WESTFIELD, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts threw the pads on for the first time in training camp on Monday, and the increase in physicality was palpable.

Competitions in the trenches and the more physical positions can now officially commence, as this period is always cited as the turning point of the summer.

Here's how Monday's hour-plus practice went.

— Head coach Shane Steichen returned to practice on Monday after missing Saturday with a personal matter.

— Players missing practice on Monday were wide receiver Alec Pierce (PUP-ankle), safety Hunter Wohler (hamstring), and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (toe). Wohler left Saturday's practice early and didn't return, and Nnadi has now missed the last two practices. Cornerback Cameron Mitchell missed Saturday's practice and was waived-injured on Monday. If he clears waivers, he'll revert to the Colts' Injured Reserve list.

— The Colts signed undrafted free agent rookie cornerback Mekhi Rodgers on Monday. He was at practice but did not yet participate.

— The Colts did a couple of sessions with their developmental team, including one set of 11-on-11s and a series of 7-on-7s at the very end of practice. Quarterback Easton Stick was 5-of-5 passing (100.0%), with completions to wide receiver Deion Burks, wide receiver Ben Nikkel, wide receiver Raylen Sharpe, wide receiver Liam Clifford, and running back Anderson Castle. Notably, cornerback Jaylon Jones and safety Juanyeh Thomas were in on these reps, which is not necessarily a great indicator of their status on the roster, being seasoned veterans. Thomas and cornerback Johnathan Edwards teamed up for a hard tackle on the catch by Clifford.

— The initial first-team offense was: QB Daniel Jones, RB Jonathan Taylor, WR Ashton Dulin, WR Josh Downs, WR Laquon Treadwell, TE Tyler Warren, LT Bernhard Raimann, LG Quenton Nelson, C Tanor Bortolini, RG Matt Goncalves, and RT Jalen Travis

— The second-team line was: LT Luke Tenuta, LG Jalen Farmer, C Dalton Tucker, RG Josh Sills, and RT Blake Freeland.

— The third-team line was: LT Bayron Matos, LG Geno VanDeMark, C Jimmy Morrissey, RG Josh Kreutz, and RT Nolan Rucci.

— Quarterback Daniel Jones was 5-of-7 passing (71.4%), with completions to tight end Tyler Warren, wide receiver Josh Downs, wide receiver Ashton Dulin, tight end Mo Alie-Cox, and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.

— Quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. was 3-of-5 passing (60.0%), with completions to running back DJ Giddens, Castle, and Sharpe.

— Quarterback Riley Leonard was 4-of-5 passing (80.0%), with completions to tight end Will Mallory, tight end Drew Ogletree, running back Seth McGowan, and running back Ulysses Bentley IV.

— It was another solid day for the running backs. Jonathan Taylor got practice started with a short rushing touchdown near the goal line. McGowan continues to impress, taking a run through the right A-gap between Dalton Tucker and Josh Sills for a sizeable gain, and catching the ball with ease. Giddens also continues to settle his issues with catching the ball, bringing in his only team-period target of the day.

— The developmental team used two different offensive line combinations. First, it was LT Bayron Matos, LG Geno VanDeMark, C Jimmy Morrissey, RG Josh Kreutz, and RT Nolan Rucci. The other combo was LT Bayron Matos, LG Josh Kreutz, C Geno VanDeMark, RG Josh Sills, and RT Nolan Rucci.

— The initial first-team defense was: DE Laiatu Latu, DT (3T) Colby Wooden, DT (1T) Grover Stewart, DE Jaylahn Tuimoloau, LB CJ Allen/Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB Bryce Boettcher, CB Sauce Gardner, CB Charvarius Ward Sr., SCB Justin Walley, FS Cam Bynum, and SS A.J. Haulcy.

— It was another busy day of cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Justin Walley breaking up passes. Gardner's saved a potential chunk play from Jones to Dulin, who was flying over the middle of the field.

— Edwards also had an impressive pass breakup on a third down, slicing in front of a Richardson pass intended for receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

— A rookie "learning" moment cropped up when defensive end George Gumbs Jr. let up on a play where he thought he had a would-be sack on Richardson, but the whistle didn't blow, and Richardson flew past him. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was animated in his reaction to Gumbs. Gumbs also later had an encroachment penalty. During a practice last week, Gumbs had an offsides penalty.

— Kicker Blake Grupe went 6-of-6 kicking (100.0%), with makes from 25, 33, 39, 45, 51, and 57 yards. Grupe is battling Spencer Shrader for the kicking job, but the Colts elected to give Grupe the entire day today, which they will also do for Shrader coming up. In the three practices that the media has seen the Colts kick since the spring, Grupe is 17-of-17 (100.0%, whereas Shrader is 8-of-11 (72.7%).

— The Colts worked on some kickoff returns (including what appeared to be some reps of safety-kickoff returns). The returners were Anthony Gould, McGowan, Burks, and Giddens.

— During punt team work, the returners were: Burks, Gould, and Downs. Burks flubbed one of his three returns.

— The punt team personal protectors were: Jonathan Owens, Daniel Scott, and Nikkel.

— The punt team gunner combinations were: Jaylon Jones/Johnathan Edwards, Coleman Owen/E.J. Horton Jr., Cam Taylor-Britt/Rob Carter Jr., Eli Pancol/Austin Brown, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine/Raylen Sharpe, and Jaylon Jones/Sahmir Hagans.