Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson's Battle, Key Injuries, and More Pre-Camp Storylines

Episode Date: June 21, 2023

Will Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson defeat Gardner Minshew in the training camp QB battle? There are several key Colts players with injuries to monitor heading into camp. Last, how do we sort out this cornerback group?Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOColts?sid=YouTube📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFLFollow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOnFN!Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedonnfl and when you enter promo code, LOCKEDONNFL, they’ll throw in a free custom birddogs Yeti-style tumbler with every order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Indianapolis Colts turned over a new leaf this offseason and are starting over in some key areas. What now are the top storylines to monitor heading into training camp? Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What is up, everybody? Thanks for tuning in to Locked On Colts and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

I am Jake Arthur here riding solo today. I'm your resident credentialed media member for horseshoehuddle.com, bringing you the inside scoop and the goings on from the team facility. Not so much right now. The team is on their break in between minicamp and training camp. So today we're going to kind of touch on that. So training camp is going to start near the end of July. They don't have their dates or anything out yet. That should be coming down the pike anytime. I know we're kind of all ready to get that penciled into our schedules as well. But we're going to kind of touch on the three biggest

storylines that at least I'm monitoring. I know Zach, you know, we discussed this as well. So this is what Locked on Colts is monitoring in this time now heading into training camp. So we're going to touch on the quarterback battle. Obviously, nothing is settled until we know what's going on there. That's Anthony Richardson versus Gardner Minshew. The Colts are also dealing with a handful of guys with injuries who we either didn't see at all in the spring or missed the last couple weeks, what have you. But regardless, their status doesn't necessarily look crystal clear going into training camp. And then looking at the cornerback spot, what is going on there?

Because, you know, what we're arguably your top outside corner, he's in limbo right now due to a sports betting investigation. You've got three young guys that you drafted, another one that you signed as an undrafted for agent last year that you really like. So we'll dive into all that in a moment. But obviously starting with the quarterback situation, Anthony Richardson, fourth overall pick, was the guy that locked on Colts we endorsed. About 90% for the last month or two leading into the draft, the Colts finally pulled him in.

Registered size and athleticism wise as really the most intriguing, best physical prospect to come into the draft as far as an athleticism and size standpoint ever. So through the spring, he's come along nicely, probably not as raw as people think, has a little more nuance to his game as a passer, obviously an incredibly explosive athlete as a runner as well. But the Colts have brought him along kind of steadily. They're not slow playing it, but they're also not just cranking the gas either. He and Gardner Minshew have been splitting first team reps throughout the offseason, kind of how they've divvied it up, at least in the practices that we've seen in the open media sessions. So they'll have two live sessions where it's like scrimmages, 11 on 11s and things like that. They'll also throw in some seven on sevens as well. So Minshew basically gets the first team

reps at the beginning. And then the second half of the practice richardson gets the first team reps uh so they've also kind of added in a couple wrinkles to help richardson as well like alec pierce for example their second round pick last year at wide receiver uh they've kind of been having him float around with richardson regardless of whether it's first or second team reps. And I think that's just to kind of get those two acclimated, get that chemistry going and everything. Because as we'll get to later, Richardson does not have all of his weapons at his full disposal right now. You know, Michael Pittman has been out, Jonathan Taylor's been out.

Not everyone is there. So he can at least travel along with Alec Pierce and get that chemistry going. So that's kind of the biggest thing. The Colts, I think they would like to have Richardson start week one as the starting quarterback because it means that he's earned it and he's ready and the future is now. But they're not in any huge rush. They're not trying to win the Super Bowl right now. They're not saying he's going to win rookie of the year or anything. They'll play him when he's ready. I think regardless of whether or not he's the starter week one, that they're going to have a package of plays for him. I don't know if that's going to be kind of just like as an option quarterback or a goal line quarterback, what have you. But I would be absolutely stunned if they don't want to get

him on the field in some capacity. Because we've heard Chris Ballard say, we've heard Shane Steichen play, that basically the best teacher is experienced, to paraphrase. Like, you get ready and prepared and you learn by doing. And so that's what they believe. And for a guy like Richardson, who only had 13 starts in college, that could not be, you know, that's what they believe. And for a guy like Richardson, who only had 13 starts in college, that could not be, you know, that's the strongest case you can make, really. The guy doesn't have a ton of experience. It's not like he's a three or four-year starter in college, but his raw comes from like a wacky system or something.

