The 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The Indianapolis Colts' camp is taking place in Grand Park Sports Campus, Westfield, Indiana, and Colts reporter Stephen Holder has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.
What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Colts camp. We will update this file often. Will quarterback Daniel Jones return to early-2025 form after a serious injury? Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?
Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.
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Tuesday, Aug. 11
Coach Shane Steichen previewed some of his plans for Thursday's preseason opener following the Colts' joint practice with the New England Patriots on Tuesday.
Quarterback Daniel Jones won't play against the Patriots, but backup Anthony Richardson Sr. will start and play the entirety of the first half, according to Steichen. He will give way to Riley Leonard, with whom he's competing for the No. 2 quarterback role, in the second half. Next week, during their home game against the Atlanta Falcons, the roles will be reversed, Steichen said. Leonard will start against Atlanta and Richardson will relieve him.
Jones, who is coming off a torn Achilles tendon but appears fully recovered, won't play at all in the preseason.
"I don't want to take any chances with Daniel out there in the preseason right now," Steichen said.
More observations:
Steichen was particularly complimentary about his starting offense's performance in a two-minute situation against the Patriots on Tuesday. In a mock scenario where the Colts trailed by seven, Jones led them to a score with a touchdown pass to receiver Josh Downs. "I was really pleased," Steichen said.
Sunday, Aug. 9
One year after being in contention to be the Colts' starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson Sr. now finds himself in a fight for the Colts' No. 2 quarterback spot behind Daniel Jones.
Sunday was another day of evaluation for the Colts, with Richardson displaying some ups and downs throughout the workout before finishing with an impressive 2-minute drill that led to a touchdown. Meanwhile, Riley Leonard, his competition, has had a strong couple of days after battling his own inconsistency.
Richardson requested a trade in February and was granted permission to speak with other clubs to see if a deal might materialize. Nothing did, so Richardson is back trying to re-establish himself with the organization. Richardson on Sunday said his accuracy needs to be more consistent.
"I feel like I can improve a lot of things," Richardson said. "My decision making, I feel like I'm on point with the ball and I feel like I'm [throwing] to the right spot. Sometimes I don't throw the best ball, but I feel like my decision making is pretty good so far."
Richardson and Leonard will split preseason snaps.
Other observations:
Receiver Josh Downs (groin) could potentially return to the lineup in Tuesday's joint practice at New England, coach Shane Steichen said.
Jones had his second and third interceptions of camp on Sunday, but both came on passes that appeared catchable. Receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine saw one pass go off his fingertips to safety A.J. Haulcy. Later, running back Jonathan Taylor had a pass go through his hands, landing squarely in the hands of safety Cam Bynum.
Saturday, Aug. 8
The Colts are still working to identify their best lineup at linebacker, and it's beginning to look like they might not have the luxury of settling in with a consistent starting group.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo left open the possibility that the Colts might use a rotation of players at the position, with situations dictating who plays when. The issues are being currently exacerbated by the absence of projected starting middle linebacker CJ Allen (hamstring), the team's second-round pick.
"At the end of the day, I think we're going to have a lot of guys in that room that play for us this year in different types of roles," Anarumo said.
Having two rookies -- Allen and Bryce Boettcher -- among the leading candidates to start, is a factor, Anarumo said. Streamlining young players' responsibilities can allow for faster growth.
More observations:
Receiver Josh Downs missed practice with a groin injury, leaving the Colts without their top two wideouts. Alec Pierce remains sidelined after offseason ankle surgery, and the Colts have provided no specific timeline for his return.
Riley Leonard was the second-team quarterback behind Daniel Jones, with Anthony Richardson Sr. playing with the third team.
Thursday, Aug. 6
Starting quarterback Daniel Jones had one of his best days in Thursday's evening practice, connecting on a number of aggressive, downfield throws. But the same could not be said of the quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart.
Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard, locked in a battle for the backup job, have yet to establish the consistency that coach Shane Steichen is seeking. That continued on Thursday, when Leonard threw an interception to linebacker Austin Ajiake and Richardson was inefficient in his time under center.
"The guy that's most consistent is going to win that job," Steichen said. "Those guys are battling. It's back and forth right now." He added, "There's been flashes, but yeah, there's work to done for sure."
Tuesday, Aug. 4
One week into camp and perhaps the biggest question is not a question at all.
Quarterback Daniel Jones has not missed a single snap with the first-team offense and has not taken any days off from practice. This comes in spite of him only recently being fully cleared to practice in full-team drills following his Achilles tendon tear in December. If there were any uncertainties entering this camp, Jones has put them to rest.
"I've felt good through the whole camp so far," Jones said. "I knew I would. You try to push yourself in the rehab in preparation for camp, knowing what to expect. I felt really good and I stay on the recovery part of it to make sure I'm available and out here every day."
The Colts are five practices in and there are no known plans to pull back on Jones' workload.
Monday, Aug. 3
Cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward have been making life difficult for the team's wide receivers so far in camp, much to the Colts' contentment.
Gardner and Ward are expected to be among the best cornerback combos in the league this season if they can both remain on the field. That was not the case last season, when they spent just one full game on the field together because of respective injuries.
The length of both players has been especially challenging for the receivers, a group that is trying to find its way with the No. 3 spot still up for grabs.
"When you can go up against two of the best in the league in practice every day, it's going to make everybody better," coach Shane Steichen said.
