WESTFIELD, Ind. — With six practice periods stuffed into an hour-long practice Saturday morning, the Colts dedicated Day 8 of training camp to red zone and two-minute drills, so there was no room for error.
The defense continued to cover every single inch of the field from the opening snap. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones used the play action to try and catch the defense off guard with a throw toward the goal line, but free safety Camryn Bynum recovered just in time to break up the pass.
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finished the morning practice with a competitive two-minute drill that used the length of the field. Jones spread the ball around, igniting the drive by hitting tight end Tyler Warren on an out route for eight yards. Laiatu Latu should have secured his third sack of the hour-long practice on the next play, but the referees let it play on and Jones found receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhene in the flat just to move the sticks. Latu could have secured another sack inside the red zone with just 18 seconds on the play clock, but he instead forced a hurried throw that was ultimately broken up by cornerback Sauce Gardner. With 10 seconds remaining, the defense dropped eight back near the goal line, so Jones simply dumped off a pass to running back Jonathan Taylor underneath to put kicker Blake Grupe in range for a 30-yard chip shot.
After Thursday’s practice, Gardner signed his shoes for an Army veteran, then mentioned there are times he wishes he could get targeted more often to make those kinds of plays. Gardner has been adamant that he wants quarterbacks to test him this season. Last season, Gardner allowed just 22 completions on 45 targets (49%), which was the tenth-lowest completion rate among qualified cornerbacks. Despite Gardner playing in a career-low 11 games between the New York Jets and the Colts in 2025, 45 targets means being thrown at just four times per game or essentially once per quarter.
“I don’t even give myself no excuses no more,” Gardner said. “I just be like, ‘Man, if I get two targets, I need two picks.’”
Gardner established his name as a true lockdown cornerback with a defensive rookie of the year campaign in 2022, along with consecutive All-Pro seasons to start his career. Although Gardner has just one interception in his last 50 NFL games, he understands it gets etched into the weekly gameplan of opposing coordinators to target receivers on the opposite side of the field as him.
“I don’t know who ran it, but we had watched the game where we played the Falcons. Drake London basically ran like a little out route and I had looked back, perfect position, the ball didn’t get thrown. There was somebody else in the meeting, who had ran and the ball got thrown and they made a play. I’m like, ‘Dang, I just wish I could have got the ball thrown to me on that specific play.’”
Latu’s ability to squeeze the pocket in the blink of an eye forces quarterbacks to make hasty decisions, while defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s mix of coverages also disrupt the post-snap reads for even the veteran QBs. With receivers Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Laquon Treadwell all sidelined, it also allowed the secondary to play tight coverage in the red zone and erase any opportunities to find open receivers Saturday morning.
The pressure intensified because Latu repeatedly found his way into the backfield, beating right tackle Jalen Travis off the line of scrimmage. The second-year edge rusher appeared to secure a sack on the final play of the first team period before returning for another sack in the final two-minute drill. If Jones hadn’t been sporting a red jersey and it were a real game, Latu could have honestly had four sacks in four team periods.
With more time to let the play develop in the red zone 7-on-7 period, Jones was able to deliver strong throws to his receivers. Jones found receiver Ashton Dulin for consecutive completions, including a 10-yard touchdown on an out route against cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt. The pair connected again later in team work, when Jones escaped what appeared to be pressure from Latu and found Dulin on a corner route near the goal line.
For the second-unit offense, Riley Leonard continued to make the most of his opportunities and certainly received more reps than Anthony Richardson amid the battle for backup QB. Leonard opened his first team session with an impressive pass down the sideline to receiver Coleman Owen, who had created separation from linebacker Jaylon Carlies.
Leonard later layered a pass over the reach of cornerback Rob Carter Jr. and into the hands of tight end Will Mallory for a 10-yard gain to drop the sticks for goal-to-go. Carter later jumped a curl route near the pylon to pick off Anthony Richardson on his first throw with the second-team offense. Richardson’s work was more limited after he received just two plays in the initial red zone team period with the third unit.
Since only the second-team went out for one final two-minute drill, it was Leonard who commanded the offense to midfield. Leonard did complete three passes outside the numbers to pass catchers Eli Pancol, Will Mallory and Coleman Owen, but the second-unit stalled after moving the ball into opposing territory. Grupe then got another chance to put his own stamp on the scorching morning workout and drilled a 55-yarder to close the practice.
The windows were nearly shut on Day 8 of training camp and the mistakes became more magnified with limited opportunities. There are just five more training camp practices the Colts will host at Droplight Grand Park, including another morning practice on Sunday at 10 a.m. There are also just five days left before the preseason officially begins in Foxborough against the rival New England Patriots.
