It’s a battle of horses to kick off the preseason…
The Indianapolis Colts will host the Denver Broncos on Sunday (1 PM EST) at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team’s preseason opener.
The game will be televised on local FOX59 and nationally on NFL Network, but Colts fans can also listen to the action on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan / 97.1 HANK FM. Streaming is available on Hulu, Youtube TV, or whoever else carries NFL Network.
On FOX59, Greg Rakestraw will be handling the play-by-play duties, while Rick Venturi is back as the team’s preseason analyst again.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen indicated late in the week that his starters would play—albeit in limited action, noting that his first-team players will likely play “only a series or two.”
All eyes will be on Colts 2nd-year starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, who missed the team’s last 12 games as a rookie, due to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Will Richardson be initially rusty? We’ll see…
That also opens the door for a number of young Colts players to earn their mark and make the most out of their opportunity. In particular, I’ll be looking at a number of Colts rookies including wideout AD Mitchell, offensive tackle Matt Goncalves, offensive guard/center Tanor Bortolini, wide receiver/returner Anthony Gould, and linebacker Jaylon Carlies.
That being said, I’ll still be keeping my eye on two Indy starting position battles—and both of them are occurring in the Colts defensive secondary right now:
Free Safety Battle: Currently, Colts’ 3rd-year pro Nick Cross, a former 2022 3rd round pick, is running with the Indy first-team defense at free safety. Cross doesn’t lack speed and athleticism for the position, but hasn’t been able to run away with the job outright in camp. He’s still only 22 years old, so perhaps, there’s some untapped upside and potential there. However, both Rodney Thomas II and Ronnie Harrison Jr. remain in the mix for the other starting safety spot next to entrenched starter Julian Blackmon.
Starting Cornerback Competition: The Colts are rolling with the same 2nd-year starting outside cornerback duo that finished last season, JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones. Nevertheless, Dallis Flowers, who nearly missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, is back and remains a serious challenger for either outside starting cornerback spot—should either Brents or Jones struggle early on in preseason.
Colts fans will also get their first look at Broncos first round rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Denver’s 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft will reportedly be backing up incumbent veteran Jarrett Stidham and maybe Zach Wilson (?)—but the former Oregon standout should still see some playing time in this one, running with Denver’s 2nd/3rd-team offense.