The Indianapolis Colts have all the makings of a frisky team in the AFC. Their second-year QB Anthony Richardson flashed potential in his rookie season before suffering some tough injuries. Indy also has a stout defense with an incredibly talented front seven. One member of that group, rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu, is getting rave reviews in training camp.
Latu has dominated at times in Colts training camp practices. He has steadily kept the pressure on coaches to increase his playing time and he has rewarded that decision with consistently impactful performances.
Even more impressively, Latu's presence is forcing Anthony Richardson to think twice on running plays.
“You can't just pull the ball expecting to get outside as easily as it should be,” Richardson said, per ESPN's Stephen Holder. “He's a great player, great young player and he keeps me honest.”
This is high praise from Richardson, who has gone on the record repeatedly that he does not want to change his playing style. Latu forcing him to make tough decisions is a huge vote of confidence in the young defensive end.
The Indianapolis Colts drafted Laiatu Latu with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Latu had an impressive collegiate career with two elite seasons at UCLA.
Latu suffered a devastating neck injury early in his collegiate career that nearly ended his football career. In fact, University of Washington doctors recommended he never play again. That is a scary situation to carry into the NFL, but Latu has proven that he has the skills to become an elite edge rusher — as long as he can stay healthy.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson drops a bold take ahead of the 2024 NFL season
Anthony Richardson's development as an NFL QB did not stop once his rookie year ended with an injury.
When he could be on the field, Richardson took the opportunity to sit back to watch and learn more about the NFL game.
According to head coach Shane Steichen, Richardson created a “memory bank full of different looks and things we’re going to run in the season.”
Richardson is showing off just how much he's improved over the offseason during Colts training camp.
“The communication is definitely, has advanced for us. Last year was more so, ‘OK, follow the read, do this,’” Richardson said, via Michael Marot of the Associated Press. “Now it’s like, ‘OK, if the defense does this, now I want you to think about this right here.’ Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s just trying to find ways to tweak our offense and get comfortable with each other. But I definitely feel like there’s been a huge jump from last year to this year.”
We can't wait to see what Richardson has in store for his sophomore season.
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