The Indianapolis Colts were officially back on the field for Day 1 of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield on Thursday.
Summer break is finally over, and the Colts are looking to make a statement in the AFC South. With a budding star at quarterback and another year under head coach Shane Steichen, the Colts have some momentum.
We took a look at the highlights and live updates from earlier in the day, and now we're here to dive deeper into the takeaways from the first training camp practice.
Takeaways from Day 1 of Colts training camp
A stellar day from Anthony Richardson
It could not have gotten much better for Richardson during team drills. Though the full pads weren't on yet, Richardson was a perfect 4-of-4 on five plays in the first red-zone session — three of his passes went for touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown on a scramble during the final red-zone session.
Though reports from camp say Richardson was a bit inconsistent during the individual drills, it's encouraging that he was able to have this kind of success during the team drills, especially in the red zone.
Key position battles
There will be a number of position battles taking place, and they started out hot Wednesday. The cornerback room saw three players rotate on the outside in JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers, according to Joel A. Erickson of IndyStar.
Meanwhile, the tight end room is a complete rotation with Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory all getting reps with the first-team offense.
At swing tackle, Blake Freeland filled in at right tackle for Braden Smith (knee) so it appears he's getting a chance to secure his role in the battle with rookie Matt Goncalves.
At free safety, Nick Cross continued to take the bulk of reps with the first-team defense, according to multiple reports.
Laiatu Latu flashes
The highly-touted first-round pick for the Colts put some electric play on display against the second-team offensive line. Of course, the pads aren't on and he wasn't working with the starters, but Latu is doing all he can to prove he can climb the depth chart.
"During a second-team red-zone drill, Latu roasted second-year left tackle Jake Witt, getting to Joe Flacco extremely quick off the snap. Flacco had to alter his footwork and eventually fell down in the pocket for the “sack.” Of course, Witt isn’t starter Bernhard Raimann, but Latu continues to light up the (lower on the depth chart) tackles," wrote Kevin Bowen of 1075 The Fan.
Big battle for kick return reps
According to Bowen, the players competing for the kick return roles included Ashton Dulin, Dallis Flowers, Tyler Goodson, Kenny Moore II, Trey Sermon, Anthony Gould, Evan Hull, Josh Downs, D.J. Montgomery and Alec Pierce.
Injury report
Right tackle Braden Smith (knee) worked off to the side with trainers. He's expected to be limited during the early parts of training camp.
Meanwhile, cornerback Chris Lammons (ankle) and defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (illness) remain on the PUP and NFI lists, respectively.
What's next?
The Colts have Friday off and will be back on the field for Day 2 of training camp at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday
