Colts: Richardson, Leonard, and Thoughts Ahead of Training Camp

The Indianapolis Colts hold their first training camp practice of the Shane Steichen Era on Wednesday as the summer officially gets underway.

This year's camp holds the least amount of outside expectations and the least amount of chaos (at least going into it, knock on wood) in what seems like several years, but there is still plenty that I am watching as the season approaches.

The pressure's off... The Colts seem to enter training camp every year with lofty expectations, both from the outside and within the organization. However, after a humbling last year-and-a-half that's seen them compile a 4-14-1 record in their last 19 games, the Colts finally know that they're not just one veteran quarterback away from being a playoff competitor. They had that last year with Matt Ryan and had one of their worst seasons in the last 25 years. Now, outside expectations are low under a new coaching staff led by Steichen, a rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson, and an overall youthful roster. Internally, the Colts are confident and won't count themselves out, but now they can be loose and set their sights on getting better while attempting to outperform those low external expectations.

Shane Steichen establishing his culture... This is Steichen's first time as a head coach so his fingerprints on camp will likely be fairly obvious. General manager Chris Ballard commented that Steichen's big thing currently is establishing the toughness and mentality that he wants the team to play with. Ballard mentioned Steichen's practices will be demanding, and while they'll push hard some days, they'll then back off on others, as Steichen has worked with the medical staff to determine what's safe and smart to implement. 

When will we see a change at the quarterback situation?... There's a good chance the Colts start training camp how they worked through the spring when it comes to quarterback reps, and that's with veteran Gardner Minshew getting the initial half of the first-team reps while Richardson gets the second half. At a certain point, if Richardson is ready, we may see the roles reversed or Richardson to begin getting the majority of the first-team reps altogether. Ballard said that they will have internal discussions on how to determine when Richardson is ready to become the starter and then the coaches will make the decision. “That’s discussions that Mr. (Jim) Irsay, Shane, the coaching staff – all of us will have," Ballard told reporters on Tuesday. "You don’t want to put him out there and he’s not ready to handle everything that requires playing the position. I’ll lean heavily on our coaching staff – on what they think and what they think he can handle and what he’s ready for. Then eventually he’ll play, but until he’s ready, we’ll make that determination and if the coaching staff thinks he’s ready to go, then we’ll play him.”

Jonathan Taylor, other players with contract situations to monitor... The contracts for running backs and teams' apprehension to pay the position handsomely is one of the hottest topics in the NFL right now, and the Colts have a player who's right in the middle in Jonathan Taylor. Taylor is entering the final year of his contract at just 24 years old and has a rushing title to his name that he earned in 2021. However, he's coming off of a year where he was hampered by injury and the offense was a shell of itself from the previous season. Taylor has uncharacteristically voiced his displeasure with the running back landscape and has taken a hard stance on making sure he (and others) are compensated fairly. There have been talks on both sides about a new deal but it sounds like there is no resolution imminent. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., defensive tackle Grover Stewart, and safety Julian Blackmon are all entering contract seasons as well and have a compelling argument to be extended.

Shaquille Leonard set to gradually return to action... Star linebacker Shaquille Leonard has had two operations on his back in the last year and was only able to play in three games last season. Coming into camp, he's not listed on the Physically Unable to Perform list but he's also not 100% ready for full contact. Still, the Colts will not rush their All-Pro linebacker, bringing him along gradually until he is ready to go. Although the Colts defense performed at a high level for much of 2022, they missed Leonard's takeaways and overall playmaking ability.

The wide receiver group may be unspectacular but still absolutely solid... The Colts don't have a superstar receiver on the roster, but top to bottom they have capable names throughout. Starting with Pittman and Alec Pierce on the outside as starters, Isaiah McKenzie and rookie Josh Downs should have an entertaining battle for the slot role. Ashton Dulin and Breshad Perriman have both done nice things in the NFL while Mike Strachan, Juwann Winfree, Vyncint Smith, and Malik Turner also have NFL experience. As a whole, the Colts' receivers provide everything that they should.

The tight ends' performance could be unrecognizable from the past couple of years... In 2018, the Colts got incredible production from their tight ends, including a whopping 22 touchdowns as a group. Since then, the position's productivity and involvement in the passing game have declined. Jack Doyle retired and his replacement, Mo Alie-Cox, didn't do much to ease the loss. Now looking at 2023, the incredibly talented Jelani Woods is expected to take a big leap and be heavily involved while Kylen Granson continues to develop in front of Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory, who are both quite gifted as pass-catchers in their own right. Regardless of whether Alie-Cox rebounds, the new faces in the room could completely take over and be more productive than we've seen in the last four years. 

Colts confident in the bed they've made on the offensive line... Last offseason, the Colts leaned into new starters Matt Pryor and Danny Pinter as the answers at left tackle and right guard respectively, and it failed miserably despite neither being given adequate competition in camp. While the Colts tend to pour plenty of resources into clear mistakes from seasons before, there was very little turnover with the line once again this offseason. In fairness, the starting five of Bernhard Raimann (left tackle), Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries (right guard), and Braden Smith was much better than the line that began the season. However, this is the same approach that bit the Colts in the rear last year as they allowed a putrid 60 sacks on the season. Not only was competition not added, but their depth is full of unproven players as well.  

With progress expected, this defensive line could be fierce... For the last several seasons, the Colts have looked stocked at either defensive end or defensive tackle but rarely has the entire line appeared to have as impressive of depth as it does now. Tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have been well above-average players for a while now, and starting ends Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam are expected to be an impressive pair. However, rotational players such as Dayo Odeyinbo, Tyquan Lewis, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Genard Avery, Taven Bryan, and McTelvin Agim are all veterans who have had positive moments in the NFL while Eric Johnson, Adetomiwa Adebawore, and Titus Leo are all viewed as athletic, high-upside prospects. The 2022 Colts came just three sacks short of breaking the franchise's single-season record (46), and the front looks even better this year.

Colts relying on upside of the secondary... The Colts traded away their best cornerback in Stephon Gilmore this offseason and let go of Isaiah Rodgers Sr. following his sports betting scandal. Outside of Kenny Moore II, who had a rocky 2022 due to injuries and a struggle to acclimate to the Colts' new defense, that left the Colts with three rookie draft picks and Dallis Flowers, who was an undrafted free agent last year and only began seeing defensive action late in the season. Ballard said on Tuesday that the Colts knew following last season that they wanted to go young at the position, citing their 2018 group as a good reflection of why it could be a good idea.

Brilliance should not be expected, but progress should... As mentioned, outside expectations are low. The team is young, they've got a new head coach and quarterback, there's apprehension over positions like the offensive line and cornerback, and key players like Taylor and Leonard are attempting to rebound from disappointing seasons. There are plenty of reasons to give the Colts a pass as to why they won't look like contenders this summer. However, they can have as many growing pains as necessary just as long as they show signs of getting better.