Biggest takeaways from Day 9 of Indianapolis Colts training camp

The Indianapolis Colts put the pads on for Day 9 of training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.

With the rain coming down for a sloppy day in the elements, Wednesday's practice was overshadowed by a crucial injury that seemingly could have been avoided.

Second-year wide receiver Josh Downs left practice in a painful way after being tackled to the ground by safety Nick Cross — a rare occurrence as teams look to avoid injuries.

Here's a look at the biggest takeaways from Wednesday's practice:

Takeaways from Day 9 of Colts training camp

Josh Downs injures ankle

The dominating storyline from Wednesday's practice was an unfortunate one. The shift slot receiver suffered a high-ankle sprain on a play that could have been totally avoided. During a 7-on-7 drill, Downs took a quick reception with safety Nick Cross in coverage.

Cross tackled Downs to the ground, and the second-year receiver immediately was in pain, according to several reports. He had trouble putting weight on his left ankle as he was essentially carried off the field to the medical tent.

Head coach Shane Steichen wasn't pleased with the play. “We’ve got to be smart,” Steichen said. "We are competing like crazy, but we’ve got to stay off the ground and can’t go down.”

It's a play that should have been avoided, and now the Colts will have an injury question lingering over one of their most dynamic pass-catchers.

Up-and-down day for Anthony Richardson

Considering the pouring rain, this was a good practice for Richardson to deal with the elements. By most accounts, Richardson was accurate on his short passes, but there were some timing issues on intermediate and deep throws.

However, he was able to salvage his day with a big 30-yard gain down the field to Michael Pittman Jr. near the end of practice. Pittman has been Richardson's favorite target, unsurprisingly, through nine practices with the duo connecting 14 times.

Laiatu Latu taking over?

The defensive line will feature a heavy rotation on the edge, especially with Samson Ebukam out with a torn Achilles. However, it seems Latu was the one being favored for the first-team reps even with the return of Dayo Odeyingbo from a calf injury.

According to Jake Arthur of Sports Illustrated , "The rookie has been showing out in camp, routinely finding himself in the backfield and drawing rave reviews from his teammates."

Will the starters play in preseason opener?

The Colts are preparing for the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Aug. 11. It hasn't been officially determined whether the starters will play, but it seems likely they'll get some run. Steichen told reporters the decision will be made Thursday.

During the preseason opener last year, the offensive starters were on the field for three series.

Injury report

NFI list : DT Raekwon Davis (illness)

Did not practice: TE Will Mallory (hamstring), LB Jaylon Carlies (hip), LB Liam Anderson (undisclosed), S Kendall Brooks (undisclosed), DE Tyquan Lewis (undisclosed), WR Ashton Dulin (undisclosed), C Wesley French (leg)

Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (calf) returned to practice after nearly missing a full week. Fellow edge rusher Genard Avery (leg) exited practice early with a wrap on his upper leg.

Quick notes

According to Kevin Bowen of 1075 The Fan , Jelani Woods "was taking some developmental reps on Wednesday with Kedon Slovis and Jason Bean at quarterback." Bowen also said Woods "has a ways to go to move his way up the depth chart."

With Josh Downs out for roughly a month, rookie Anthony Gould should get a shot at the starting slot role. There is likely to be a rotation there, however.

Safety Rodney Thomas II continues to earn a larger share of the first-team reps with Nick Cross.

Several reports noted a strong day from cornerback JuJu Brents, who made some plays on the ball in 11-on-11 drills.

What's next?

The Colts will have Thursday off before returning to practice Friday at 10:00 a.m. ET for a light day.

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