Colts takeaways: How Anthony Richardson has dialed in; Tyler Warren looks ‘special'

New York Times

6 days ago

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Anthony Richardson Sr. pumped his fist. Ashton Dulin threw the ball into the sky. Reggie Wayne danced in excitement.
This is what they'd all been waiting for, and Richardson finally gave it to them. Under the lights Thursday at Westfield's Grand Park, during the Indianapolis Colts' only night practice of training camp, Richardson stood tall in a clean pocket and uncorked a deep ball down the right sideline. The coverage was good, as cornerback Johnathan Edwards closed in on Dulin. The throw was better, as the quarterback dropped the ball perfectly into his wide receiver's hands.
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Dulin fell while making the catch, but when he popped to his feet with a nearby official signaling a touchdown, the fans erupted in approval. A few of them even voiced their opinion on the team's open QB competition between Richardson and ex-Giants starter Daniel Jones.
'That's your QB1!' a fan screamed! 'AR5!'
🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Tf3gXEuG6Q
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 1, 2025
Perhaps that fan is right.
Richardson and Jones have remained neck and neck throughout this quarterback battle, and Thursday served as another reminder of what each one can offer when they're at their best. Through his first two seasons, Richardson has already proven he can deliver on deep throws, and he flashed his big arm again with his 35-yard TD to Dulin in 11-on-11 and another 40-yard completion to AD Mitchell. But aside from those highlight-reel plays Thursday, Richardson's improvement on the simpler and shorter throws was noteworthy. If the third-year pro can keep that up, it'll be hard for Jones, who's held his own in camp, to supplant Richardson as Indy's QB1.
'I think everything's cleaner right now,' Colts coach Shane Steichen said. 'He's playing at a high level. He's making good decisions with the football, taking the completions when needed. It's been really good to see.'
Unofficially, Richardson finished Thursday night 14-of-18 passing with two touchdowns. The second TD came immediately after Richardson's deep ball to Mitchell. One play following that crowd-pleaser, Richardson immediately ripped an intermediate throw across the middle to tight end Will Mallory for another score. The pass wasn't as flashy, but it was just as effective. Richardson also delivered several on-target checkdowns to keep the chains moving.
'I feel like I have been slightly more consistent when it comes to my footwork, but it's just me thinking about my reps that I've been doing during the offseason and just thinking about mental cues for myself,' Richardson said earlier this week. 'Just thinking about my base helping me deliver the ball and get the ball to the guys. That's really what I've been focused on — making sure I'm moving smooth in the pocket so I can get the playmakers the ball.'
Although Richardson delivered arguably his best performance of camp Thursday, it wasn't all perfect. In the final team period, Steichen put his team through an end-of-game scenario in which the Colts had the ball just inside their opponent's 50-yard line with 46 seconds left and no timeouts. Indy needed to score a touchdown and convert a two-point conversion to win.
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Richardson completed a short pass to wide receiver Josh Downs to begin the drive, but the QB was strip-sacked by defensive end Laiatu Latu on the very next play. Since it was practice, the Colts gave the ball back to the offense, and Richardson threw an incompletion downfield and was 'sacked' (he wasn't tackled) on back-to-back plays to end the drive.
Jones was a bit more successful under the same late-game circumstances. He started his drive by scrambling and finding wide receiver Laquon Treadwell downfield for a first down. Two plays later, he took a shot to wide receiver Anthony Gould in the end zone, and Gould was able to draw a pass interference penalty on safety Trey Washington. With the ball placed on the 1-yard line, Jones capped the drive with a TD pass to Mallory over the middle, but his potential game-winning pass on the two-point try was broken up.
Jones, however, still had an overall impressive day. Unofficially, he finished 22-of-27 passing with one TD in 11-on-11. His best throw came after the defense jumped offsides, giving him a free play to test the secondary. Jones took full advantage by launching a deep ball down the sideline to Mitchell. Despite having a defender draped all over him, Mitchell still came down with the 50/50 ball for about a 40-yard gain, partly because Jones put the ball in a place where only Mitchell could catch it.
'Both of them have made plays at a high level the past couple of days, and that's what you want to see,' Steichen said of Jones and Richardson. 'You want to see growth; you want to see completions; you want to see the offense moving up and down the field. So, both have been doing a really good job.'
The Colts will practice again in Grand Park on Saturday and Sunday before traveling to Baltimore for next week's joint practice and preseason opener against the Ravens. Asked how he'll approach his team's forthcoming QB decisions, most notably who will start against the Ravens, Steichen remained coy.
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'We're going to talk through that (Friday) and probably have a final decision on Monday,' Steichen said.
Jaylon Carlies leaped. Tyler Warren leaped higher.
Jones overthrew Warren across the middle, lofting the ball too high for him to make a normal catch. But as Warren said earlier this week on 107.5 The Fan, if the QB puts the ball anywhere near him, as a tight end, 'it's our job to make them right.' The Colts' 2025 first-round pick did just that Thursday. As he tracked the ball, Warren stuck one hand in the air to essentially tip Jones' pass away from Carlies so that he could snag it himself. The twisting and bobbling catch made linebacker Cameron McGrone, who was running over in coverage, put two hands on his helmet in disbelief.
Cinema. pic.twitter.com/Py7pCVcKjF
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 1, 2025
Steichen said he took some heat from the defense since Latu appeared to close in on Jones for a 'sack.' But since the refs held their whistles, it resulted in Warren making arguably the best play of training camp.
'You saw it on the college tape. He did it all (of) his college career,' Steichen said of Warren's acrobatic grab. 'Obviously, this last year at Penn State was phenomenal. So, to see it come to life here with us, it's been really good to see.'
Former Colts coach and current team radio analyst Rick Venturi was more concise.
'That's probably the best f—ing catch I've ever seen on this field!' Venturi said. 'That kid is special.'
Mitchell has had an up-and-down training camp so far, but for the second straight practice, it's been far more up than down. Thursday's performance may have been his best yet. Unofficially, Mitchell totaled five catches between the two QBs during 11-on-11 periods. He showed off his size, speed and separation ability with a variety of routes that often left the secondary looking silly. At one point Thursday, Jones connected with Mitchell on three straight plays for three straight first downs.
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It's worth noting that the Colts' secondary was depleted, with cornerbacks Charvarius Ward (rest), JuJu Brents (hamstring) and Jaylon Jones (hamstring) all sidelined. But for as much as Mitchell struggled last year, Thursday felt like a step in the right direction. The 2024 second-round pick was limited to just 23 catches for 312 yards and zero TDs as a rookie.
'I think he's a hell of a football player,' Steichen said. 'His route-running ability, I've talked about it multiple times, is really good. And for him to make the plays that he did (Thursday), you can just see the growth there.'
Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner did not practice Thursday due to a foot injury, per Steichen. The coach also said Jaylon Jones' hamstring injury is 'a little more severe' than Brents' hamstring injury. Steichen did not have a timeline for either of their returns. In their absence, Indianapolis signed free agent cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Duke Shelley on Thursday.
Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, who underwent left surgery in May, has been seen working out with a trainer during practice. But the 2024 second-team All-Pro has yet to be an official participant in any on-field activities in training camp.