OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The signs were there: a miniature skirmish and exchanging of pleasantries when Marlon Humphrey stopped Michael Pittman short of the goal line, and Malaki Starks came over and swatted at the ball; some one-on-one battles that went beyond the whistle; some inadvertent — or perhaps semi-inadvertent — extra contact.
But when things finally came to a head, they boiled over quickly. Nate Wiggins and Tyler Goodson got in a fight that caused both sidelines to erupt during the Indianapolis Colts‘ joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, a wild moment in what was otherwise a mostly intense but collected practice.
Baltimore cornerback Keyon Martin and Goodson were matched up with one another during a Colts punting drill, with Martin as the blocker and Goodson as the gunner. There was some chirping and contact between Martin, Goodson and Starks after the rep was over, and then Wiggins came flying in from the sideline and delivered several punches on Goodson before both teams got into the fray. Wiggins ended up getting ejected for his actions.
“We want to play it like it’s a game, so here’s an opportunity to handle those situations like you’re going to handle them in a game, and we did 99% of the time, but we didn’t on that play,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.
“You can pretty much chalk it up and predict that it’s going to happen, because it’s one of those full-field, really competitive drills. It happened, but it should be a learning experience opportunity for our team, too. You don’t have to throw a punch to get thrown out in the game. You go back at them, they may throw you out, and the officials threw both of those guys out. So that’s an opportunity for us to learn from.”
Here’s what else unfolded during a lengthy intrasquad practice.
After practice ended, Colts coach Shane Steichen announced Anthony Richardson will start the Colts’ preseason game against the Ravens Thursday and play about a quarter-and-a-half. Daniel Jones will start the second preseason game, against the Packers.
It’s a continuation of what we saw Tuesday and has been the general vibe throughout training camp: Neither quarterback has truly separated himself. Tuesday, Jones got more reps with the starters in team settings, though Richardson had the better start to the day, completing a nice layered throw to Alec Pierce over the middle of the field before finding Josh Downs on a quick short throw. Jones then had a completion to Adonai Mitchell along the sideline and another completion on an RPO.
However, the clear highlight of the day for the Colts offense came on a deep shot from Richardson to Mitchell. Mitchell, facing Wiggins, had a step on the defender, contorted his body and ripped a 50/50 ball away from Wiggins, a strong catch on a solid (but not perfect) throw. It was an example of Richardson giving his receiver a shot down the field — something he hasn’t done enough so far in his career — and Mitchell made a play.
Both Jones and Richardson showed some good things on seven-on-seven later in the practice session, with Jones finding Downs on three straight throws at one point, including a throw over the middle of the field between three defenders. Richardson had a strong throw to Mitchell along the sideline. He did throw low and short to a tight end in the middle of the field, but it looked like his target completed the catch.
In a red zone drill, Richardson threw a touchdown to Ashton Dulin. Dulin broke free quickly, and it took Richardson a bit to find him, but once he did, he made an accurate throw to the back of the end zone.
Both quarterbacks got a chance in the two-minute drill to end practice, and Jones, with the first team, fared better, finding Tyler Warren on a pair of throws and Downs on a quick accurate throw that allowed him to turn past his defender and get upfield. Spencer Shrader missed a long field goal to the left. Richardson, with the second team, had a pair of short completions before the drive fell apart. Mike Green got a clean win off the edge for a sack. And on the next play, Richardson stood no chance as the pocket crumbled almost immediately.
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Adonai Mitchell, Hunter Wohler among Colts standouts
Mitchell was on fire, especially early in practice. The catch against Wiggins was a great example of what made him such an intriguing prospect coming out of Texas last year: speed, body control, contested catch ability. He also showed off some slick route running throughout the day and generally got the better of the Ravens defensive backs, especially in one-on-one work.
Mitchell caught just 23 of 55 targets (41.8%) last year, the worst mark in the NFL, though much of that can be chalked up to poor quarterback play — 14 of his targets were classified as “inaccurate” by Pro Football Focus. He also had four drops and has had some drop issues in previous practices. But he was a clear standout Tuesday, with his considerable talent fully on display.
Hunter Wohler also stood out for Indianapolis with interceptions on each of the Ravens’ two-minute drills. Against the Ravens’ starters, Wohler stayed home as Lamar Jackson rolled out to the right and came down with the interception when Jackson tried to throw back across his body. Against the Ravens’ second team, Wohler made a diving pick after Cooper Rush’s pass was broken up.
Wohler, a seventh-round pick out of Wisconsin, was all over the field on both defense and special teams, a great sign for a Colts secondary that’s been bumped and bruised this preseason.
Ravens tight ends lead passing attack
The Ravens received some tough injury news last week when Isaiah Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot. But Tuesday, the Ravens other tight ends picked up the slack. Charlie Kolar had two of the Ravens’ most explosive plays in team settings, catching a Jackson pass on a big crossing route and rumbling down the sidelines on one play and then rising between two defenders and coming down despite a big hit (especially for practice standards) a bit later.
Mark Andrews was also plenty busy on the day, on the receiving end on several Jackson throws. Most of Andrews’ work came on shorter and intermediate throws, but he has impressed all training camp, running hard after catches and using his size, smarts and route running to get open against both linebackers and safeties. He also came down with a touchdown on the Ravens’ first rep of seven-on-seven red zone work.
- It’s difficult to evaluate the running game in training camp, but both Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry had some good moments. On one occasion, Henry broke through a big hole and had a full head of steam running towards Cam Bynum, who made a smart business decision of just lightly wrapping up. Taylor also had a really good run, showing patience before bursting through a seam up the middle. Taylor also showed great speed on an outside run — and may have scored a touchdown — in a red zone drill.
- In general, the Ravens offensive line very much held their own, though the Colts did manage one sack, mostly thanks to the coverage. Eventually, Kwity Paye broke through, and the play was blown dead.
- Green took over down the stretch of practice, at one point getting pressure on seemingly every snap. He showed off some really impressive speed and bend on the play he was credited with a sack, blazing past Blake Freeland with a shoulder dip.
- Third-round rookie Justin Walley had one of the plays of the day for the Colts defensively, breaking up a deep Jackson pass intended for Rashod Bateman. The Colts’ sideline erupted after the play. However, Walley later left practice with an injury.
- You can see what the Colts have in mind with Pittman, Mitchell, Downs and Pierce at wide receiver. Pittman is a big guy who can be counted on in the short and intermediate game, Downs is a slot maven, Pierce is a big-play threat, and Mitchell is a skilled guy on the outside. Pierce had a couple of nice routes and catches on in-breaking routes.
- Also catching my eye for Indianapolis: safety Nick Cross and linebacker Cameron McGrone. McGrone got extra work with Zaire Franklin not practicing. Charvarius Ward (limited) and Cross combined for some nice coeverages downfield.
- Also catching my eye for Baltimore: Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali showed just how much running back depth the Ravens have. Travis Jones continues to stand tall against the run, too. Dayton Wade had a nice catch in red zone drills, and Devontez Walker and Anthony Miller made some plays.
- Both teams ripped off a big return. It looked like the Colts’ Anthony Gould would have taken the first rep of a kickoff drill all the way for a touchdown. The same applied for a LaJohntay Wester return for the Ravens.