Latest news with #Colts'
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts LB Zaire Franklin unavailable for start of training camp
Colts' LB Zaire Franklin told reporters on Tuesday that he will be unavailable for the start of training camp. Indianapolis Colts' linebacker Zaire Franklin will not be ready for the start of training camp as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. When speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Franklin said that he wasn't going to put a timetable on getting healthy, but said that he has been running and is pleased with his progress, according to The Athletic's James Boyd. "This is a marathon," Franklin told the Indy Star's Nate Atkins. Franklin would have the ankle procedure back in early May. Franklin is coming off his most productive season in 2024, which included leading the NFL in tackles, making his first Pro Bowl, along with being named a second-team All-Pro. He also set a career high with 15 quarterback pressures, four sacks, and two interceptions. This offseason, the Colts have been implementing a new defensive scheme under Lou Anarumo, one that is more aggressive and disguise-heavy. In addition to Franklin being out for OTAs and minicamp, so was Jaylon Carlies, who had offseason shoulder surgery. At this time, we do not know if he will be available for the start of training camp. The Colts' linebacker room overall is inexperienced, and that depth will be tested early on in training camp while Franklin is sidelined. "They've been doing as much as they can within the rules in terms of their injuries and stuff. But extra meetings with coach Bettcher and just staying ahead of it," Lou Anarumo said of Franklin and Carlies. "Ultimately, they play linebacker, they gotta get down in there and get used to playing football at some point. Hopefully that's sooner than later. But mentally they're trying to stay with it as best they can."
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts full training camp schedule with veterans and rookies arrived
The Colts rookies arrived on Monday and the veterans on Tuesday. Here is a look at the full training camp schedule moving forward. The Indianapolis Colts' rookies reported for training camp on Monday, and the veterans arrive today, July 22nd. With the Colts' first practice taking place on the 23rd, let's take a look at the team's full training camp schedule. All players, before the first practice and as mandated by the CBA, will undergo a physical upon their arrival to be medically cleared to participate. If a player is not cleared, they will be placed on either the Non-Football Injury (NFI) or Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) lists, where they will remain until activated, which can take place at any time once the player is healthy. While all eyes over the next several weeks will be on Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones competing for the starting quarterback role, there are camp competitions taking place throughout the Colts' roster. The Colts' training camp practices will again take place at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. Below are each of the training camp practices and start times that are open to the public. Indianapolis Colts full 2025 training camp schedule The Colts will participate in another joint practice in Baltimore on August 5th, prior to their preseason matchup with the Ravens.
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Most essential Colts No. 1: It's do-or-die time for Anthony Richardson
In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be ranking the 15 most essential players to the Colts' success entering the 2025 season. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability. To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players: 1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month? 2. What does the Colts' ceiling become in 2025 and beyond if this player hits his? Unlike in recent seasons, the pressure appears to be ramping up on what this year's Colts team needs to accomplish. Anthony Richardson enters a critical third season with plenty to prove. The team is under new ownership with Jim Irsay's passing and the transition to his three daughters. And the Colts have now not made the playoffs for four seasons, with no playoff wins in six and no AFC South titles in 10. Thus, these rankings will skew a little more toward 2025 importance than they have in recent seasons. Here's the list so far: 2. Jonathan Taylor, running back 3. Bernhard Raimann, left tackle 4. Braden Smith, right tackle 5. DeForest Buckner, defensive tackle 6. Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver 7. Charvarius Ward, cornerback 8. Camryn Bynum, safety 9. Quenton Nelson, guard 10. Tyler Warren, tight end 11. Laiatu Latu, defensive end 12. Daniel Jones, quarterback 13. Kenny Moore II, cornerback 14. Zaire Franklin, linebacker 15. Alec Pierce, wide receiver We finish out with No. 1, Anthony Richardson. Age: 23 Experience: 3rd season Last year's rank: No. 1 2024 stats: Threw for 1,814 yards and 8 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 6.9 yards per attempt and 47.7% completions and ran for 499 yards and 6 TDs on 5.8 yards per carry with 11 starts in 11 games Why he's here: This list was spiraling toward one and only one man sitting above the rest. At this stage, Anthony Richardson is so far from the best player on the Colts roster. He's not an All-Pro or a Pro Bowler or even so