It's the fact that he just doesn't have much experience. So they want to get that for him. But on the other hand, you do have Gardner Minshew. That's a guy who's been with Shane Steichen for the last two years with the Eagles. When he's been out there, he looks like a very serviceable NFL quarterback. He's not like a top half of the league starter or anything, but he's a guy who is not necessarily going to lose you games. You can win with him. He can keep the ship afloat. Just from what I've seen of him with the Eagles these last couple years, and obviously when he

was with the Jaguars terrorizing the Colts, he is a guy who can get out of the pocket and kind of keep things alive. He's not like a mobile guy, but his feet are plenty capable. He takes what the defense gives you. If you guys remember in 2020, I think it was that week one game, he was a rookie and he only had like one incompletion against the Colts. So that's a guy who will take what the defense gives you, make the efficient play. He'll get aggressive too though. If you're showing over the top that you don't have safety help or you're willing to leave cornerbacks on an island or what have you he'll take that that advantage too I really took special notice

last year when he was at the Eagles how much he targeted Devontae Smith downfield like that was his guy that's a guy who's not big by any means but can win jump balls and is good at contested catches so Minshew will take what's there from the defense, but if he trusts a receiver who can win those 50-50 battles, he'll go to him. And Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce are both those kind of players. So that's what I'm looking for. Gun to my head, I think Minshew is probably initially the guy who's going to start week one.

Just as we sit right now, just judging from the reps I've seen in practice and everything, I think we'll start to get a clearer picture for sure. Practices will be longer. Hopefully the Colts will have more of their key offensive players at Richardson's disposal. But after what I've seen in spring, if I had to say right now, it would probably be Minshew. I don't think that's going to be a full season thing by any means. I think Richardson will be the starter at some point. But we'll see.

Richardson, things could speed up quite a bit. I know that he and Minshew are going to work with some of the pass catchers down in Florida during this break that we're in right now and try and get some of that chemistry. So I wouldn't put it past Richardson to grab that starting spot. But just from what I've seen and what it looks like the Colts are doing so far, I think Minshew might be the guy just at the beginning. That could only last a week. It could last a half. Who knows? But that's kind of what it's looking like for me right now. And next, I'm going to take a look at several of those key players I kind of mentioned that are dealing

with some injuries who aren't out there right now, what it looks like at their position groups, when they may be back, what have you. But first, a word from our friends over at FanDuel. Baseball season is in full swing and there is no better place to get in on all the action than FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers, you guys get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's up to $1,000 back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win. All you have to do is go to FanDuel.com to join today. So don't miss your chance to snag a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000

when you join FanDuel today. Just go to FanDuel.com slash LockedOn to sign up. FanDuel, official partner of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball trademarks used with permission. And every day, as you guys know, Zach and I just recently wrapped up our positional previews this week going through each position group previewing it what does it look like right now what might it look like in the season who are the main players the starters role players

the dark horses to grab a roster spot when all is said and done so take a take a look out for that if you haven't already. If you're listening to this and you are normally an audio person, we have, I mean, they're obviously all there in your feed, but also on YouTube, we have a playlist. It's about the positional previews. So go ahead and check all that out. All those are in there.

