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Colts camp observations: Anthony Richardson finds challenges behind reworked offensive line

WESTFIELD - Anthony Richardson took the handoff out of the shotgun, glanced at his receivers just long enough to draw the defense back and then took off to the open grass.

It was only a red-zone snap, so he had less than 20 yards between him and the end zone. But the No. 4 overall pick launched his weight into a stride that was too long for the reacting linemen and linebackers, and stepped into the end zone right before a safety had a chance to do anything about it.

This was the lone highlight that counted in Wednesday's 11-on-11 sessions for the Colts offense against the Bears defense. It was a day of heavy red-zone work, of run plays and safe passes -- and of a couple downfield throws coming back for penalties.


The Colts were playing without center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries, who were out with foot and calf injuries, respectively. It created a trickle-down effect where Danny Pinter and Arlington Hambright stepped into the first-team offense, and the Colts spent much of the practice trying to develop some timing on their run blocks rather than risk much in pass protection.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had a run-heavy final training camp practice at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.
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Richardson finished just 2 of 6 in 11-on-11, one day after he was 15 of 19. He did have three completions called back due to penalties, two of which were touchdown passes.

It was a day where he was able to play with the first team but also with some new faces around him. In addition to Pinter and Hambright, the Colts also gave first-team reps to fifth-round rookie Will Mallory at tight end, in place of the injured Jelani Woods, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree; and they traded first-team reps on and off between Isaiah McKenzie and Josh Downs in the slot.


McKenzie took a jet sweep in the 11-on-11 period that the Bears reacted to pretty well, but that could be a glimpse at what his role is when he is in the game this season. Downs has proven to be the more consistent and productive traditional slot receiver, even as a rookie. McKenzie's open-field speed has flashed, including with a catch-and-run of more than 30 yards in Wednesday's practice.

That eye candy could be useful to give defenses something to account for other than Richardson when they read run plays, and it'll matter more so long as Jonathan Taylor is not on the field.


Growing command and chemistry

This practice capped off a month of 14 sessions for Richardson, which became critical reps for a 21-year-old rookie with 13 starts above high school. He missed one practice due to a nose procedure but otherwise traded off first-team reps with Gardner Minshew up until Tuesday's announcement that Richardson would be the starter for the 2023 season.

That stretch has highlighted his growth as well as the room he has to grow even more. He's had some inefficient days throwing the ball, but he's also flashed his smooth pocket presence and gorgeous deep ball in nearly every one. Even on Thursday, his lightest day throwing in training camp, Richardson put on a bit of a show during warm-ups by launching passes 60-plus yards in the air.

What's stood out most to teammates, though, is his growing comfort.

"Coming from the college days seem to be a little bit different than when I was there: You’re dealing with long play calls, cadences, seeing a different offense, seeing a different defense, a lot of moving parts," Kelly said. "I think he’s done a great job of just commanding the huddle, A). B), just seeing different things – seeing checks, using cadence when it applies, and then also just being a great teammate."

With that knowledge comes more confidence and voice in when to use it. It also leads to chemistry as he catches up to older teammates who have been working all of camp to nail their specific assignment on every play.

He's seeing that come together with his starting receivers bit by bit. In Saturday's preseason game, he came within inches of creating a completion of more than 40 yards to Alec Pierce. Pierce couldn't finish the catch, but coming inches away gave him hope for what this could eventually look like if they can tighten up the details.


"I just knew my route was not even the best route but the ball was such a beautiful ball – it’s just like, he put it in a perfect spot," Pierce said. "Knowing that he can do that and even if I don’t create the most separation on a route like I did there, he’s going to be able to put the ball right where I can catch it and I just got to come down with it next time.”

Injury report

Shaquille Leonard did not practice on Thursday night, the first time the Indianapolis linebacker hasn’t been able to practice. Leonard’s injury is unknown at this point.

Buckner (foot), running back Zack Moss (arm), linebacker Segun Olubi (concussion), center Ryan Kelly (foot), guard Will Fries (calf), defensive end Genard Avery, wide receiver Malik Turner and wide receiver Vyncint Smith.

Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones delivered a big block on a Colts kickoff return, but he came up limping and wasn’t able to return to practice. Indianapolis was already thin at the tight end position; Alie-Cox (ankle), Woods (hamstring) and Ogletree (shoulder) have missed more than a week of practices. Wide receiver Michael Strachan was also held out of the practice after suffering an early injury.


Quick hits

The practice got physical Thursday with a few different skirmishes. Tight end Pharaoh Brown was jettisoned away from the scene after one of them. ... Strachan flashed the most in 1-on-1 drills, catching two touchdowns on back-shoulder plays. Where he needs to grow still is in gaining separation and defeating zone coverage. ... Minshew finished 5 of 9 in his 11-on-11 session.