INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts had quite the bizarre beginning to their day, as backup quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. and top cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. were both injured during pregame warmups and will miss the game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Richardson suffered an eye injury while working with resistance bands. Ward suffered a concussion while working out before the game.
Without Richardson, it'll be Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard at quarterback for the Colts. Without Ward, the trio of Mekhi Blackmon, Johnathan Edwards, and Chris Lammons will likely be the starting trio at cornerback.
On Friday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen ruled running back Tyler Goodson (groin) and slot cornerback Kenny Moore II (Achilles) out, while no other players carried a designation. Starting wide receiver Alec Pierce, who missed the last two games with a concussion, returns after clearing the league's protocol.
The Colts made wide receiver AD Mitchell a healthy scratch.
Most notable for the Cardinals is quarterback Kyler Murray, who will miss this game (and maybe more) with a foot injury. Former Colts quarterback and now Cardinals backup Jacoby Brissett will start in Murray's place.
Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon ruled starting defensive lineman Darius Robinson (pectoral) out on Friday, while Murray (foot), punter Blake Gillikin (back), wide receiver Zay Jones (knee), cornerback Max Melton (hamstring), and linebackers Cody Simon (knee) and Mack Wilson (ankle) were questionable. Murray is the only one to be inactive.
Here are the inactive players for both teams:
- RB Tyler Goodson (groin)
- TE Will Mallory
- WR AD Mitchell
- CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles)
- QB Anthony Richardson Sr.
- OT Luke Tenuta
- DE JT Tuimoloau
On Saturday, the Colts elevated running back Ameer Abdullah and cornerback Cameron Mitchell from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game. Abdullah will fill in for Goodson, while Mitchell will provide some relief behind Moore and Mike Hilton (practice squad IR-shoulder). Both Abdullah and Mitchell will likely play on special teams.
AD Mitchell is a healthy scratch for Sunday. Two weeks ago, he had errors that pulled two touchdowns off the board for the Colts. He received a nearly non-existent role last week, but now that Pierce has returned and the Colts have depth on the roster, Mitchell is inactive. Steichen and wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne have both expressed that Mitchell will need to work hard every day to earn his role back.
Making his Colts debut on Sunday is linebacker Germaine Pratt, whom the Colts signed earlier in the week. He played for Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo from 2019-24 while both were with the Cincinnati Bengals.
- OL Josh Fryar
- OL Demontrey Jacobs
- CB Elijah Jones
- QB Kyler Murray (foot)
- DL Bilal Nichols (personal)
- DT Darius Robinson (pec)
- WR Xavier Weaver
The Cardinals will be without some serious contributors, as Murray and Robinson are both starters for the team and are unavailable to play on Sunday afternoon.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.
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