Colts' Anthony Richardson Sr. back at practice after dislocating pinky

WESTFIELD, Ind. - On a sweltering Saturday afternoon, the inconsistency wasn't what mattered most with Anthony Richardson Sr.




It was the fact he was on the Grand Park practice fields at all.




Two days earlier, the Indianapolis Colts' third-year quarterback dislocated the pinky on his right (throwing) hand on his second series in a 24-16 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens.




Coach Shane Steichen described Richardson as day-to-day after the game, and Richardson anticipated his pinky being sore in the aftermath of being sacked by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo, but he clearly recovered quickly.




Richardson had his right pinky taped up and seemed to handle a normal workload at practice. He threw the football with velocity.




"He looked like he was gripping it normal,'' said quarterbacks coach Cam Turner. "Any time you put something on your throwing hand, it's a little different and uncomfortable, but it didn't look any different to me.''




Center Tanor Bortolini was just happy to see Richardson back at work after the dislocated pinky.




"Super. Super,'' he said. "I mean, you never want to see your quarterback get hit or go down. And so for him to not come back in the game made me real nervous.




"Obviously, as an offensive lineman, you take a lot of pride in protecting that guy. So, for him to not be protected on that play, hurts us.




"But just happy that he's OK, happy that he made it out.''




Added wideout Josh Downs: "Tough break for him. But he was out here today, so clearly he's all good.''




Richardson continued to divvy up training camp reps with Daniel Jones, but endured a subpar day throwing the football as Steichen had the offense working on low-red zone situations (at or inside the 10-yard line). He was just 1-of-6 in 11-on-11 work, which included a drop by Michael Pittman Jr. In 7-on-7 drills, Richardson was 2-of-3 with a pair of touchdown passes to AD Mitchell.




Jones was on top of his game: 5-of-6 in 11-on-11 with two TDs to Mitchell and one to tight end Mo Alie-Cox and 4-of-4 in 7-on-7 with a TD to rookie tight end Tyler Warren.




Warren's TD was another highlight clip. He was near the back of the end zone and had to leap for Jones' high throw. Warren secured it and managed to get both feet down before going out of bounds.




Mitchell dominates, again




It's hard to determine which was hotter Saturday at Grand Park.




The weather. Or AD Mitchell.




With the temperature in the low 90s and the sun beating down, Mitchell warmed to the task. Richardson and Jones combined for 19 passes in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 work, and the 2024 second-round draft pick pulled down four for touchdowns. Mitchell caught two from Jones in full-team settings and two from Richardson in 7-on-7 sessions.




Each time, the enthusiastic Mitchell celebrated by spinning the football on the ground.




"He's having fun,'' position coach Reggie Wayne said. "That's what I tell him all the time. I say, 'This should not feel like work. It should feel like fun. Whenever it feels like work, then you need to turn in your papers.'''




Saturday was the latest in a long string of strong camp practices. Mitchell has been one of the best players at Grand Park, and his confidence seems to be growing.




"I'm gonna tell you, AD definitely doesn't lack confidence,'' Wayne said with a laugh. "That is the least of his worries. It's just about him getting more comfortable.




"Last year was his rookie year, so you saw rookie moments. This year is his second year, and he understands the schedule, what's expected. He knows more about the offense, quarterback reads, all of those things. You're going to get better and better as the year goes on and you get comfortable.




"Sky's the limit for him.''




Franklin progressing




Zaire Franklin's return from offseason ankle surgery took another step. The veteran linebacker and the NFL's leading tackler from a year ago participated in 11-on-11 work for the first time.




Franklin missed several practices at the start of training camp but has been gradually worked into drills.




Injury update




Rookie defensive end JT Tuimoloau was back at practice Saturday after exiting Thursday's game with a knee injury.




Cornerbacks Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents continued to miss practice with hamstring injuries.




You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.



via: https://fox59.com/news/colts-anthony-richardson-sr-back-at-practice-after-dislocating-pinky/