The Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback is making the most out of his limited opportunities during mandatory minicamp.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts continued their mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, with their second of three practices.
Here's how the hour-long practice went, with a heavy feature of team drills.
TEAM
— The team is extra cautious with player injuries this time of year. The players who did not participate in practice: wide receiver Alec Pierce (ankle), cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. (back), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (neck), offensive lineman Jalen Farmer (knee), cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (foot), cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, cornerback Jaylon Jones, offensive tackle Bayron Matos, safety Austin Brown, and safety Ben Nikkel.
OFFENSE
— The focus of the drills was red zone, most often from about 12-15 yards from the goal line.
— During 7-on-7s, quarterback Daniel Jones went 4-of-6 passing, with three touchdowns. He had two completions to Josh Downs (two touchdowns), one to Ashton Dulin (touchdown), and one to Jonathan Taylor. The two incompletions were throwaways.
— Anthony Richardson Sr. got the initial first-team reps during 11-on-11s, as he and Riley Leonard continue to rotate those reps. Richardson was just 1-of-2 passing during 11-on-11s, with a completion to Downs, but was more effective in 7-on-7s. He quickly had two touchdown strikes to Anthony Gould and Eli Pancol. On the touchdown to Pancol, Richardson had to buy time rolling to his left, and flicked the ball toward the goal line, as Pancol reached up and snared it with one hand.
— It was a shaky day for Leonard, who went 3-of-5 passing in 11-on-11s, with a touchdown. His completions went to Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, and the touchdown to Tyler Warren.
— Dulin is the leader in the race for the Colts' WR3 spot, and making a leaping touchdown catch over cornerback Sauce Gardner is a good way to stay atop that competition.
— Downs was effective with both Jones and Richardson as quarterbacks on Wednesday, and it was perhaps a sign of things to come at how dangerous he can be for the Colts in the red zone.
— Second-year running back DJ Giddens continued his impressive offseason, with a touchdown run along the left side of about 12-15 yards, where there was plenty of green grass and he just need to outrun a couple of converging defenders.
DEFENSE
— Second-year cornerback Justin Walley lost his rookie season to a torn ACL last August. This year, he's projected to start at a new position at slot corner. He had a tough day guarding Downs, as the veteran slot receiver put a couple of touchdowns on him. Still, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo likes what he's seen from Walley, telling reporters, "He's just coming off the injury, and I haven't seen much of a drop off. He's really picked up from where he left off."
— With Ward continuing to sit out with his back tightness, Johnathan Edwards again got the starting nod at boundary corner opposite Gardner. Edwards was called for defensive pass interference on a 7-on-7 rep in which Richardson attempted to throw to tight end Mallory for a touchdown, but it wasn't a blatant penalty and could also have been viewed as good coverage.
— Rookie linebacker Bryce Boettcher continues to make a good impression. On Tuesday, he had a pick-six. On Wednesday, while earning reps with the first-team defense, he tried to punch the ball out of Alie-Cox's grasp, causing Alie-Cox to fall to the ground in what was one of the bigger collisions of the day. It drew a reaction from the players on the sidelines, but that tenacity is something that endeared Boettcher to the Colts in the first place.
— In regard to the linebacker, Boettcher wasn't the only new face mixing in with the first unit. It appeared the coaches were being deliberate in trying to see different combinations with the starters. Boettcher, CJ Allen, Jaylon Carlies, and Akeem Davis-Gaither all saw first-team reps.
The Colts will finish mandatory minicamp on Thursday at 10:05 a.m. ET. They will then break for six weeks until training camp at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind.
