who are the breakouts to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?
Let's get into it all, and be sure to keep checking back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Thursday.
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Wednesday, Aug. 6
Camp recap: Who has been your standout performer of camp?
WR Adonai Mitchell has been a show stealer during the past week-plus, rebounding from a slow start that saw him drop numerous passes.
His performance in Tuesday's joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens had Colts coaches buzzing.
Whether he can sustain it into the regular season now becomes the question.
Camp recap: What is the biggest question to answer for your team in preseason games?
Who will be the starting QB?
The Colts' most important evaluation in the preseason will be the assessment of QBs Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones, who are in a position battle.
Richardson gets first crack on Thursday when he'll start against Baltimore, expected to play "a quarter and a half" according to coach Shane Steichen.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
Tuesday's joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens represented the biggest test yet for quarterbacks Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones, and both seemed to pass it comfortably. Richardson and Jones enjoyed consistent success in full-team periods against the talented Baltimore defense, with a number of explosive plays highlighting the afternoon.
Richardson completed 10 of 13 passes in the full-team periods of practice, connecting on some of the day's most impressive plays. That included multiple throws to emerging receiver Adonai Mitchell, who was dominant on Tuesday. Jones finished 14-of-17 in full-team periods, consistently moving the ball and the chains.
The performance begged the question: What is the ceiling of the Colts' offense in 2025?
"I feel like time will tell," Mitchell said. "I feel like we look great, especially being able to go against a new opponent. I just can't wait."
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Mitchell was all over the field on Tuesday, and his confidence showed in his body language -- and his actual language. After beating cornerback Nate Wiggins on a deep route during one-on-one drills, Mitchell looked over at assembled media and exclaimed that Wiggins was "burned toast!" Moments later, Mitchell beat Chidobe Awuzie for a touchdown in the same drill, and again offered commentary, saying, "I told you!"
Seventh-round pick Hunter Wohler, who has been turning heads as a safety/linebacker, had a breakout day on Tuesday. During the final period of practice featuring two-minute situations, Wohler had an interception off Ravens star Lamar Jackson, corralling the ball with a leaping catch. On the next series, Wohler grabbed another interception against the No. 2 offense off a tipped pass. He's now challenging for a rotational role on defense in sub-packages.
Sunday, Aug. 3
Coach Shane Steichen said he has decided how he'll proceed at quarterback in Thursday night's preseason opener at the Baltimore Ravens, even though he wasn't ready to publicly disclose his choice.
The Colts have been conducting a quarterback competition between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones, with the two players alternating days of heavy work with the first-team offense. There has not been substantive separation between the two players through two weeks of camp, meaning Tuesday's joint practice with Baltimore and the subsequent game could be pivotal.
Steichen said one quarterback will get a bigger share of playing time in the first preseason game; the other will receive a larger share in Week 2 of the preseason.
"The competition will probably pick up against a different opponent on Tuesday against Baltimore," Steichen said, "and then, obviously, preseason games. I just think it's human nature."
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Sunday's practice saw the defensive line consistently get the best of the offensive line, with Richardson and Jones falling prey to several would-be sacks. DE Samson Ebukam and DT DeForest Buckner were among those with sacks in full-team periods, while ends Laiatu Latu and Kwity Paye had impressive rushes against the quarterbacks.
CB Charvarius Ward (undisclosed) and WR Michael Pittman Jr. (groin) missed Sunday's practice but should be available for Tuesday's joint practice, Steichen said.
Saturday, Aug. 2
After several straight strong practices from the Colts' quarterbacks, Saturday morning saw the defense get the better of Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones during extensive red zone work. Neither quarterback had thrown an interception in any practice this week amid their position battle. But that changed Saturday when Richardson and Jones threw two apiece in the red zone.
Richardson, who was coming off perhaps his finest practice on Thursday night -- players were off Friday -- struggled to get any traction during the red zone period, though coaches offered an important caveat. The Colts, according to offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, were working on specific passing plays that may or may not be a part of their red zone package.
"Dropback passing practice is always a little bit of a high-leverage situation for a quarterback," Cooter said. "You drop back 12 straight times in 7-on-7, the defense sort of squeezes those zones, the man coverage is tighter, we're trying new plays.
"So, red zone practices, when you sort them out at the end of the year, they don't always end up being your highest production practices. But we do get a lot out of them."