So make sure you get caught up on that. Also moving forward, we're going to start diving into some more interviews with experts around the league. I know we're going to start focusing on the AFC South a little bit as well. Lockdown has some really great hosts, so we're going to start talking to them a little bit. We got some other things cooking as well, so definitely make sure to stay tuned. Okie doke. So next we're moving on to these injuries uh really the most mysterious one i don't think it's any you know it's it's no one's gonna be surprised by this but uh linebacker

shaquille leonard uh so back last june i believe it was last may or june he had a procedure on his back that was supposed to clear up, you know, obviously the issues he had with his back, but also with his leg. He had had some issues with that calf, leg, ankle, whatever, lower leg. There was some nerve stuff going on there. He was never quite himself, played in a few games this season uh never was quite who he was comfortable being was not the maniac so then in November he had a follow-up surgery uh this one what we've we've heard this a million times before this is the one to fix it uh this is the one that cleans things up and really takes care of the issue uh but when you're dealing with a back when you're dealing

with nerves and things like that there is no timeline like guys are just ready when everything is back and ready and healed and you know the muscle is back and everything there is just literally no timeline and as we know from last year anytime you know we would speak with Leonard it was I'll be back when I feel like myself I'll be back when you know I can help the team win things like that. And that's still kind of it. Uh, he hasn't been out there in the spring. Wasn't there for mandatory mini camp or anything. He was there in the building, but not participating. Uh, so we don't know what training camp looks like. I mean, probably another five weeks or so, um, five, weeks, and then training camp will start. I don't know.

I mean, considering we haven't seen anything from him yet, maybe things ramp up when camp starts and we start seeing him do, like, physical therapy along the side or anything. You know, we often see injured players working with trainers off to the side. Maybe. I don't know. I think in general everyone wants to see him back out there because he is just a rare playmaker on defense. He signed that $20 million per year deal based on having traits that not everyone has. There's maybe only a few guys in the NFL that can

create turnovers like he can. A high-volume tackler, does pretty well behind the line of scrimmage. So that's a player you hope is back soon. But if not, Zaire Franklin is the guy there. He kind of established himself as a bona fide starting linebacker last year. EJ Speed seems like the next man up if Leonard is not going to be back in time. Speed is another huge, very physically gifted player. So far to this point in his career, he's been mostly a standout run defender. We've got to see if he's going to be able to step up in pass defense

because the Colts also lost their best pass defending linebacker this offseason in Bobby Okereke. So it could be a shaky start back there. We'll see. But regardless, when Leonard gets back, he's still kind of learning to play in Gus Bradley's system that was implemented last year because he doesn't have any extensive experience practicing or playing in it.

So we'll see how this all goes. Hopefully Leonard is back soon. Next guy we're going to discuss, running back Jonathan Taylor. So the Colts have been really conservative with their running backs, especially the starters in preseason, really dating back through Frank Reich. The running backs, the really important ones, didn't really play much, if at all, in the preseason. They didn't give him a ton of hits in camp. So his recovery from an ankle procedure that he had in January, it's not a huge shocker that we didn't really see him at all in spring

practices or anything. I'm just curious if he's going to be back to start training camp. I think the Colts might want to bring him along slowly since he didn't do anything in the spring. But being a running back, I'm really not surprised that they are taking it easy with him. He has spoken in the media multiple times. Coach Steichen has spoken about him. So you don't really get the vibe that there's a concern there with him. So he's someone that'll, it'll definitely be huge to get him back and helping out with Anthony Richardson

and even Gardner Minshew. I mean, you're not, you're not dealing with Peyton Manning back there. So as much help in the run game as you can give whoever the quarterback is, that'll be, that'll be a huge plus. Also looking at wide receiver, Michael Pittman Jr. Who's dealing with a bit of a hip.

He was not participating in the spring either. He obviously has to get used to yet another quarterback, whether it's Minshew or Richardson. Especially you want to see him back with Richardson because Richardson is the long-term plan. And just like Taylor, Pittman and Taylor are due for contract extensions, uh, fourth year for both players. So you want to see what's going to go on with them. Uh, Pittman, especially because again, he's good at the contested catch. I don't want to label him as just like a possession receiver, but we've seen him kind of be a Michael Thomas type who kind of eats over the middle.