much as a sure starter, with Daniel Jones signing a one-year deal in the offseason. But he is still the bet of the entire regime. And he's never faced a season as critical as this one. The Richardson experience so far has been rocky. He entered as the youngest starting quarterback in the league, only to have his rookie season cut short after four games due to a shoulder injury. Last season was supposed to be the ascension. The 2024 season ended up as a disaster for Richardson and the Colts for different reasons. He played in 11 games but missed multiple games to two different injuries and was benched for two games due to performance. Instead of building on the flashes of his rookie season, he played just enough to make his accuracy concerns ever more real and present in addition to facing durability and preparation questions that now define his arrival in 2025. The blame can only be passed around, as arguably nobody regressed more for the Colts last season than Shane Steichen as a play-caller and leader, and holes in Chris Ballard's roster build shined bright. But Richardson introduced his own issues by sailing throws, tapping out of a game and becoming unreliable as a rusher who could stay on the field to gain the reps that are so necessary to his development as a passer. Richardson posted the least accurate season at 47.7% completions that the NFL has seen on his volume since Tim Tebow in 2011. And now that he's missed more time in the spring to that AC joint he had surgically repaired as a rookie, so much is up in the air for the now and the future. But if the Colts are going somewhere in 2025 or beyond, and if Steichen and Ballard can continue with new ownership after Jim Irsay's passing, it'll all come down to Richardson's ability to stay on the field and seize this position by the horns. The bar isn't extremely high if he does. Richardson's rushing gives him a floor as a player, as he has averaged 5.7 yards per carry across two seasons and creates a numbers problem in the zone-read game with Jonathan Taylor that defenses still can't find a good answer to. He has nowhere to go but up in accuracy, and a season with even a 55% completion rate and fewer turnovers could mean many more explosive plays and drives where his legs can finish in a score, as he did six times in 11 games last year. His placement on this list is a little less clear than the past two seasons because of the addition of Jones, who checks in at No. 12 on this list because of the chance he could win the job and the likelihood that he'll play regardless, given Richardson's injury history. It's also fair to question the realistic possibilities of Richardson's upside after two seasons. But with still just 28 starts since high school, at 23 years old, the sample isn't big enough for conclusions. That gives hope to his flashes, such as game-winning drives against the Jets and Patriots and explosive passes like his 65-yard chart-breaking touchdown to Alec Pierce against the Texans. But it needs to come together for Richardson immediately. He needs to win this job for Week 1 and stay on the field for a majority of the season so an offense begging for quarterback stability can take off. If he can, the makings are there for a breakout. The Colts have three returning 800-yard wide receivers, an All-Pro running back in Taylor, a talented new tight end in Tyler Warren and a talented play designer in Steichen. In a winnable AFC South, the defense is strong enough to where even an average passing game could answer some of the franchise's droughts. But the floor is as low as the ceiling is high here. The Colts need to win in a significant way after missing the playoffs four straight seasons, and they need to enter Richardson's fourth season believing they have a quarterback they can extend. If that doesn't happen, the carousel that has haunted them since Andrew Luck's retirement will live on, and nobody is quite safe then.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Indianapolis Colts signed entire 2025 NFL draft class; here are the contract values
The Colts have signed their entire 2025 NFL draft class. Here are the contract values for each player. With the Indianapolis Colts having recently signed second-round pick JT Tuimoloau, their entire 2025 draft class is now under contract prior to training camp starting. Each rookie earns a four-year deal, with the team holding an option for a fifth season with Tyler Warren, which is the case league-wide for all first-round selections. The rookie wage scale sets the parameters for what a player can earn based on where they are selected in the draft. So, relatively speaking, there is little room for negotiating. However, where the negotiating does take place, especially with the early round picks, is around how much of the deal is guaranteed. This part, in particular, the guaranteed dollars, is what held up Tuimoloau and just about every other second-round pick around the NFL from signing their rookie deals until recently. For Warren, the $20.96 million that he is set to earn over his rookie deal is fully guaranteed. With Tuimoloau, it's been reported that 88% of his total contract value is guaranteed. With help from Over the Cap, here is a look at the total contract value for each of the Colts' 2025 draft picks. Indianapolis Colts 2025 NFL draft class The Colts' rookies will report for training camp on July 21st, the veterans on the 22nd, and the team's first practice will be on the 23rd.
