The thud of shoulder pads popped and echoed across Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus for the first time as the Indianapolis Colts held their first fully padded practice.
The physicality increased, culminating in a live tackling period for reserve players that brought an extra level of intensity to the final team session of practice. As expected, head coach Shane Steichen shifted the focus toward establishing the run game in the trenches and emphasizing proper tackling angles for the young defensive
unit.
Quarterback Daniel Jones completed just 5-of-7 passes across three team periods, while none of his attempts traveled farther than 10 yards downfield. His best deep shot started off the 7-on-7 drills, when he dropped a perfectly placed slot fade into Ashton Dulin’s hands, but the veteran receiver dropped it. Without receiver Alec Pierce on the field, Indianapolis lacks any vertical element of its offense, which allows the defense to tighten coverage underneath.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner opened team drills by breaking up a slant intended for Dulin. In fact, all three quarterbacks had a pass broken up by a defensive back in the initial team period. Cornerback Jonathan Edwards recognized the run-pass-option to knock away a slant from Anthony Richardson, then safety Daniel Scott added another pass breakup in the flat against rookie Riley Leonard.
While the passing game remained quiet, the rushing attack found plenty of success. Star running back Jonathan Taylor looked every bit like the reigning NFL leader in total touchdowns, displaying his burst throughout Monday’s practice centered around the ground game. It was evidenced best on a slick screen pass that Taylor took for an explosive play.
Rookie running back Seth McGowan also continued to shine in an impressive first camp. He ripped off consecutive productive runs during the opening 11-on-11 period, first finding daylight on a counter play behind the first-team offensive line before immediately following it with another strong run the opposite way while working with the second unit. McGowan later took a swing pass past midfield for a gain of more than 20 yards.
New additions on the defense made their presence known as rookie linebacker Bryce Boettcher continued receiving significant first-team reps alongside Akeem Davis-Gaither. First round pick C.J. Allen and third-round safety A.J. Haulcy also continued to ramp up the rotations with the starting defense. Rookies George Gumbs and Caden Curry also created their share of disruptions in the backfield. Gumbs exploded through an interior blocker for what likely would have resulted in a sack, while Curry recorded a tackle for loss and added another run stop after a minimal gain.
Kicker Blake Grupe connected on all six of his field goal attempts from 26, 33, 39, 45, 51 and 57 yards out. His flawless performance in training camp shows he may be the favorite coming out of camp. Grupe made all 11 of his field goal attempts in the final five games of the 2025 seasons after being picked up off waivers in December.
Real football is finally back as Monday’s open practice featured collisions for the first time this summer. The Colts have just four more practices and 10 days to sharpen their execution before opening their first preseason game against the reigning AFC-champion New England Patriots in Foxborough.