Uh, he could create more yards after the catch than Thomas can. Uh, but you want to see a guy like that who lives around the sticks and can move the sticks really be able to be there to support either Richardson or Minshew. So hopefully Pittman can get out there once camp starts. If not, you're looking at Alec Pierce as the starter. You're probably going to see a lot of Ashton Doolin and Isaiah McKenzie for now. And that's because another guy that's been out is Josh Downs. We saw him in rookie camp, but he was out through mini camp with a knee injury. Don't really know the extent of that. Again, doesn't really sound like a huge deal. He was also out there, you know, watching practice, supporting his teammates, but not physically participating. That's a guy who

obviously they have some big plans for. We've really hyped him up based on what the coaches were saying, based on what I saw of him in spring when he was out there during the rookie mini camp. This guy could play a huge role for the Colts. Short yardage guy, just eating up everything around the line of scrimmage, moving the chains, creating yards after the catch, just being the slot receiver that the Colts have just like never had, at least not in recent memory. So when you look around the league and you get jealous when teams had Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, just those type of guys that can win you matchups just about any time.

That's what you're hoping Josh Downs is because the potential does seem like it's there. Reggie Wayne loves the guy, so high hopes for him. And the last guy that I'll touch on for now, you'll probably notice a couple guys on defense are missing. We're going to get to them in the next segment. But the last guy for now is tight in Jelani Woods. He's dealing with a hamstring and he, I have not seen him practice yet this spring. So he's probably been dealing with that for a handful of weeks now. This is a guy whose arrow

is up, up, up, and you want to see what he's going to look like regardless of which quarterback it is. But being a physical threat and downfield mismatch for anyone who's going to be defending him, that is someone you want to see with Anthony Richardson ASAP. And that's one of the first guys we looked at and we said, ooh, Shane Steichen's got to have a plan for this guy because he's kind of like the tight end version of Anthony Richardson coming into the draft just with more experience. He was a quarterback as a freshman out in Oklahoma State, transferred over to tight end once he was killing guys in this practice when he was supposed to be emulating Mark Andrews. And ever since then, he's been a physical freak mismatch of a tight end and showed some really nice things last year. Was probably the Colts best tight end last year, honestly, but just did not get the did not get featured enough.

And you've got to think that plan is going to change this year with Steichen, but he's got to get on the field. Your best ability is availability. And so you just really want to see that guy out there. See what he can do with Steichen, drawing up some interesting wrinkles for him. And again, the tight end position is wide open. Mo Alleycox really did nothing to grab a hold of the lead. So for my money, there's really no reason why Woods shouldn't be the overall tight end one

for the Colts this year. So we'll see. Coming up next, we're going to look into this cornerback group because in the modern NFL, yes, you do need to run the ball when you want to, but it's kind of all about passing and stopping the pass now. And along with getting a new quarterback group, the cornerback group for the Colts got a pretty big facelift as well. So you're looking at Stephon Gilmore is out, traded to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick. Sounded like he probably wanted a chance to play for a contender. So the Colts honored that.

So with him out, you were looking at Kenny Moore, Isaiah Rogers, and Dallas Flowers as the likely top three cornerbacks. Well, then the draft came and the Colts spent three picks on some really intriguing guys. First off, Juju Brents in the second round. And then you have Darius Rush in the fifth and Jalen Jones later. That's three guys north of 6'1". They're all in that 6'1", 6'2", 200-pound range, really good athleticism, lengthy guys. They are what you've thought of a Gus Bradley cornerback dating back to his Legion of Boom days. These guys all fit that really, really well. So it's a really interesting group now, made even more so because with Rodgers, who again, who I said was probably in line to be the top outside cornerback this year,

news broke recently that he is the subject of an NFL investigation into sports betting, where there were apparently over 100 bets made involving the Colts. We don't know the full extent of it yet. Considering this has been going on for weeks and the Colts and the NFL knew about it for even longer, the fact that we still don't know an announcement of the punishment makes it seem like it's probably pretty severe, at least initially, and maybe there's some bargaining going on there. I don't know. But regardless, judging from other sports gambling suspensions we've seen around the NFL lately, Rodgers is probably in for it. I would be surprised if he was with the Colts at all this season.

