by Kevin Hickey
The Indianapolis Colts officially concluded the preseason Thursday night with a 27-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Though the Eagles rested their starters, the Colts had their starting units on the field for the entire first half before giving way to the second and third teams.
Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson got the start and found himself in the gray area. He showed plenty of promise but also some extreme growing pains, which is to be expected throughout the entire regular season. So he won’t be on this list.
Regardless, here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win over the Eagles:
STUD: RB Evan Hull
The rookie back didn’t light up the box score, but he looked the best he had throughout the preseason. Hull looked fluid following his blocks while making precise decisions without hesitation. He took six carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, which he punched in at the goal line. This performance solidified his spot on the 53-man roster.
DUD: WR Alec Pierce
We should not be concerned about Pierce in the slightest just yet. He’s still working on the deep-ball connection with Anthony Richardson, and that’s not something that will happen overnight. But Pierce failed to haul in any of his three targets against the Eagles backup secondary. It will eventually happen because both Pierce and Richardson are talented. It just didn’t go well Thursday night.
STUD: QB Gardner Minshew
Not that his performance will impact the decision to make Anthony Richardson the starter, but we still have to recognize a strong outing. Minshew completed 9-of-11 passes for 107 yards, one touchdown and a 135.6 passer rating.
DUD: WR Josh Downs
Like Pierce, we shouldn’t be concerned about Downs. He’s shown enough during the preseason to warrant plenty of optimism. In fact, his stock technically rose due to the fact that he played every snap with the starters while Isaiah McKenzie worked with the second-team. However, he failed to bring in either of his two targets, and he had an rough drop on a third-down attempt from Anthony Richardson. It was Richardson’s best throw of the game and though it was a little firm, the ball went right through Downs’ hands. The rookie will bounce back, and we should be excited for what’s to come.
STUD: TE Will Mallory
The rookie tight end wound up having a strong preseason and capped it off by leading the team with 43 receiving yards in the finale. Mallory’s speed and YAC ability has shown up right away, and he secured his spot on the roster with another impressive performance Thursday night.
STUD: CB Darrell Baker Jr.
Baker Jr. wasn’t perfect on the night as he allowed a reception or two, but he solidified his role as a starting boundary cornerback. The second-year undrafted free agent recorded two passes defensed and provided sticky coverage to force incompletions on a handful of other targets throughout the first half.
STUD: RG Carter O’Donnell
Stepping in for Will Fries, who did not play due to a calf injury, O’Donnell may have solidified his role on the offensive line. Working the entire first half of the game with the starters, O’Donnell didn’t allow a sack and held his own pretty well against a stout Eagles front even if it was their backups.
Originally posted on coltswire.usatoday.com