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Linebacker Zaire Franklin, who had been sidelined since undergoing offseason ankle surgery, returned to practice for the first time in camp. Franklin was selected to the Pro Bowl and was the NFL's leading tackler last season.
Seventh-round pick Hunter Wohler has been playing with constant energy and physicality throughout camp, often walking a fine line between being too aggressive. But asked Saturday whether he has been asked to tone it down, he offered a surprising answer. "No," he said, "and that's a problem." Wohler took that to mean he needs to turn things up.
Thursday, July 31
The Colts held their first night practice in their seven seasons of training camp at Grand Park, and the night came complete with a fireworks display and light show.
But the real "oohs" and "ahhs" came earlier in the evening when the offense and its quarterbacks found its groove and lit things up with a series of big plays.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., who is still locked in a battle with Daniel Jones for the starting job, was responsible for a heavy dose of the aggressive plays, continuing his string of impressive practices. Among his explosive plays was a majestic 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ashton Dulin and a perfectly-thrown deep shot to Adonai Mitchell.
Jones was not to be outdone, hitting a couple of big plays of his own. Among them: A deep completion to Mitchell on a free play (a defender jumped offsides before the snap and was flagged).
"Obviously, you want to be explosive offensively and the guys had some play down the field," coach Shane Steichen said. "It's good to see."
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TE Tyler Warren, the Colts' first-round pick, had arguably the most impressive catch of this camp when he reeled in a leaping, one-handed grab over linebacker Jaylon Carlies. Steichen said he got some grief from the defense, who felt like Jones was technically sacked on the play (hitting QBs is off limits in practice).
Mitchell was one of the stars of the night, making a series of impressive catches all over the field. Of note was his sideline catch from Jones, where he used body control to keep his feet in bounds while reaching out for the ball.
CBs Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents missed practice because of hamstring injuries, with Steichen clarifying that Jones' is of greater concern. DT DeForest Buckner missed practice with a foot injury.
Tuesday, July 29
The Colts' quarterback competition remains tight, with neither Anthony Richardson Sr. nor Daniel Jones putting distance between them.
But even amid their position battle, Richardson and Jones seem to be handling the interpersonal aspects well. Jones said he has learned some nuances of the Indianapolis offense from Richardson, who has been in the system the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, Richardson has been consistently celebrating wins by the offense during practice, even when it's Jones making those plays.
"The communication in the meeting room or whatever it is off the field has been great," Jones said. "... It's a great room to be a part of."
Said Richardson: "We gotta hype each other up. The defense, they hype each other up all the time when they're making plays. ... We've just got to bring the energy."
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The Colts have potential worrisome injury concerns at cornerback. Jaylon Jones, who started all 17 games last season, went down during one-on-one drills, falling to the ground and immediately grabbing his hamstring. He was carted off the field and did not return. Third-year cornerback JuJu Brents was already missing the practice with a hamstring injury of his own.
WR Michael Pittman Jr. left practice with a groin injury, but there was no immediate word on the severity.
Monday, July 28
The first day in pads provided a good opportunity to get a sense of rookie running back DJ Giddens, who provided a few highlights in practice with impressive cutback runs. The fifth-round pick from Kansas State is vying to be the Colts' top backup behind Jonathan Taylor, and he's off to a strong start.
"He's kind of a glider," coach Shane Steichen said. "He's got good burst, good vision. The stretch-cut stuff on the outside zones have been really impressive last week and today in pads. Really looking forward to his progress."
The Colts see Giddens as a potential third-down back who will bring the dual threat of running the ball and catching it out of the backfield with what Steichen described as "natural" hands. Taylor, who rushed for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, remains the Colts' starter, but the passing game is considered one of his weaknesses.
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WR Alec Pierce missed practice because of a "nasty" blister on his foot, Steichen said. The Colts believe the day off will resolve the problem. Pierce has been among the most consistent offensive players in this camp.
Saturday, July 26
The Colts remade their secondary during the offseason, and the fruits of those efforts are beginning to show.
No. 1 cornerback Charvarius Ward, signed to a lucrative contract in March, is consistently making life tough on the Colts' receivers. He blanketed top wideout Michael Pittman Jr. on Saturday, making for a frustrating afternoon for Pittman. Meanwhile, safety Camryn Bynum, who was signed in March, has shown himself to be a playmaker in the middle of the field, making the Colts' quarterbacks have to hold onto the football and leading to some poor decisions.
