INDIANAPOLIS — Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason meeting with the Ravens Thursday night at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Broadcast: FOX59.
History lesson I:
It’s preseason, so we won’t spend much time on this. The Ravens hold a 2-0 series lead, with both wins coming in Indy.
History lesson II:
We feel obligated to dredge up the past. The Colts are entering their 42nd season in Indy after 31 years in Baltimore. As everyone knows, everything changed in 1984. Since the relocation, the Colts have posted an overall record of 357-334-1 in Indy with 19 playoff appearances and one world championship. The Baltimore version was 230-201-7 with 10 postseason berths and three world titles.
End of lesson.
First up, Richardson:
The quarterback competition that has been at the forefront since the offseason program began in mid-April and picked up steam when training camp opened in late July enters what we believe is a crucial stage. Anthony Richardson Sr. starts against the Ravens and will play roughly a quarter-and-a-half before handing the offense to Daniel Jones. That rotation will flip for the Aug. 16 meeting with the Packers in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Coach Shane Steichen insisted every rep and every meeting will be considered before an opening-day starter is named, but how Richardson and Jones perform in an actual game setting must carry more weight.
Richardson is having a strong camp after a lackluster week 1, and that must carry over to his work against the Ravens. Be decisive and accurate in the passing game. Make the proper decisions in the run-pass-option phase, if that is, Steichen exposes Richardson much in the run game.
Consider us in the camp that believes the open competition is Richardson’s to lose.
It sounds as if coach John Harbaugh won’t play a good portion of his front-line players. That includes quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and a slew of defensive starters. Even so, this is a situation where Richardson needs to be efficient regardless of the competition.
Line scrutiny:
Second-year offensive linemen Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves have huge shoes to fill. Bortolini is competing with veteran Danny Pinter to succeed long-time center Ryan Kelly. Goncalves has filled the void at right guard created with Will Fries’ departure. Kelly and Fries are making an impact as free-agent acquisitions with Minnesota, and the success of the o-line in large part hinges on their replacements being up to the task.
It’s fair to expect the starting unit to play as long as Richardson is in the game, perhaps even Jones. Bernhard Raimann is back at left tackle after signing a four-year, $100 million extension, Quenton Nelson is a rock at left guard and Braden Smith returns at right tackle.
There’s a ton of pressure on Tony Sparano Jr.’s group to solidify and support both Richardson/Jones as well as running back Jonathan Taylor.
Corner concerns:
The cornerback room entered training camp as a position of strength. Now, the quality of the depth is being tested. Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents are dealing with hamstring injuries, while free-agent Charvarius Ward might see limited time or no reps at all because of tightness in one of his legs.
That situation was compounded during Tuesday’s joint practice when third-round pick Justin Walley suffered a knee injury. There’s been no indication of the severity of the injury, but sources said the team is concerned. Until all of that clears, work at Corner Falls on Samuel Womack III, Chris Lammons, rookie Johnathan Edwards and recent signees Tre Herndon and Duke Shelley. We didn’t mention Kenny Moore II because we’ll be surprised if he plays much, if at all.
Welcome to the NFL, Tyler:
Hype followed Tyler Warren from Penn State to Indy as the team’s first-round draft pick, and he’s done nothing to tamp down the noise. In fact, he’s been one of the consistent bright spots.
Now comes the next level. We’ve seen the various ways Steichen has used Warren in camp, and perhaps he taps into that versatility in preseason games. There’s little chance the Colts show everything he can do, but Warren remains a work in progress and that progress is accelerated in game situations.
No. 84 is going to be fun to watch.
’Backer depth:
Even though he’s still being worked into training camp after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, Zaire Franklin is a given at middle linebacker. After that? Good luck. Jaylon Carlies has missed time with an injury, which has opened the door for Cameron McGrone to slip into the starting weak-side spot, according to the team’s first depth chart. And the Lawrence Central H.S. product has seized the opportunity with a good camp to this point.
Other players to keep an eye on are Joe Bachie, who played under Lou Anarumo at Cincinnati, Segun Olubi and Austin Ajiake.
More from Mitchell?:
Steichen might not give his skill players many reps – enjoy Jonathan Taylor going through warmups – but we’d like to see AD Mitchell handle some meaningful reps. He’s been in a zone after the first week of camp and might have been the best player on the field in Tuesday’s joint practice.
But after enduring a lackluster rookie season, the second-round pick needs to establish himself when the competition intensifies.
About those kickers:
Special teams coordinator Brian Mason has been waiting for one of his kickers to create separation in their kicking competition, and it seems as if Spencer Shrader has done that while rookie free-agent Maddux Trujillo has wavered. Again, the intensity level picks up in preseason games and Shrader must prove he’s the no-doubt successor to Matt Gay.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.