So you kind of just have to scratch him out for now, which leaves Kenny Moore and Dallas Flowers is the only remaining of those first initial wave. And then you add in Brents, Darius Rush and Jalen Jones. The issue here is Brents has been out all spring as well. He had a procedure on his wrist back in March. So I don't think there's supposed to be concern there. I think they were always targeting training camp for him. So he's got a little bit of a learning curve because he wasn't physically on the field for all the spring stuff. Um, Darius rush was for the first half. Uh, he missed a good chunk of, uh, the, the, um, the veteran mandatory mini camp and the voluntary one with a hamstring, uh, Jalen Jones was out there and he looked pretty good.

Darius Rush looked really, really good, really good reports coming out about rookie camp. Um, I saw he stood out, but our, our colleague at horseshoe huddle, Dustin Adams got word that the team, some of the team felt he was the best rookie out there. He stood out during the portion of voluntary minicamp before he got hurt. So really high hopes for both those guys. Again, Jalen Jones really with the third team defense right now, but he stood out from what I saw as well. And then some other guys that factor into the whole thing.

Again, Dallas Flowers, Kevin Tolliver, and Tony Brown. Tony Brown's mostly a special teams player, but when he does play on defense, he can play the boundary and the slot cornerback, so that'll be pretty important. He's not someone you necessarily see as a shoo-in to make the roster, but when you look at Rodgers being suspended and Kenny Moore's injury history, or Rodgers likely being suspended, I don't want to say he's been suspended yet,

and then Moore's injury history, you've got to think a guy like Tony Brown brings kind of a critical skill set to the group that the Colts may not be willing to overlook. Flowers, I think, not a shoe-in, but I would be really surprised if he wasn't part of the Colts' plans, perhaps in that Brandon face-on role this year. Kevin Tolliver's kind of an X factor. You can only carry so many guys onto the roster,

but Kevin Tolliver has hundreds of snaps of NFL experience, hasn't played in a couple years, but has seen action. And the Colts have put him out there. I think he's seen plenty of action with the second unit. So it's a really interesting group. I think the plan would be for Kenny Moore to be in the slot with Juju Brents on the outside, and then probably either going to be Dallas Flowers or

Darius Rush at the other boundary cornerback spot. Whichever guy doesn't get that starting spot will be the next man in, followed by Tony Brown. That's kind of how I'm forecasting it, at least, just based on what I've seen and what makes the most sense. So very, very interesting group. It's a very risky roster right now and some key spots. Again, quarterback, you don't know what to expect. If you want to roll with Anthony Richardson, you're definitely going to deal with some highs and some lows. There's going to be some really high highs, but at the same time, there's going to be some opportunities for experienced NFL defensive coordinators to show him some crazy stuff that he has probably not ever come close to seeing before. And then on the flip side, stopping the pass, lots of unknowns.

Because Kenny Moore, again, has had some injury issues. Ended last year on IR. Rogers, he's probably going to be out. Dallas Flowers was an undrafted free agent last year who only got action on defense for the most part late in the season. You're counting on potentially three rookies in Brents, Rush, and Jones. I mean, Kevin Tolliver, again, he's not really found enough a home to this point. Tony Brown, same with him, and again, has been primarily a special teamer.

So you're banking on upside and availability with a lot of these guys in the secondary. So very intriguing. Let us know in the comments what you guys think. What do you think about these storylines? What are the ones you're keeping an eye on? What's most important to you? Definitely want to hear back from you guys on that. So with that, that concludes

it for today. Every dayers, remember, keep an eye on some interviews that we'll be doing soon. We definitely need to do another, you know, fan listener question show, another Q&A episode, because after all, we want to talk about what you guys want to know about. So we do one of those pretty soon as well. If you're new to the show, welcome. We talk about what you guys want to know about. So we do one of those pretty soon as well. If you're new to the show, welcome. We would love for you to follow. Follow at LockedOnColts, at JakeArthurNFL, and at ZachHicks2 on Twitter. Also, definitely be sure to subscribe to hear LockedOnColts on YouTube

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