Saturday, Aug. 1
The Colts spent most of Saturday's workout focused on red zone play, with the offense and defense more or less playing to a draw in terms of success. Among the highlights was tight end Tyler Warren's leaping catch in the end zone for a touchdown from quarterback Daniel Jones. Another impressive completion came when Jones delivered a strike to receiver Josh Downs in the corner of the end zone.
But the defense held its own, too, forcing Jones and quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. to scramble out of the pocket multiple times in 7-on-7 and in full-team periods.
Additionally, cornerback Sauce Gardner had an athletic pass deflection against Downs to stop a red zone threat.
More observations:
Friday, July 31
Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon spoke to reporters for the first time in several months and revealed the details of her address to the team this week. On the heels of last season's massive collapse -- a seven-game losing streak to end the Colts' season -- Irsay-Gordon emphasized the need to finish.
"As we reflected on last season, this one phrase just kept coming to my mind," she said. "And that was 'Find a way.' So that was the mantra that we settled on for this season. And we came to 'find a way' because we thought about what are the qualities that successful people have? And those qualities are consistency, those qualities are resilience."
The Colts lost quarterback Daniel Jones and players such as Sauce Gardner and DeForest Buckner down the stretch last season. But Irsay-Gordon emphasized that injuries would not be a cop-out this season, when general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen are considered to be on the hot seat.
More observations from the day:
Thursday, July 30
Cornerback Charvarius Ward has had a strong start to camp, something that is especially notable given where he was just seven months ago: On the verge of retirement.
Ward previously addressed his change of heart, deciding to return after the 2024 death of his infant daughter and a series of concussions in 2025 nearly pushed him to step away from the NFL. He now says he was "probably 85% sure I was going to retire. But I found a different why, a different purpose. Doing it for Junior [his son], doing it for Amani, my daughter. They bring me joy. They bring a smile to my face."
Ward, 30, added, "I feel good, I've got a lot of energy. I feel like I still belong out here."
More observations:
Wednesday, July 29
The last time running back Jonathan Taylor was entering a contract year, he effectively staged a hold-in during training camp, opting out of practice and citing an ankle injury. This time, Taylor is again seeking a new deal, but he was primed and ready to roll on Wednesday, the first day of camp.
"I have faith," Taylor said. "There've been some good conversations and I have faith between my agent and the front office. Like I said, I've already said I would love to be a Colt for life. So, I have faith that things are moving in the right direction."
Taylor, who rushed for 1,585 yards last season, is scheduled to become a free agent in the spring.
More observations from the day:
Tuesday, July 28
The Colts are still mulling their options at wide receiver even after players reported to camp on Tuesday. Indianapolis has not replaced veteran Michael Pittman Jr., who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, and is still awaiting the return of new No. 1 wideout Alec Pierce from offseason ankle surgery.
General manager Chris Ballard said he wants to continue to evaluate the current group in practice before making a final decision to add a veteran such as Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen or, perhaps, Stefon Diggs. "At some point we'll evaluate it as we go along," Ballard said. "We'll probably talk through some of those [available] guys."
Receiver Josh Downs missed Saturday's practice with a groin injury, leaving the Colts without their top two wideouts. Alec Pierce remains sidelined after offseason ankle surgery, and the Colts have provided no specific timeline for his return.
Riley Leonard was the second-team quarterback on Saturday behind Daniel Jones, with Anthony Richardson Sr. playing with the third team.
The Colts' kicking battle continues, with Spencer Shrader and Blake Grupe each kicking extensively in Thursday's practice. Both had a pair of misses, from 57 and 61 yards in full-team action.
Play of the day: Tight end Tyler Warren hauled in a leaping catch on a deep ball from Jones, taking the ball away from safety Cam Bynum.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner missed Tuesday's practice with an illness, according to a team spokesman.
Steichen said he still does not have any clarity on when No. 1 receiver Alec Pierce might return to the lineup after offseason ankle surgery. Pierce, according to GM Chris Ballard, will spend "a week or two" on the physically unable to perform list. But it's not clear that he's closer even as the Colts begin their second week of camp.
Coach Shane Steichen missed practice with an undisclosed personal matter.
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine emphasized his intent to be a reliable blocker for running back Jonathan Taylor, a quality he said he learned early in his career while blocking for Derrick Henry during their time together with the Tennessee Titans. "That's something you've definitely got to take pride in," he said.
Rookie middle linebacker CJ Allen returned to the lineup after sustaining a calf tweak during his preparation for camp last week. He spent the first two days of camp on the physically unable to perform list but immediately stepped into the starting lineup on Friday.
The Colts endured underwhelming quarterback play on Friday from Jones, Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard with errant throws, bobbled snaps and questionable decisions ruling the day.
The Colts are taking a closer look at second-year safety Hunter Wohler, who sustained a season-ending injury in camp as a rookie last year. He's in a competition with rookie A.J. Haulcy, who was impressive in the spring and looked to have the edge at strong safety. This will be a position battle to watch.
The Colts have a legitimate kicking competition between Spencer Shrader, who had a season-ending knee injury last season, and former Saints kicker Blake Grupe, who had a strong finish to the season in relief of Shrader. Both seem likely to be on an NFL roster this season, regardless of who sticks in Indy.
CBs Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward had some dominant moments in Wednesday's first practice. The pair has only played one full game together since Gardner's midseason trade to Indy last season.
With WR Alec Pierce still sidelined after ankle surgery and with the depth impacted after the offseason trade of Michael Pittman Jr., the Colts have moved safety Ben Nikkel to receiver. Nikkel, according to coach Shane Steichen, served as an occasional receiver on the practice squad last season.