The Indianapolis Colts are set to begin mandatory minicamp Tuesday, which marks the final three days they will be together as a team before breaking for summer.
Though it’s often said jobs aren’t won in the spring, practices at minicamp can help set the foundation for positional battles and depth chart climbers when training camp and the preseason arrive in August.
Here are six things to watch for as the Colts begin minicamp Tuesday:
1
Anthony Richardson's workload
Without a doubt, the biggest thing to watch over the next three days will be how much work Richardson gets with the first team. He could see a significant amount or he may see none at all. He and Gardner Minshew have split reps through OTAs with Minshew taking the majority of first-team reps when the media has been there.
2
Offensive line rotation
One of the healthiest groups going into minicamp, the offensive line has been relatively set throughout OTAs. Will Fries has been working as the starting right guard, and we shouldn’t expect that to change much this week. What will be interesting to watch is the rotation behind them. Fourth-round pick Blake Freeland has been working with the second team, and the depth behind the starting tackles is suspect at best.
3
Injuries
There have been a lot of injuries to monitor throughout OTAs leading into minicamp. This will give us an idea of which ones are truly precautionary and which ones we will need to monitor heavily going into training camp. Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Shaquille Leonard (back) are the big names to watch while Michael Pittman Jr. (hip), Josh Downs (knee), Jelani Woods (hamstring), Alec Pierce (foot) and Darius Rush (hamstring) are others to keep an eye on.
4
UDFAs to monitor
Undrafted rookie free agents are always fun to watch at minicamp. It seems every year there are a handful who make a strong impression going into training camp. A few to keep an eye on this week include guard Emil Ekiyor Jr., wide receiver/running back Zavier Scott and linebackers Liam Anderson and Donavan Mutin.
5
Cornerback room
The cornerback room is a major question mark entering minicamp. There are injuries with rookies Julius Brents (wrist surgery) and Darius Rush (hamstring), and there also is the investigation surrounding Isaiah Rodgers Sr.’s potential gambling violations. It isn’t clear if Rodgers Sr. is allowed to practice amid the investigation, but he hasn’t been seen at OTAs at all even before the news was released. This position is a major question mark right now.
6
Fringe veterans making impressions
With so many injuries, this will give some of the veterans a chance to make an impression before training camp. Wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Breshad Perriman joined the roster this offseason in hopes of grabbing a roster spot while players like tight end Pharoah Brown, defensive tackle Taven Bryan and defensive end Genard Avery will look to climb the depth chart.
