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Three losers from the Colts' first week of training camp include players missing out on the opportunity to land a larger role
Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first week of the Indianapolis Colts' 2025 training camp is in the books. We have already shared our three winners from the team's opening week of training camp, and now it's time to look at those who couldn't put their best foot forward. 

The three losers from week one include a second-year player who hasn't been able to shake the same concerns he showed last year, a player in a crucial battle for a starting job, and last but not least, an entire side of the ball that has struggled mightily. 

3 losers from the Colts' first week of training camp

Adonai Mitchell, WR

The Colts drafted Adonai Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. His ability as a route runner and reliable hands at Texas made him one of the most intriguing WRs in his draft class. One of those didn't shine during his rookie year, however. He struggled with drops and mental lapses that led him to not complete plays when his number was called. His lackluster rookie season left a lot to be desired, and many thought this training camp was his chance to prove he was ready to take a massive step forward

To start training camp, that issue is still poking its head through. Mitchell had multiple drops in week one despite being able to still generate great separation against a Colts secondary that has excelled early. Mitchell's ability to generate separation is truly impressive, and he was able to do it against some great CBs, even during his rookie year. But if he can't get more consistent at finishing plays its not going to matter. His struggles are even worse when you add in the fact that Alec Pierce is already outperforming him at a high level. There is still a lot of training camp left for Mitchell to turn things around, but this is definitely not the type of start he would have liked. 

Daniel Jones, QB

If you read our article on the three winners from week one of Colts training camp, you know a big part of this series will include the winner and loser of the team's ongoing battle to be their starting QB each week. Week one went to Anthony Richardson, who struggled just as much as Daniel Jones but was able to have more positive moments, giving him the clear edge.

Losing one week isn't the end of the world for Jones, but it does seem significant. In my opinion, Jones will have to outperform Richardson by a decent margin to win the job. I don't think the team will ever say that, of course, but if things are close at the end of camp, giving Richardson the first crack at the starting job makes more sense than the latter. So Jones needs to improve, and he needs to do it fast if he wants to be out there when the Colts' starting offense takes the field week one vs. the Miami Dolphins.

Offense as a whole

It's been a slow start to training camp for the Colts offense. It feels like the defense has outplayed them each and every practice so far. This isn't ideal by any means, but I wouldn't panic just yet, because this is more common than you might think.

If you look across the league, I think you will see defenses are outplaying offenses. That's a common trend every year, early into camp. Offenses almost always take more time to get into rhythm and start excelling in camp. A lot of team drills even cater to defenders at times, where it is simply harder for the offense to succeed. Even as they struggle now, if they use it correctly, it can help them grow throughout camp and better prepare them for the regular season when it arrives.  

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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