Colts preseason opener observations: Anthony Richardson has some evident rust in his return to NFL action

The Indianpolis Colts only used their first and second team sparingly in the preseason debut.

The third-team defense struggled mightily to stop the Broncos' offense, which led to the Cotls' loss of 34 to 30 on the day.

You never want to lose but the outcome during preseason games mean absoulty nothing for the 2024 season. But I still leave this game with multiple clear takeaways in regards to the Colts current roster.

Biggest takeaways from the Colts preseason opener

Anthony Richardson needs more reps ahead of the regular season

The Colts' starting offense only played two possessions, but you could see the rust on Anthony Richardson, who missed the majority of his rookie season with an injury. He ended the day completing two of his four pass attempts for 25 yards. He was late with multiple of his reads and was just off in terms of accuracy. I don't think it's something that should worry the team or the fans, but I think it shows that he needs more reps before the massive Week 1 game against the Houston Texans.

Though it was a shaky outing for Richardson, there were some positives. I think he made the appropriate read on all of his throws, one of which was a quick fire to an area where a free blitzer left from for a solid gain to TE Mo Alie-Cox. The Colts will have joint practices with the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals before their preseason matchups. This typically means the starters won't play in the actual game. I hope the Colts take a different approach with Richardson because it's clear he has some rust he needs to shake off, which is normal for a player coming off a season-ending injury.

The Colts need help in the secondary

The Colts were without Juju Brents today as the team played it safe with their starting CB. Jaylon Jones had some solid reps, which gives some hope at CB, but Dallis Flowers had a really rough go throughout the game. Flowers was flagged multiple times, as well as just being out of position time and time again. He definitely didn't do himself any favors as he tried to earn a starting job in the Colts' CB room. Regarding safety, Nick Cross had some bright spots throughout the game, which was good to see.

But it's clear that the Colts are going to have issues at safety and corner while their young players develop and become more comfortable playing at the pro level. And I think rolling with their current starters at those spots could be detrimental to their 2024 season . Signing Justin Simmons at safety would be a major help, but I think they should also consider bringing back a familiar face at CB, with veteran Stephon Gilmore still a free agent.

Rookie edge rusher Laiatu Latu appears to be the real deal

Colts 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu played snaps with both the first and second-team defenses in the first half of the preseason opener. And while he didn't record a sack on the day, Latu was simply dominant when on the field. He appeared to win nearly every rep he had, with him living in the backfield just moments away from a sack.

I think he showed the player his stellar training camp performance, which also translates to an NFL field. I think it's only a matter of time before Latu is strictly running with the Colts starters. The team believes he is going to be an instant impact player for their defense .

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