WESTFIELD — Riley Leonard was given a chance to shine on a rainy Saturday that drove the Colts inside the Grand Park Events Center.
For the first time in training camp, the snaps were not split evenly between Leonard and Anthony Richardson, the two men battling for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Daniel Jones. Leonard was given two opportunities with the No. 2 offense that did not go to Richardson: six snaps at the start of practice and an extended two-minute drill at the end of practice.
The disparity likely does not mean anything at this point in camp. Saturday’s practice was the first session scheduled for an hour and a half, and the two extra periods given to Leonard were added to the existing format of the three Colts practices earlier in the week. When Indianapolis returns to the practice field Monday, Richardson might be given a chance to even the snap count.
But Leonard did a good job taking advantage of his extra time Saturday, particularly in the two-minute drill.
A lot of two-minute drills are slow and methodical. Jones completed all six of his passes in his opportunity with the first-team offense, ripping off three first downs before a Laiatu Latu sack on third down gave the No. 1 defense a win.
Leonard broke his drive wide-open on the second play. After second-year safety Trey Washington broke up a short Leonard throw over the middle to start the drive, Leonard deftly navigated the pocket on second-and-10, saw Nick Westbrook-Ikhine break open deep behind the secondary and uncorked a bomb, leading Westbrook-Ikhine for the first true deep ball of camp. Another completion to Westbrook-Ikhine and a Seth McGowan run later, Leonard floated a third-down pass to Drew Ogletree for the score, then converted two points by scrambling up the middle for a successful drive.
His two-minute drill lasted only five plays. The Colts coaching staff — working without head coach Shane Steichen, who was forced to miss practice due to a personal matter — brought the No. 2 units back to midfield. Leonard hit Deion Burks for a gain on an out, then sandwiched two incomplete passes around a Micheal Clemons sack to miss his second opportunity.
That throw to Westbrook-Ikhine, though, leaves an impression. Leonard was 8 of 15 on the day, and there have been times in the first four days when he’s either held the ball too long or misfired on a throw, but he has a knack for rising to the moment.
Richardson completed 1 of 3 passes in 11-on-11 work, his lone completion a strike to Burks.
Rookie runner
Rookie running back Seth McGowan earned the ultimate compliment after the biggest run of the day.
McGowan took a handoff to the right, burst through a hole and cut back for a touchdown, a big play that carries a little bit of an asterisk because the Colts are still not in pads.
But there are people who can erase the “no pads” designation, and perennial All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson put his stamp of approval on McGowan’s red-zone run by jogging over to meet the rookie coming out of the end zone and offer McGowan congratulations, a sign that the run would have been a big play even if the Colts had been tackling live.
McGowan later made another decisive cut in red-zone work to get into the end zone. The Kentucky product, a seventh-round pick, has been decisive through the hole, and he runs with power. Four days into training camp, the rookie is making a case to be Jonathan Taylor’s primary backup at the running back position.
No fly in the red
Sauce Gardner didn’t get many chances to show the Colts what he can do after Indianapolis traded two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets at the trade deadline last year. A calf strain ended Gardner’s season before he could make a full first impression.
Four days into training camp, Gardner has shown what he can do, and it’s apparent that his length allows him to be a difficult presence in the red zone. Indianapolis focused on the red zone and the two-minute drill Saturday; Gardner broke up three passes, including back-to-back throws when the Colts were working on red-zone plays inside the 10-yard line.
For context, Jones was efficient Saturday, completing 11 of 15 passes while throwing a gorgeous, leaping touchdown to tight end Tyler Warren.
Three of the starting quarterback’s four incompletions were broken up by Gardner.
Early riser
Westbrook-Ikhine has put together a strong couple of days to stand out among the group of receivers competing for snaps behind Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
One day after making a big, contested catch down the field, Westbrook-Ikhine flashed his speed to break open Leonard’s two-minute drill, and he also made a tough contested catch against Gardner early in the practice. A big-bodied receiver at 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, Westbrook-Ikhine is known for making big plays down the field with his speed, but the Indiana product has been a physical presence in training camp so far, walling off defenders to make catches in close quarters.
If Westbrook-Ikhine can keep it going, he can give the Colts another big-play threat.
Roll call
Veteran linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither returned to practice after missing two days due to an illness, and all four players who were given veteran’s rest days — running back Jonathan Taylor, nose tackle Grover Stewart, cornerback Charvarius Ward and tight end Mo Alie-Cox — were back at practice on Saturday afternoon.
A pair of defensive veterans, cornerback Cameron Mitchell and nose tackle Derrick Nnadi, did not practice. Mitchell appeared to injure his right shoulder in Friday’s practice; he was examined by trainers after breaking up a pass at cornerback.
Alec Pierce remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Quick hitters
Indianapolis continues to struggle with snaps at the second-team level. Backup center Jimmy Morrissey snapped the ball over Leonard’s head twice, and Leonard made an excellent grab on another high snap. Dalton Tucker has snapped it high over Leonard’s head before, and Richardson had issues catching the snap on Friday, in addition to a couple of low snaps. … Warren has been excellent in camp so far, but he did have a drop in 7-on-7 drills. … Jaylon Carlies was given a chance to play next to CJ Allen at linebacker with the No. 1 defense. The Colts have rotated at least six players into the starting lineup at the overhauled position, partially due to injury and partially due to competition at the position. … Defensive end Jaylahn Tuimolaou had a “sack” of Jones. The pass rush will begin to heat up when the Colts play in full pads for the first time Monday. … The Colts like second-year cornerback Johnathan Edwards, an undrafted free agent who played more than 300 snaps defensively, but he has been a little too physical through the first four days of training camp. Edwards has been flagged three times in coverage. … Carson Towt, the Notre Dame basketball player who is making the transition to tight end, is still learning how to use his body. Towt was flagged in 1-on-1 drills for running over a safety.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts training camp observations: Riley Leonard comes up big in two-minute drill
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
