When the Indianapolis Colts hit the field on July 25 for their first training camp practice, there are some storylines to pay attention to.
Most eyes will be watching the franchise quarterback but some key competitions for starting roles are worth having on your radar.
Here are the top six storylines to watch during Indy’s training camp:
What to watch for at Colts training camp
Anthony Richardson’s development
The expectation is AR will be a full-go when the team hits the practice field. Health concerns for Richardson are the talking point heading into training camp but the storyline that isn’t getting talked about is where he is at in his development.
Richardson had flashes as a thrower in his brief stint as a rookie but he also had some inconsistencies which was expected. Getting AR to grow as a passer is Shane Steichen’s biggest task during training camp to help unlock the explosive plays through the air.
Because of Richardson’s season-ending injury, his Year 1 was spent on getting mental reps as he watched Gardner Minshew command the offense, something Steichen discussed last season.
"Obviously, he's not taking the reps, but he's taking the mental reps in the classroom with us, still going through the game plan meetings," Steichen said. "So, even when he's on the sidelines during games, [he's] taking that mental rep on the sidelines, hearing the calls. I think going through that will be big through the first part of the process.
Training camp will give a good look into where Richardson is at with the mental side of the game, if he is more consistent as a thrower, and where his chemistry stands with his receivers. AR’s development as a quarterback is an X-factor that will define 2024 for the Colts.
Will Chris Ballard sign a veteran safety?
If there was one area on the defense that could use a veteran presence to bring some stability is the safety room. Julian Blackmon is locked in as the starting strong safety but the starting free safety spot is up for grabs.
The competition to open training camp is set to be between Nick Cross who is looking to prove that he is the answer and Rodney Thomas II who needs to rebound from his letdown 2023 season.
If either of the third-year safeties don’t step up at the beginning of camp then the noise will get loud for Chris Ballard to sign a player like Justin Simmons or Quandre Diggs.
Competition between Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell
Most of the starting spots on the offense are spoken for but one of the two open competitions is the X-receiver role on the depth chart. This is coming down between Pierce, a candidate for a Year 3 breakout season, and Mitchell, the second-round rookie.
Each player brings a different element to the role. Pierce can be unlocked as a deep threat in the passing attack with Anthony Richardson back in the lineup and provides value in the running game with his blocking ability.
Mitchell can be a threat down the field but also brings more nuance with his route-running ability and is more of a threat in the red zone. This competition will likely carry into the season as both players continue to push for snaps. Which is a good problem to have for Shane Steichen.
The battle for snaps between the edge rushers
One of the most heated training camp battles to monitor is among the edge rushers. It is the strongest position group on Indy’s roster, which has several players that will be competing for playing time this season.
Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye enter camp as the penciled-in starters but they have to fend off Dayo Odeyingbo and Laiatu Latu from taking their jobs. Regardless of how this plays out, I expect all four to have a significant role in the defense.
Odeyingbo and Latu offer versatility to kick inside which Gus Bradley can get creative on how he wants to deploy his talented defensive front. Tyquan Lewis is another versatile edge rusher who will be looking to make a case for his role in the rotation. He is coming off the best season of his career.
To round things out, second-year players Isaiah Land and Titus Leo will battle for a spot on the 53-man roster. Land had some flashes in his rookie season and Leo did some good things in the preseason last year before he suffered a season-ending injury before the regular season.
The edge rusher competition has starting jobs, roles in the rotation, and spots on the final roster that will play out in training camp.
Who makes the cut in the tight end room?
The tight end room has the same storyline entering training camp that it had at this point last year. The difference is there are no injuries that are expected to hold any of Indy’s tight ends out of practice next week.
The two big questions for the tight ends are who will be labeled as TE1 on the depth chart and does Chris Ballard elect to keep all five tight ends or will one get cut when the 53-man roster is due?
Jelani Woods is the lead dog in the expectation of who will emerge as the TE1 on the depth chart by the end of the preseason. His athleticism gives the offense a different element from the position but his biggest concern is if he will stay on the field after missing the 2023 season.
Kylen Granson and Will Mallory will be looking to make an impact in the passing attack. Each showed some positive things in Shane Steichen’s offense last year and will look to expand their roles in 2024.
Mo-Alie Cox and Drew Ogletree get the dirty work done with their blocking ability, which makes them more valuable to the rushing attack featuring Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. Both can be utilized in the passing attack as well to help benefit the play-action attack.
Each player can contribute to the offense but will Ballard decide to keep all five or move on from one to keep a player in a different position group? He can open $5.9 million in cap space if Alie-Cox is released or traded.
If he prefers the keep the veteran then it is possible he can see if a team would like to take on one of the younger tight ends via a trade. This will be the position group to keep an eye on when the 53-man roster comes out on August 27th.
Who wins the starting boundary cornerback spots?
The last available starting opportunities come at both of the boundary cornerback spots. JuJu Brents is expected to have one of those starting gigs and make a jump in Year 2 but he does have to prove his health issues are behind him and he isn’t outshined during training camp.
The opposite side of Brents will come down between Dallis Flowers and Jaylon Jones. Flowers had his flashes before his season-ending Achilles injury. He will be available for camp after practicing during OTAs.
Jones was a pleasant surprise and performed very well for a seventh-round rookie. Unless one of these three players has a letdown preseason performance, I expect they will all work in a rotation with Brents being the likely one that takes most of the snaps.
One player that could be a potential surprise is fifth-round pick Jaylin Simpson. The coaching staff is going to start him at cornerback so he has an opportunity to make a case for one of those starting spots or a role in the rotation.
He offers the versatility to play as a nickel and safety. Simpson could end up getting involved in the competition for the free safety spot at some point during camp.
The Colts need this group of young corners to step up otherwise the secondary will hold the defense back this season.
