From Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson to vaunted CB tandem, 4 takeaways from Colts training camp

WESTFIELD, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts will hold their first padded practice of training camp Monday. That will mark another milestone in the returns from injury for players including high-profile ones in quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson, and cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Jones fractured his left fibula and then tore his right Achilles tendon in games last season. Richardson fractured his orbital bone (eye socket) in a pregame warmup. Gardner strained his left calf after the Colts traded for him in November.

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Where are each of them and what else is worth watching from Colts camp? Here are four takeaways from Yahoo Sports’ Sunday training camp visit to Grand Park Sports Campus, where Colts camp is well underway …

1) Daniel Jones’ rehab: Cleared doesn’t necessarily mean 100 percent

Doctors cleared Jones to fully participate in training camp practices. That doesn’t mean he’s back to 100 percent of his health and mobility before the December Achilles tear, an injury the NFL has historically viewed as requiring a nine-month recovery period (though some players have beat that timeline in recent years). Padded work will help clarify his progress more than last week’s shells work. 

The Colts believe Jones can run back the type of performance that sparked their 8-2 start last season. The key for Jones will be understanding not just how his Achilles is progressing but also how he’s otherwise tweaking any mechanics or fundamentals. It’s unlikely Jones’ Achilles tear wasn’t related to compensation for his fractured fibula (they came on different legs), so recovering fully and wisely is crucial. Some teams are stricter on mandating specific layoff periods to reduce the risk of reinjury. Other teams are more willing to let a players’ rehabilitation progress dictate limitations. 

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Jones posted a career-best 100.2 passer rating last season in Indy after six less efficient seasons with the New York Giants. And Colts teammates rave about his work ethic and leadership, from the meticulousness he approached rehab with to the focus he’s since brought back to the field. The Colts believe in him enough that they awarded Jones a two-year, $88 million deal with $49 million guaranteed. His 2027 salary is not guaranteed. So Jones’ 2026 health and performance will dictate the future of the position.

2) Anthony Richardson is … still a Colt

The Colts drafted Richardson with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Colts brass told me during training camp 2023 that they knew he’d take them on a roller coaster, with the upside a home run hit but the downside … rocky. The Colts have had more rocky moments than home runs in three years since, from Richardson’s 50 percent completion rating to him checking out of a game to his eye socket fracture last year. And while he’s healed some since then, and he’s getting back into the swing of football, it’s worth keeping in mind how, well, necessary vision is to strong quarterbacking. NFL quarterbacks are asked to process and diagnose immense amounts of information in high speed, sorting through defensive disguises and guiding their own teammates on alignment. Orbital fractures could prompt double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity or challenges with depth perception, according to the Central Valley Eye Medical Group that operates on orbital trauma. For a quarterback who already struggled with accuracy, any vision complications could further trouble his ability to produce efficiently. 

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All of this complicates any deal for Richardson, who requested a trade this spring. Also complicating a trade: Why wouldn’t the Colts want the best value they could get for a wildly athletic prospect they once spent premium draft capital on? 

3) Could Colts finally get their vaunted CB tandem on the field together?

The Colts dealt the New York Jets two first-round draft picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell in exchange for Gardner last November. They were excited about how he and fellow cornerback Charvarius Ward could torment quarterbacks. But Gardner’s calf strain and Ward’s concussion limited the duo to just one full game together. In training camp, they’re both back to full participation.

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Gardner’s length is already flashing in team periods, including a pass breakup out of a base coverage in red-zone work. “God gave him those long arms,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo told me, “so he just got in there and knocked it down.” Having a full training camp will allow Gardner to more chronologically adjust to a scheme that hinges more heavily on coverages than the Jets ran in Gardner’s days in New York. And Ward is continuing to impress coaches, too. Some cornerbacks, coaches like to say, adopt a leadership style that reflects the island they’re on in many plays. Ward has surprised and impressed with his more vocal style. “He’s constantly communicating,” Anarumo said. “Primarily in teams situations, if it’s a third down or a key red zone like, ‘Hey, lock into this’ or ‘lock into that.’ You can see he’s talking to individuals. It’s been great.”

4) Second act for TE Tyler Warren, loading 

The Colts selected tight end Tyler Warren with the 14th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Penn State product translated immediately to the NFL — as a blocker and as a productive pass-catcher who raced to 817 yards and four touchdowns his rookie year. The Colts credit part of that production to Warren’s physical makeup: he’s 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds, built tough with competitive endurance and a high learning capacity, tight ends coach Tom Manning told Yahoo Sports. But credit also head coach Shane Steichen for scheming Warren creatively. Given how drastically tight-end usage can range from team to team, NFL front offices care deeply about head coach buy-in when drafting a tight end in the first round. (Maybe this sounds obvious for first-round picks, but consider that players at positions like receiver and cornerback are more likely to be relevant every snap than tight ends sometimes are.) One example the Colts are proud of: Warren’s 41-yard play against the Denver Broncos last September, when the Colts edged the eventual AFC championship-appearing Broncos 29-28. Warren initially came from the backfield before leaking through the offensive line. Because of the Colts’ high-end running game, the Broncos had reason to think he was headed out to lead block. Instead, Jones hit him 19 yards downfield and Warren barreled another 22 yards before he was tackled. 

Expect plenty more opportunity for Warren, who’s already shown he can handle complicated responsibilities and now further climbs the pecking order with the departure of receiver Michael Pittman Jr. One area to watch Warren this year: late in the season. He started more strongly than he finished his rookie year, and it will be interesting to see how much that reflects him playing with a carousel of quarterbacks that included 44-year-old Philip Rivers. Already in training camp, he has flashed, including with a touchdown in seven-on-seven and a catch down the sideline. When Jones gets out of the pocket, he believes he can rely on Warren to be where the quarterback expects him — and thus targets him generously accordingly.