Five Colts who boosted their stock vs. Ravens, 4 who didn't and 1 who can't be overlooked

New York Times

15 hours ago

The hits were real in the Indianapolis Colts' preseason opener Thursday, and quarterback Anthony Richardson learned the hard way. The third-year pro was sacked in the first quarter and dislocated his right pinkie finger, which sidelined him for the rest of his team's 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
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Colts coach Shane Steichen also revealed in his postgame news conference that rookie cornerback Justin Walley, who did not play Thursday, recently tore his ACL and will miss the entire 2025 season. Walley had been on track to earn a starting job.
Here are four players, including Richardson and Walley, who saw their stock fall Thursday, five whose stock rose, and one who cannot be overlooked.
Richardson started Thursday, and the plan was for him to play the entire first quarter and half of the second. However, Richardson lasted just seven snaps before getting injured on a sack by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo. Baltimore sent Ojabo on a blitz that Richardson never saw coming. The QB said he misdiagnosed the coverage, which led to the big hit.
Anthony Richardson has exited the Colts' preseason game after taking a sack from David Ojabo.
Daniel Jones is now in at QB for Indianapolis.
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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 7, 2025
Richardson still held on to the ball while getting leveled, but he dislocated his right pinkie finger in the process. He got it taped up by a trainer on the sideline, but his night was over. He finished 2-of-3 passing for 21 yards.
'He hit me, then I was just trying to make sure I had the ball, and I just looked down, and I seen my finger in a different direction,' Richardson said. 'I'm like, 'Maybe I'm trippin',' but I looked at it again, and it was definitely like that. So, I was like, 'I gotta get this thing popped back in place.''
Richardson said that although his pinkie was sore, he still wanted to go back into the game, but the team wouldn't let him. Steichen said Thursday night that he doesn't know how long Richardson will be out and labeled him as 'day to day.'
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Richardson has struggled to stay healthy throughout his NFL career. It's the top concern general manager Chris Ballard had about him after last season and a major reason the team added Daniel Jones in free agency.
'The No. 1 thing we have to figure out, and what Anthony's got to work through, is staying healthy,' Ballard said in January. 'He's got to be able to stay healthy. And that, to me, is probably the biggest question right now.'
Richardson has missed 17 games due to injury through his first two seasons, and he was shut down again earlier this spring after reporting pain in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. If Richardson is forced into an extended absence because of his dislocated finger, he might lose this QB competition against Jones simply because he wasn't available long enough to win it.
Walley, a 2025 third-round pick, was having an outstanding training camp and quickly emerged as a near-lock to serve as the third starting cornerback alongside veterans Kenny Moore II and Charvarius Ward. However, after Thursday's game, Steichen announced that Walley recently suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The coach did not specify when the injury occurred, but Walley had exited Tuesday's joint practice against the Ravens with a knee injury and did not play Thursday.
Walley's injury is a huge blow to Indianapolis' secondary, which was already banged up. Cornerbacks Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents, who are presumed to be next up on the depth chart, remain sidelined with hamstring injuries.
Gould had taken a noticeable step forward in training camp as a wide receiver and return man, showing he could be used as more than a gadget player or injury replacement. However, the goodwill Gould built quickly evaporated with a dropped kickoff and two dropped passes in the first quarter of the preseason opener. The 2024 fifth-round pick saw his playing time drop significantly midway through his rookie season last year, and if Gould wants to see the field more this season, he can't have more lackluster performances like Thursday's.
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Aside from middle linebacker Zaire Franklin, a 2024 second-team All-Pro, the Colts have no proven starters in their linebacker room. Ballard acknowledged that lesser-known players such as McGrone would have to step up, but one could argue that Thursday was a step back for the 2021 fifth-round pick. McGrone has been playing more starting reps in practice lately with Jaylon Carlies, who started six games last season at weakside linebacker, sidelined with an ankle injury. But Thursday, McGrone (and most of the Colts' linebackers) struggled to contain the Ravens running game. That kind of showing might foreshadow what's to come if Indy continues to rely on such an unestablished bunch.
