The Indianapolis Colts continued to get on-field work Wednesday for the second of three minicamp practices at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Though the practice was light in nature, it was an eventful session considering the limitations put on quarterback Anthony Richardson, something we haven’t seen yet during the spring workouts.
The Richardson storyline isn’t the only one that took place during Wednesday’s practice session, but it certainly dominated the headlines.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Day 2 of Colts minicamp:
Colts minicamp: Takeaways, quotes from Day 2
Anthony Richardson limited
This, of course, is going to dominate the news cycle until an update is provided. The earliest that may come is Thursday morning when Shane Steichen meets with the media for the final time before summer break.
For the first time in front of the media this spring, Richardson took limited reps during team drills. He was noted looking uncomfortable when throwing while stretching his surgically repaired throwing shoulder with the training staff between reps. It has been noted that no one seemed overly concerned with the development, and Richardson never left the field even when he wasn’t participating toward the end.
The Colts are going to be cautious with Richardson and his recovery so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s held out for the final day of minicamp. But it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.
Big day for the defense
By multiple accounts, the defense won the day, especially in team drills. There were a few big plays from a rookie wideout (more on that below), but it seems the defense came out on top in several plays. Whether it was forcing checkdowns with tight coverage or making plays on the ball, Gus Bradley’s unit took the day.
Safety Nick Cross, who has been rotating with fellow third-year defender Rodney Thomas II at free safety, ended Wednesday’s practice by picking off Sam Ehlinger during a two-minute drill.
Anthony Gould makes an impression…twice
While much of the talk regarding the rookie class has revolved around second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, another rookie wideout made some plays Wednesday. Gould, one of the team’s fifth-round picks, showed off his electric long speed and tracking abilities on a pair of deep passes from Joe Flacco.
MORE: 3 things to know about Colts rookie Anthony Gould
Gould was drafted primarily due to his skills as a return man on special teams, but he showed off some unique abilities as a deep threat on Wednesday. Multiple reports say he would have connected with Flacco on a third deep ball, but he dropped a perfectly thrown ball from the veteran.
Ryan Kelly against 18-game schedule
As Kelly enters the final year of his current contract with the team, he made it imperatively clear how he feels about the NFL potentially moving to an 18-game regular season schedule. The team’s NFLPA representative, Kelly was adamant that adding another game to the schedule is only going increase the chances of injury in an unnecessary way.
“I [wish] people understood how hard it was to play 16, then they [added] another one?” Kelly said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “And they get rid of preseason games, well, OK, who’s that going to hurt? The guys that don’t have a shot, the guys that are the undrafted guys or late-round [picks] that need to go out there and improve themselves. I think that the fans see it like they don’t watch the preseason games, but they have no idea what goes on inside the building.”
Michael Pittman speaks on his contract
After receiving the franchise tag ahead of free agency, Pittman signed a three-year deal worth $ 70 million to remain with the Colts. It essentially sparked what became a booming wide receiver market this offseason. Multiple wideouts have signed deals of $ 70 million in total with some even reaching well over nine-figure deals.
MORE: Colts are already major winners in Michael Pittman Jr. contract
Now that the contract has settled a bit, Pittman gave his thoughts on what the deal means to him as a player.
“I’m grateful for everything that I have, but I’m not motivated by money. That doesn’t make me feel like I made it or like I got it,” Pittman said. “I actually think that is like the death of guys’ careers when they get comfortable with stuff like that. So I mean, obviously, it’s very nice to have, but it’s not what motivates me when it comes to football.”
Colts injury updates
Outside of Richardson’s situation, the only other player to seemingly suffer an injury during practice was safety Michael Tutsie. The Indy native and Warren Central product suffered a leg injury during a non-contact drill early during practice and didn’t return.
The following players did not practice Wednesday due to apparent injuries:
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. (knee)
- WR Alec Pierce (undisclosed)
- WR Ashton Dulin (knee)
- RT Braden Smith (knee)
- S Daniel Scott (Achilles)
- CB Chris Lammons (ankle/foot)
- CB Ameer Speed (undisclosed)
- DE Genard Avery (knee)
The Colts will wrap up minicamp Thursday, marking the final time the team is together until training camp arrives at the end of July.
For the best and latest Indianapolis Colts news and analysis, check out our team home page every day.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey’s work on Sporting News.