The Colts last season allowed the third-highest completion rate in the league at 69.4%, something that contributed to the firing of former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and the signings of Ward and Bynum.
"It's exciting," coach Shane Steichen said. "Our defense has been doing a helluva job and we need that from them. They've been sticky."
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Receiver Alec Pierce, who has been having an impressive camp, acknowledged what has become increasingly obvious: That he doesn't expect a contract extension before this season -- the last season of his rookie deal. "My agents might've wanted to talk with them a while back but I feel like on that front, it's going to be play the season out," Pierce said.
Friday, July 25
There does not appear to be a clear leader so far in the Colts' quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones, with both players experiencing ups and downs through three days of practice.
Big plays have been few and far between, but the completion percentages on Friday did improve. Richardson completed 8-of-11 attempts while Jones connected on 7-of-10. This was notable, in particular, for Richardson, who has been wildly unpredictable on short and intermediate throws in his two seasons. Friday might have been his best day on such attempts, coming on an offseason where he made them a priority.
"I wasn't necessarily worried about pushing the ball down the field because I'm pretty sure everybody knows I can do that," Richardson said of his offseason work. "The biggest thing for me was just the intermediate [and] short routes, being able to complete those whenever I can because I feel like that will help our offense progress and that will help us move the ball more."
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The Colts have experienced a rash of false starts during the past two practices, with three more on Friday. That prompted coach Shane Steichen to light into his offense in the middle of practice. "There's no excuse for a false start," offensive line coach Tony Sporano said. "It's mental, it's concentration, it's focus. We can't have them. Unacceptable."
Thursday, July 24
Rookie TE Tyler Warren was quiet on Day 1 but got more involved on Day 2. He caught a pair of passes for modest gains -- one from Anthony Richardson Sr. and one from Daniel Jones. But what was notable about the plays was that neither throw was terribly accurate, and Warren snagged them anyway, displaying his strong hands.
It's a quality the Colts were drawn to when they scouted the former Penn State star who they ultimately selected with the 14th overall pick. And it's a characteristic that should make Warren a popular target.
"Something we thought was a real strength of his was his hands, his ability to focus, concentrate and make those tough catches," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "He's a very uniquely-talented, uniquely-skilled young man... That's what you need in this league. Coverage is going to be tight. The passes are going to have to be in different areas. You're going to have to make some of those tough, strong-handed catches and really focus on finishing."
Wednesday, July 23
The Colts remain flummoxed by their inability to start or finish strong in individual seasons, and they're trying desperately do something about it. Indianapolis, which hasn't won a season opener since 2013 and have experienced a series of late-season letdowns that eliminated them from the playoffs, plan to intensify this training camp in a search of different results.
While they have dialed back the intensity in camp in recent years in an effort to preserve good health, the Colts will try something else in 2025.
"When the pads come on, you guys will see some sudden-change periods [and] some long-drive drills," coach Shane Steichen said. "We'll have some more situational scrimmage stuff. So, it'll be really good. I want to make sure we come out of this thing in tip-top shape come Week 1."
Tuesday, July 22
General manager Chris Ballard preached patience with QB Anthony Richardson Sr., who reported for camp on Tuesday prepared for a position battle with veteran Daniel Jones. When asked whether this is a make-or-break year for the 2023 No. 4 overall pick, Ballard said, "Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield's timeline? Sam Darnold's timeline?" It was a reference to two highly-drafted QBs who flamed out with their first teams but found success at later stops.
Ballard added, "Sometimes you've got to have a little patience with a guy and let them grow through things... If you think, 'Hey, he's on the right trajectory,' why are you going to flush it just because people outside think you should flush it? I don't agree with that. I think we need to give Anthony every chance to be the best he can be."
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Three-time Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner said last season's defense -- ranked 29th in yards allowed (361.2 ypg) -- displayed "the worst defensive performance for a season that we've had since I've been here (since 2020) ... It doesn't matter who you are. Your name's attached to that."
LB Zaire Franklin, last season's NFL tackle leader (173), will not practice at the outset of training camp as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Ballard said "We think he's going to be ready pretty quickly," which informed the team's decision to not place Franklin on the preseason physically unable to perform list (PUP).