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Most essential Colts No. 2: Jonathan Taylor remains the engine of the offense
In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be ranking the 15 most essential players to the Colts' success entering the 2025 season. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability. To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players: 1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month? 2. What does the Colts' ceiling become in 2025 and beyond if this player hits his? Unlike in recent seasons, the pressure appears to be ramping up on what this year's Colts team needs to accomplish. Anthony Richardson enters a critical third season with plenty to prove. The team is under new ownership with Jim Irsay's passing and the transition to his three daughters. And the Colts have now not made the playoffs for four seasons, with no playoff wins in six and no AFC South titles in 10. Thus, these rankings will skew a little more toward 2025 importance than they have in recent seasons. Here's the list so far: 3. Bernhard Raimann, left tackle 4. Braden Smith, right tackle 5. DeForest Buckner, defensive tackle 6. Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver 7. Charvarius Ward, cornerback 8. Camryn Bynum, safety 9. Quenton Nelson, guard 10. Tyler Warren, tight end 11. Laiatu Latu, defensive end 12. Daniel Jones, quarterback 13. Kenny Moore II, cornerback 14. Zaire Franklin, linebacker 15. Alec Pierce, wide receiver Up at No. 2 is Jonathan Taylor. Position: Running back Age: 26 Experience: 6th season Last year's rank: No. 2 2024 stats: Ran for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry with 13 starts in 14 games to reach the Pro Bowl. Why he's here: In a Colts offense that keeps a revolving door at quarterback, the upside and floor of the unit has lived through Jonathan Taylor. Ever since he arrived as a second-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2020, Taylor has been the kind of runner who is downright electric when he's on the field. He broke out with 1,169 yards as a rookie and then exploded with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns as the NFL's rushing champion in 2021, when he dragged an offense with a collapsed passing game to the doorstep of the playoffs. It's been a strange couple of seasons since, as injuries doomed parts of his 2023 season before a contract dispute the next offseason. He stormed back with 1,431 yards, 11 touchdowns and his second Pro Bowl bid last season, though it also featured a few lows along the way. Entering his sixth season, Taylor is pretty established in who he is. He's one of the very best runners in the game, with a 4.9-yard career average and 51 rushing touchdowns in 67 games. No matter how bad the offensive line or passing game around him has been, Taylor has found efficiency and explosion as a rusher. In a league where defensive coordinators can use the math of bodies to take away run games, Taylor's blend of 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed at 226 pounds with superhero vision has found a way to be an exception. He has some knocks in some other areas that are part the life of a running back and also emblematic of a bit of a one-trick player. He's not much of a receiver or pass protector. He's missed 16 games over the past three seasons. And ball security can sometimes escape him, as it most notably did when he dropped the ball while crossing the goal line last season in Denver in a mistake that likely cost the Colts a wildcard playoff spot. It's arguable that those lacking details cap Taylor's ultimate upside, in addition to the position he plays. But not every running back means the same to his team, and Taylor has emerged as the engine of the Colts' scheme and realistic upside as an offense. And they have a very different offense when he plays compared to when he doesn't. Indianapolis put too much on Taylor last season by not adding any depth in the backfield, in addition to such an erratic passing game. This year, he should get more breathers, and if that makes him more available, he'll have more cracks at the explosive runs that are hard to find but so valuable in a passing league. If Taylor can be what he already is as a runner but with better availability and fewer gaffes, he'll be the star of a Colts offense that needs to be a machine in the run game to find success in 2025. It's the best friend imaginable to a developing young passer, and it'll be important if more injuries strike Anthony Richardson and place another run-first quarterback in Daniel Jones on the field. Taylor's only surpassed on this list by the one player who holds the real keys to where this team and franchise are headed, for this season and in the future.
