INDIANAPOLIS — Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason meeting with the Denver Broncos Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Broadcast: FOX59
Spread: Broncos by 2
Welcome back: The last time quarterback Anthony Richardson suited up at Lucas Oil Stadium was Oct. 8. He was leading the Colts to a win over Tennessee, but he was pulled down by Titans’ defensive end Harold Landry on a 4-yard run late in the second quarter. On the type of play that occurs every Sunday across the NFL landscape, Landry’s tackle resulted in Richardson spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder. That’s his business shoulder.
Richardson’s rookie season was over after four starts — 173 snaps and 84 pass attempts.
Sunday represents the next step on his road back. Richardson has had a relatively uneventful training camp, which is a good thing. There have been zero indications he’s had any issues with the shoulder.
“It’ll be great,’’ he said. “I get to run out in front of the supporters and the fans again. They can see me live and in the flesh once again.’’
Richardson and the starters are expected to play a series or two, which depends on the length of the first drive. Ideally, the offense opens with a 10-12-play drive, gets points and calls it a day. Maybe Steichen wants to see more, but he won’t overdo it in the preseason opener.
Also, let’s not expect Steichen to reveal much of his playbook during the preseason, and that includes exposing Richardson to too many run-pass options.
We’ll probably have to wait until the Sept. 8 opener against Houston to get a true look at the possibilities presented by a Richardson-Jonathan Taylor offense.
Rookie watch: Will pass rusher Laiatu Latu’s stellar rookie camp transfer to an actual game? Can wideout AD Mitchell continue to push incumbent Alec Pierce for reps as Richardson’s deep threat? Is Anthony Gould up to the task of being a short-term replacement for Josh Downs in the slot?
Sunday should provide some answers.
Latu, the 15th overall pick in the April draft, has been one of the consistent, dominant players in camp. His off-the-ball quickness and ability to win one-on-one battles on the edge have been impressive, and his continued development became more important following Samson Ebukam’s torn Achilles.
We’re anxious to see Latu and the rest of the Colts’ pass-rush group harass Denver quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and rookie Bo Nix.
Mitchell, a second-rounder, is in the midst of a herky-jerky camp while sharing first-team snaps with Pierce. While he’s delivered some strong plays, he’s suffered too many drops. Also, it’s clear Pierce isn’t simply going to hand the position to the rookie. The camp competition should result in a viable complement to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Downs, when he returns from the high ankle sprain.
Gould was expected to contend for return duties — we’ll get our first look at the NFL’s new kickoff format — but now has a chance to earn snaps as the slot receiver on offense.
Safety first: The Colts have been stubborn with their free-safety dilemma, or problem. Nothing has been resolved after the offseason program, veteran minicamp and 10 camp practices. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds said the team wants to see how Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II and Ronnie Harrison Jr. perform in game situations before determining the best path forward.
Well, here we are.
Someone needs to step up and gain the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates, and allow Julian Blackmon to remain at strong safety. Cross drew attention to himself and caught the ire of Shane Steichen last week when he tackled Downs in 7-on-7 work that left Downs with the ankle injury. Cross was unapologetic, insisting he was competing and just playing football. But it wasn’t a smart play.
Backup back: By all appearances, Taylor is poised for one of those "I’m back" seasons. He’s had a crisp training camp and displayed that crazy combination of patience and power into the hole and acceleration out of it. If Taylor stays healthy, the 2021 league rushing champion will re-establish himself as one of the NFL’s premier players at his position.
But while Taylor will get all the carries he can handle, who’ll step in and provide that occasional breather? Right now, that’s Trey Sermon. But we’re curious if Evan Hull is in the mix. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s opener. Hull will have to show enough to move past Tyler Goodson.
Everyone should have ample opportunity to solidify their place on the depth chart.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter/X at @mchappell51.