2025 Indianapolis Colts Training Camp Journal: Anthony Richardson finds Tyler Warren early and often

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Westfield, IN — A day hotter than those that came before it, Friday’s morning practice was chock-full of installs in all three phases. Today was the first practice that shot up from one hour long to one hour and fifteen minutes, with tomorrow’s first Saturday practice at camp increasing its duration to one hour and thirty minutes.

Friday was the first time in training camp that either quarterback had outperformed the other. Given that we’re only three practices deep, neither has definitively taken

the lead in said race, but today was the first time either has had a leg up on the competition.

Quarterback Competition

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As alluded to, if there were daily winners in this competition, Anthony Richardson would be up one game in the series. It wasn’t like the typical Richardson big day either. With only one deep ball attempted all day — a sailed incompletion to Alec Pierce that could very well have been miscommunication — this was a day where the third-year quarterback showed off what he was working on during the offseason. While Richardson’s newfound footwork has been the talk of camp thus far, it hadn’t materialized until today.

We’ve come to know him as the big-armed gunslinger who struggles to connect anywhere on the field shorter than 20+ yards through the air, but today was a different story entirely, with an asterisk. That asterisk is rookie tight end Tyler Warren. As the article’s title suggests, this was indeed a camp-best showing from both Richardson and Warren, and that success goes hand in hand. Warren was hauling in everything that came his way, with each of his receptions being concerted Richardson targets. Those throws were not always on-target, though. Twice today, and for the third time in camp thus far, Warren has hauled in an unlikely reception thanks to his catch radius — plucking one off of the turf, climbing the ladder for one, and then contorting his body for a one-handed snag in the backfield. It’s evident that a rapport is building, and additionally, serves as (admittedly early) proof in the pudding that a top-tier tight end can do wonders for any quarterback.

Aside from the highly anticipated connections between him and Warren, Richardson performed well in the short and intermediate areas of the passing game. His decision-making was calm, cool, and collected, which ultimately led to his best day of camp thus far.

As for Daniel Jones, a big part of why Richardson outshone him today is that he had a forgettable showing overall. While he remained efficient through the air from a completion percentage standpoint, he oftentimes was found locking on to his intended target, which resulted in a plethora of passes broken up. As has been the case with him thus far, Jones has rarely attempted a pass deeper than 10+ yards aside from the random fades he’s thrown in team periods. He did have a couple of splash plays that set up the targeted passcatcher for ample yards after the catch, but overall, it wasn’t enough. Typically playing near or behind the line of scrimmage, Jones’ decision-making has to improve if he wants to remain on the leveled playing field this competition currently resides on.

Miscellaneous Notes from Friday’s practice:

• Adonai Mitchell has had a rocky start to camp thus far. He’s still getting open like his life depends on it; however, numerous drops, slips, and fumbles have restricted him from stacking days. The lackluster quarterback play thus far is certainly a factor, and perhaps his confidence is shaken a bit, but as Reggie Wayne continues to remind us all, you have to be patient with young wideouts. Thankfully, the emergence of Alec Pierce last year, as well as the steady hands above him in Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, gives Mitchell time to iron out his deficiencies.
• The Warren/Richardson connection may not be a fluke. It’s only been three days of practices thus far, and Mo Alie-Cox’s rest day allowed Warren additional opportunities, but so far, it’s been a night-and-day difference. Not only has Richardson connected with Warren much more through the three days than Jones has, but Warren is doing the dirty work for the former — he has hauled in every off-target throw from Richardson and has missed both that’ve come from Jones. Maybe it’s purely coincidental, maybe it’s a sign of things to come.
• Presumed veteran rest days for Charvarius Ward, Samson Ebukam, Mo Alie-Cox, and Grover Stewart, while Zaire Franklin continues to work back from his ankle surgery.
• Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo both went 3-5 during the team’s place-kicking period. Shrader hit everything 40 yards and under, missing both 40+ yarders, while Trujillo nailed the 30, 35, and 45 yard kicks and missed his 40 and 52 yard attempts.

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