The Indianapolis Colts finished their preseason opener against the New England Patriots in a draw, 13-13.
The first week of the NFL preseason can be tough to evaluate, given how many of the players are rookies, backups, or fringe roster names.
However, we learned quite a bit about these six players from the Colts in yesterday evening’s tie in Foxborough.
With that in mind, it’s time for the first Risers and Fallers for the 2026 season.
Let’s begin.
Riser | Anthony Richardson Sr.
Anthony Richardson Sr. had a lot riding on this game, and after starting rough with an interception and fumble, he recovered nicely to finish his first half strong.
Richardson concluded with 11/14 completions for 145 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, and a score on the ground.
There are still two preseason games left, but Richardson showed a lot in this one.
He stabilized himself to finish in control of the offense, was accurate, and topped it off with the only touchdown of the evening for Indianapolis.
Faller | Johnathan Edwards
Look, Indy’s cornerbacks didn’t have the best game against the Patriots. While it was tough to not put Mekhi Blackmon in this entry with his two pass interference calls, Johnathan Edwards was put in the fire by the Patriots.
Edwards was picked on consistently by quarterback Tommy DeVito. Ultimately, Edwards gave up a bad touchdown to wide receiver Kyle Williams.
Given how stacked the Colts’ cornerback room is heading into the 2026 season, the former undrafted talent has to step up his game in the next preseason contests to stay in the fray for playing time.
Riser | Caden Curry
Rookie defensive end Caden Curry stood out more than any other defender for the position against the Patriots.
Curry finished the evening with a gaudy stat line of six tackles (led the team), two tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups, and three quarterback hits.
Seeing how the Colts are looking for that definitive answer at defensive end opposite Laiatu Latu, Curry made a big case for his name to be discussed further.
While Arden Key and Micheal Clemons are the veteran mainstays, Curry just put the Colts on notice that there could be something more there.
Faller | Blake Freeland
Blake Freeland has had quite the underwhelming tenure with the Colts, and heading into his fourth NFL season, he still looks like a revolving door at offensive tackle.
Freeland was handled consistently by the New England pass-rushers and looked to pose little to no threat to Zak Kuhr’s defense.
While Freeland is a backup tackle, he looked like a player who can’t be trusted to be on the field in any capacity. He allowed Riley Leonard to be pressured and sacked, and appears like an offensive line liability.
It might be harsh to say this, but the Colts could likely find better swing tackles than Freeland. This isn’t to say he’s a cut candidate, but he’s certainly not a name you’re confident in when he steps on the field to protect the signal-caller.
Riser | Will Mallory
Will Mallory is the TE4 behind Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, and Drew Ogletree. However, he looked fantastic against New England.
Mallory won his matchups consistently and finished by leading the team with six catches for 80 receiving yards and a long of 19.
Keeping four tight ends on a depth chart isn’t typical, but seeing how fast and agile Mallory is, Shane Steichen could utilize him as another weapon if the Colts choose to deploy two tight ends, especially in passing situations.
Mallory’s stock has dropped since his rookie season, but this game was a great display of how big of a problem he can be for defenses.
Faller | Riley Leonard
Many, including me, assumed that Leonard would put up a better performance than Richardson in the backup quarterback competition. However, Leonard looked flustered and overwhelmed.
Leonard finished with 10/21 completions for just 89 passing yards and an interception. He also tacked on 12 rushing yards, but still fumbled the football.
Richardson’s case to perform well is twofold; he’s competing for the backup role while also trying to look good for other NFL squads to possibly execute a trade.
Leonard is trying to fill in behind Daniel Jones. This was not a good game for the former sixth-rounder, and if we’re going by this game as a measuring stick, he’s a step behind Richardson in the competition.
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