Winners and losers from Colts' preseason loss to Broncos

The Indianapolis Colts opened the preseason with a 34-30 loss against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

The return of quarterback Anthony Richardson for the first time since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 was the main attraction.

Richardson and the starters were on the field for two drives and a total of seven plays so there wasn't much to take away from their snaps. Still, we took a look at how Richardson fared in his return.

The preseason opener provided the chance for plenty of players to make a name for themselves in the battle for the final roster spots.

Here's a look at the winners and losers from the preseason opener:

Winners and losers from Colts' preseason loss to Broncos

Winners

TE Mo Alie-Cox

The veteran tight end got the start with the first-team offense and was responsible for the biggest play with the starters. Richardson targeted Alie-Cox on a quick check down for about four yards on the second drive, and the rumbling tight end added an extra 15 yards after the catch. He came out when the starters did, which is interesting.

CB Micah Abraham

It was a big day for the rookie cornerback. A sixth-round pick with the Colts in the 2024 NFL Draft, Abraham didn't get on the field until the third-team defense in the second half, but he brought the juice immediately. The Marshall product stripped, recovered and returned a fumble on a kick return from Broncos running back Audric Estime.

The rookie finished with six tackles (three solo), one tackle for loss and forced an incompletion on a ball near the sideline.

QB Jason Bean

An undrafted rookie out of Kansas, Bean provided some electricity with his legs, which was expected. But he showed off some impressive passes during the fourth quarter. Bean was slinging it with, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwell. He completed 4-of-6 passes for 51 yards, a touchdown and a 132.6 passer rating. He added four carries for 24 rushing yards but also had a fumble on a scramble.

EDGE Laiatu Latu

There were few players with more anticipation going into this game. And Latu delivered in a big way. The rookie was extremely impressive against Broncos left tackle Garrett Bolles, generating consistent pressure from the edge. One of his pressures led to a Kenny Moore II interception in the first quarter.

Losers

TE Jelani Woods

The third-year tight end was reportedly buried on the depth chart through two weeks at training camp, and that appeared to be true in the preseason opener. The uber-athletic Woods didn't work with the first-team offense and didn't really get going until the second half with the backups. He did add a nice 17-yard reception, but it's clear Woods is in a battle with Will Mallory for the No. 4 spot.

OT Blake Freeland

Coming off a disappointing rookie season in which Freeland allowed pressure on a consistent basis, the former fourth-round pick didn't instill much confidence as the swing tackle. One of his pressures allowed Sunday forced Sam Ehlinger to get hit on a throw, leading to an interception. He's battling with rookie Matt Goncalves for the swing tackle role, but it wasn't a great outing.

CB Dallis Flowers

In a competition with second-year cornerback Jaylon Jones for the starting boundary role opposite JuJu Brents, it's clear Flowers has some work to do in that battle. He allowed a few receptions in coverage and was called for two brutal penalties. One was a defensive hold and the other was a 29-yard defensive pass interference penalty.

Run game

The Colts running backs didn't have much to be excited about in the loss. The trio of Jonathan Taylor, Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson combined to take 17 carries for 35 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Trey Sermon added a 12-yard reception before his hamstring injury while Hull had a nice 15-yard catch on a wheel route. It's the preseason so it's best not to overreact, but it wasn't a great outing.

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