Quarterback Anthony Richardson asked for a trade away from the Colts this offseason, but no deal came and Richardson is now taking part in the team’s offseason workouts.
Richardson is competing for the No. 2 quarterback job with Riley Leonard and he was asked on Wednesday whether it feels awkward to be practicing with the team after spending the offseason in search of a new home.
“No, I don’t think so. I signed a contract,” Richardson said. “I was still on this team before the trade stuff. I’ve got an obligation to this team to come out here and play and perform, be ready to play if they need me. I don’t think it’s weird or awkward.”
Richardson said he just wanted to get back to work after missing most of last season with an eye injury and declined to say if he’s still hoping for a trade.
“I’m not really focused on that right now,” Richardson said. “I’m here right now. I’m just trying to make sure I’m staying healthy and keeping everything up there in the mind.”
Richardson’s three years in the NFL have featured a mix of injuries and underwhelming play, which helps to explain why trade interest has not materialized. That may leave winning the backup job to Daniel Jones as his best path to seeing the field in 2026.
A veteran receiver is hanging up his cleats.
The Cowboys placed Parris Campbell on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday, according to the league’s daily transaction wire.
Campbell, 28, was a Colts second-round pick in 2019. But he had a lot of trouble staying healthy in his first few years before playing all 17 games in 2022. That was his best season, as he caught 63 passes for 623 yards with three touchdowns.
Since then, Campbell has bounced around the NFC East. He played 12 games for the Giants in 2023 before winning Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles, appearing in all three postseason games for the club.
Campbell spent last season on Dallas’ practice squad, appearing in just one game.
In his seven seasons, Campbell caught a total of 123 passes for 1,117 yards with six TDs.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was not able to participate in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills during Wednesday’s OTA practice open to media.
But Jones was able to take part in individual drills, representing a positive step as he continues his rehab process after suffering a torn Achilles in December.
Jones told reporters after Wednesday’s session that he “absolutely” is still expecting to start the Colts’ Week 1 matchup against the Ravens.
“Definitely still work to be done and progress to be made,” Jones said, via James Boyd of TheAthletic.com. “So, I think it’s just continuing to get stronger, continuing to run faster, cut harder, and progress, kind of, according to the program.
“But it’s been good. I think we’ve hit all our marks so far, and we’ll continue to do that.”
Jones added that he’s feeling good and that it’s helpful to be able to come out and be a part of things with his teammates.
Before his injury last season, Jones completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 13 games.
There’s some positive news on the injury front when it comes to the Colts and their starting quarterback.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Daniel Jones participated in individual drills during Indianapolis’ Wednesday OTA practice.
Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon in early December. But the stated goal from both the team and the quarterback himself has been for him to be able to play Week 1.
Jones, however, did not participate in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills on Wednesday.
Once the Colts reached that point in practice, Anthony Richardson took over as QB1.
Richardson was — and presumably still could be — on the trading block. But after Indianapolis was unable to find a trade partner earlier in the offseason, the QB reported to the Colts’ building and has been a part of the offseason program.
Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan are also on Indianapolis’ roster at QB.
Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward considered retiring from the NFL at the end of the 2025 season, but he opted to go the other way and returned for a second season with the club.
Ward only played in seven games during his first season in Indianapolis as three concussions caused him to miss significant time. Ward also dealt with the death of his daughter in 2024 and said on Wednesday that “his heart was super heavy” because of that loss. He said it “got to the point in training camp where it had got real hard for me” to keep going through the associated mental and emotional challenges.
Ward said that he feels in a better place on those fronts and that his offseason workouts showed him that he was still capable of playing at a high level.
“I just feel good,’ Ward said. “I’ve just been working on myself, and I didn’t want to finish my career like I finished last season. A lot of stuff happened out of my control. Emotionally, I wasn’t ready like I thought I was going to be ready. Getting my fam out here with me this season, they’re going to be close with me this year, and I think that’s going to help me out a lot. Just being whole and happy.”
The Colts traded for Sauce Gardner during the 2025 season, but he missed time with a calf injury and the duo didn’t get to play together after the deal. Changing that would be a step in the right direction for Ward and the Colts.
