INDIANAPOLIS − The Colts are nearing the end of the organized training activities portion of their offseason program. They were on the field for one more practice Wednesday, which was open to the media.
Gleaning much from these practices can be hard, given that they're non-contact and with a number of key players missing. Defenses aren't even allowed to play press coverage in the red zone.
But they offer opportunities for younger and fringe players to make an impression.
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Here are some things that stood out:
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson throws in front of head coach Shane Steichen during a rookie camp.
Anthony Richardson shows flashes ... and a need for polish
For a second straight week in the open practice setting, Anthony Richardson worked with the second team as Gardner Minshew took the first-team reps. Coach Shane Steichen said that the two are still in a rotation, and different days have a different split of the reps, but this was the display.
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It creates a challenge in the red-zone settings, as the field tightens up and stresses a quarterback's ability to make quick decisions and to place the ball where his receiver is expecting it more than throwing him open. For a quarterback with the arm strength of Richardson, these settings take away his fastball. And in practicing with the second team, it forced him to try to find tight-window chemistry with players like Vyncent Smith, Malik Turner and Pharaoh Brown, where currently there is no chemistry.
So, naturally, Richardson had some ups and some downs. He threw some out routes with timing and precision, more so than the showed a week ago. He hit Mo Alie-Cox on a dig route across the middle to keep a drive moving.
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But Richardson also had two interceptions dropped by Tony Brown. One came in the corner of the end zone and another in the red-zone portion, both to the wide side of the field. He had an opportunity for a touchdown pass to Smith while rolling right but rushed the decision before setting his feet.
The Indianapolis Colts signed 29-year-old Breshad Perriman on Monday to add depth to their wide receiver position.
Breshad Perriman turns in the play of the day
Richardson still managed to show off his cannon of an arm. The Colts were in their own territory when he uncorked a corner route to Breshad Perriman, who caught the ball over an outstretched Nick Cross for an explosive play up the right sideline.
Cross was impressed enough by Perriman's deep speed that he gave him some props after the play was over. Perriman, meanwhile, was impressed by the throw.
"His arm is crazy," Perriman said of Richardson. "With a flick of the wrist, he can put it wherever he wants it."
Perriman is an interesting signing to a crowded but currently limited Colts wide receiver room. Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Josh Downs all missed practice due to different lingering health issues. That created a need for competent pass catchers on the second team, and a 2016 first-round pick with more than 2,000 career yards became the answer.
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But the 29-year-old could become more than just a camp body if he can make plays like this one. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he still possesses enough of the deep speed that made him a first-round pick. The Colts want to go down the sideline on play-action with Richardson, and they need depth behind Pittman Jr. and Pierce with Downs and Isaiah McKenzie likely locked inside.
With Ashton Dulin a roster lock due to special teams, this could create a battle between Perriman and Mike Strachan for the sixth receiver spot. Strachan had a difficult day Wednesday with a couple of drops, but he'll get his opportunities to show that the 6-5, 225-pound size-speed skill set receivers coach Reggie Wayne compared to Calvin Johnson is one that can manifest itself on a football field.
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Gardner Minshew is in control
Minshew is getting first-team reps because he has mastered Steichen's playbook. That's the job of a quarterback, and any veteran will have an edge over a rookie, but it's a different situation when that veteran has spent the past two years mastering the concepts that are so new to a young passer right now.
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Minshew showed that savvy in some small ways. On one play, the defense had everything covered, so he scrambled out of bounds to the left. On another, he used a hard count to get Dayo Odeyingbo to jump in order to move the ball further up in the red zone.
"He starting to throw advanced tech out there," tight end Kylen Granson said of Minshew. "You have to be like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa.'"
Quick hits
The Colts had a slew of players present but not practicing, including Pittman Jr. (hip), Pierce (foot), Downs (knee), Jonathan Taylor (ankle), Shaquille Leonard (back), Jelani Woods (hamstring), Drew Ogletree (knee), JuJu Brents (wrist), Darius Rush (hamstring), E.J. Speed and Rigoberto Sanchez (Achilles).
Isaiah Rodgers Sr. was not present after news came out that he's at the center of an NFL investigation into gambling. Without him or Brents practicing, second-year players Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. got more run at outside cornerback. This is no doubt the Colts' thinnest position right now, and it'll be interesting to see what, if any, moves come if and when a suspension arrives for Rodgers Sr. As is stands, Brents will start at one outside spot, and the other could be a battle between Rush, seventh-round rookie Jaylon Jones, Flowers and Baker.
Granson is looking more collected and focused than last year at this time, when he had some struggles with drops and his confidence was fluctuating. This is a big summer for him in a crowded tight end room, as he could wind up battling with fifth-round Miami rookie Will Mallory for the "F" tight end spot if the Colts are insistent on keeping a blocker like Alie-Cox or Pharaoh Brown.
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06-08-2023, 08:31 AM
Anthony Richardson finds a connection with Breshad Perriman
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