It's unclear how long Richardson will be sidelined, if at all, due to his dislocated finger, but Jones is still the biggest beneficiary of Richardson's injury. Poor health continues to limit Richardson's availability, validating the Colts' decision to sign Jones to a one-year, $14 million deal this offseason.
Jones had some good moments and some not-so-good moments while filling in for Richardson on Thursday night. That's about what should be expected from the QB, given his unceremonious exit from the New York Giants last year. The 28-year-old finished the night 10-of-21 passing for 144 yards with no TDs or interceptions.
Before Thursday's game, Steichen said the plan was for Jones to start in next week's second preseason matchup against the Green Bay Packers before being replaced by Richardson. Richardson's dislocated right pinkie could alter that plan.
Warren's strong summer continued, as the first-round pick totaled three catches for 40 yards Thursday, highlighted by a 23-yard reception on a pass from Jones in the first quarter. The former Penn State star showed his ability to get open across the middle of the field, an area the Colts offense hasn't utilized enough in recent years, and displayed his wheels and physicality once the ball was in his hands.
'He's a beast. I'm not surprised,' Richardson said of Warren's preseason debut. '… We just gotta do our job getting the ball to him and just let him keep rolling, keep rumbling.'
Another catch from the @Colts' first-round pick Tyler Warren
INDvsBAL on @NFLNetworkWatch live out-of-market preseason games on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/FpkHbu8Ml0
— NFL (@NFL) August 7, 2025
Shrader bounced back from missing a long field goal attempt in Tuesday's joint practice with the Ravens by drilling three of his four field goal attempts during Thursday's preseason opener. The second-year pro, who has never attempted a field goal of 50-plus yards in the regular season, nailed a 53-yarder in the first quarter. Shrader made his next two kicks from 33 and 39 yards before missing a 52-yarder off the left upright with 20 seconds left in the first half. Of course, the Colts would've liked to see Shrader go 4-for-4, but Thursday's showing was still a positive development.
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Johnson picked off Ravens backup QB Cooper Rush on the Ravens QB's first pass attempt of the night. Rush was trying to get the ball to wide receiver Dayton Wade, who was matched up with Johnson on the outside, but Johnson never gave him an opening. Despite Wade's pushing off and being flagged for offensive pass interference, Johnson still came down with a one-handed interception. That highlight-reel play will certainly help the second-year pro stand out in a crowded, yet depleted, cornerback room.
Alex Johnson gets the INT for the @Colts on the second play from scrimmage 😤
INDvsBAL on @NFLNetworkWatch live out-of-market preseason games on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/kmobYTeoTl
— NFL (@NFL) August 7, 2025
Bachie joined the turnover party by intercepting Ravens third-string QB Devin Leary in the second quarter. The pick was the latest big play for Bachie, who has been a menace in training camp. The former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, who inked a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Colts in free agency, has been sticky in pass coverage this summer. Bachie's ability to track and attack the ball could make him a valuable asset in Lou Anarumo's defense, especially considering that he's already familiar with Anarumo's schemes from their time together in Cincy.
Bachie's ball!
📺 NFL Network pic.twitter.com/i7st3q1x88
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 8, 2025
After Richardson exited with an injury, rookie QB Riley Leonard became the Colts' de facto backup, and that does not look like a role he's ready for. The Notre Dame product finished 12-of-24 passing for 92 yards and an interception while primarily playing against third-stringers and deep reserves. He also tallied four carries for 34 yards.
Leonard's up-and-down performance, coupled with a rocky training camp in which he has struggled as a passer, prompts the question: Can the Colts trust him to be the backup if one of their top two QBs goes down? It doesn't look like it, not unless he develops rapidly over the next month. Short of that, the Colts might need to bring a more proven QB to be their backup — if Richardson or Jones were to get hurt during the regular season.
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