WESTFIELD, Ind. — Coming to you from steamy Grand Park, a sprawling complex of fields and field houses where your kid will probably play a soccer or lacrosse or baseball tournament someday, we bring you our look at the 2025 Colts. Starting with the obvious …
• The one word that keeps coming up, if you spend a day here, in regards to the Colts’ quarterback competition is “consistency.” The coaches have a good handle on what the steady import Daniel Jones and 2023 fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson bring to the table. To this point, Jones has shown his experience, and looks like a guy who’s benefitted from the scars he’s carrying, both in how he’s picking up the offense and how he’s leading. Richardson’s got better ownership of the offense, and is showing more command in how he’s working with his receivers in showing them what he’s looking for. But neither has really stood out yet. Richardson still misses throws. Jones is still getting his feet wet. What the coaches are looking for is for someone to show consistency in operating the offense and making the routine plays. There’s faith that that’ll be enough with the other 10 guys that’ll be out there. My guess is it’ll be Jones. And I’d think it’d be good to use next week’s joint practices and preseason game with the Packers to make a call, and then have the start in place for the following week’s joint practices and preseason game with the Ravens.
• The receiver spot has really good balance. Fourth-year pro Alec Pierce looks the best he has headed into a contract year, and the team knows what it’s got with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs. Really, from there, there are two guys who could take the passing game to another level. One is second-year pro Adonai Mitchell, a big, fast, smooth target who’s still trying to put it all together. In team drills Saturday, he followed two bad drops with a catch-and-run over the middle where he snatched the ball, and accelerated right through the teeth of the defense, outracing everyone to the sideline. The potential’s there, and at the very least, the Colts will use him as a matchup guy. And second, there’s the obvious—first-round tight end Tyler Warren. The pads go on Monday, and that’s when Indy expects to really see Warren show up. The Colts plan to use him every which way, and be creative in getting the ball to him in space. How versatile is Warren? He’s shown them he can throw, punt and even long snap.
• The offensive line’s big question is at center. The loss of Will Fries at guard should be pretty simple to deal with, with Matt Goncalves giving Indy an experienced option to jump into his spot. Replacing Ryan Kelly will be more complicated. Tanor Bortolini played a bunch last year as a rookie and has the inside track to the job. If he slips, heady vet Danny Pinter is there too, and his football acumen would be valuable, given how much Kelly brought to the offense on the mental side of the game. One other lineman to watch in camp: Fourth-round tackle Jalen Travis, a mountain of a lineman who the coaches can’t wait to see in pads.
• DC Lou Anarumo is expected to be a difference maker, and the first area the Colts see it showing up is in the pass rush. Samson Ebukam is healthy again and there’s a belief that both he and Laiatu Latu could get to double-digit sacks in the new scheme, as part of a deep edge-rusher rotation with Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis and J.T. Tuimoloau also in the mix, and DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart steady in the middle.
• The remade secondary already looks like the strength of the team, and got to the ball non-stop in the team periods I watched. Cam Bynum, coming over from Minnesota, should play the Jessie Bates role in the Anarumo defense, as the whip-smart, versatile safety who sees everything. Charvarius Ward gives the Colts a sticky, physical press corner coming over from the Niners. Kenny Moore II should play the Mike Hilton nickel role for his new DC. And rookie third-rounder Justin Walley has emerged as another tough, competitive corner and the favorite to start opposite Ward. Overall, the malleability of the group should give Anarumo a chance to turn the defense around. Remember, the Colts won eight games last year despite having the third-most giveaways (29) in football and the league’s 29th-ranked defense. If Anarumo can turn his group around—and the Colts take care of the ball—things could flip fast.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colts Training Camp 2025: QB Competition Continues As Coaches Search for Consistency.