The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their fourth training camp practice on Saturday. They now have Sunday off before they return to the field on Monday, and the pads will be on for that practice.
But before we look to what’s ahead, let’s take a look back at what took place in practice No. 4 with the three big things to know.
Colts‘ free agent additions in the secondary are making their mark
Overall, throughout the four practices, the coverage by the Colts’ secondary has been sticky. On Saturday specifically, Charvarius Ward was “consistently making life tough on the Colts’ receivers,” wrote ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
Then at the safety position, Cam Bynum “has shown himself to be a playmaker in the middle of the field,” Holder added.
The Colts’ pass defense last season ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in pass deflections, passer rating, completion rate, and yards per pass attempt allowed.
Also helping to make things difficult on the Colts’ offense is Lou Anarumo and his aggressive, disguise-heavy scheme.
“We’re facing a lot of tight coverage out there,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said via Colts.com. “At receiver, they’re pressing up, they’re running tightly with our receivers, which makes the quarterbacks really have to deliver the ball exactly where they want to, because a lot of times that DB is right in position to make a play if you don’t throw the ball accurately. It’s been really good from that standpoint.”
Alec Pierce puts together another strong showing
On a day where the offense struggled to generate much through the air, a bright spot was the play of Alec Pierce, who has been a standout performer all week.
Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle would write that Pierce scored “multiple times” on Saturday, with the emphasis for that practice being in the red zone. Arthur added that Pierce has been a reliable target as well and “made plays each day.”
Amanda Foster of Colts.com would write that most of Pierce’s receptions and routes have come on short to intermediate routes. As we know, he was one of the best deep threats in the NFL last season, but a priority for him this offseason has been on his route tree, so that he can attack each level of the field with consistency.
“This time, especially right now and into training camp, you try different things with him,” Shane Steichen said during OTAs. “Obviously, things he wants to get better and improve at, certain routes to keep getting better at and keep working those things so he can improve in that and we can add that to his game as well.”
“I think he just keeps doing this,” Steichen said as he motioned upward.” I really do. Obviously, the deep ball threat is there, but he’s done a great job at transitioning in and out of breaks on certain routes that we’re working on.”
Ups and downs for AD Mitchell
After battling inconsistency during his rookie season, Mitchell appears to be working through that once again in training camp, even though he put together some good practices during offseason programs, with offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter saying at that time that Mitchell was off to an “exciting start.”
The Athletic’s James Boyd would post that Mitchell’s camp has been “rough” up to this point. This includes two drops on Saturday in back-to-back plays. By Boyd’s count, that’s four drops for Mitchell over the four training camp practices.
After practice, Shane Steichen was asked about Mitchell’s play:
#Colts HC Shane Steichen on WR AD Mitchell’s struggles:
“Guys are going to have good plays. Some guys are going to have bad plays at times. And we got a lot of confidence in him. He’s a hell of a route runner. Everyone’s development is different and so we’re working …” https://t.co/uC3aLme0dq
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 26, 2025
Mitchell has already showcased his ability to create separation and get open, but consistency continues to elude him.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts training camp: 3 Things to know from practice No. 4
