Shane Steichen prefers privacy. The Indianapolis Colts coach hardly ever discusses the inner workings of his team, so he isn’t exactly keen to open up when asked to update key position battles after the first two weeks of training camp. Instead, Steichen is generally complimentary of all his players, without giving too many hints about his own leaderboard.
However, the beauty of training camp is that every practice is open to the media, so developments amid key position battles are easier to identify. The Colts’ joint practice Tuesday with the New England Patriots and preseason opener Thursday against the same team will provide even more insight. While we wait for those checkpoints, let’s take a look at some stock risers and fallers at key spots.
Stock risers
QB Daniel Jones 2.0
Disclaimer: No, unlike last year, Jones isn’t competing for the starting job, but he is competing against the old version of himself, which is why he made this list. The 29-year-old signal caller has looked about as healthy as anyone could have hoped, considering he’s only eight months removed from undergoing surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Jones has been sharp in camp, with his accuracy and velocity turning heads, but it’s his mobility that’s really stood out. He’s taken off on a handful of scrambles, and it’s impossible to tell he was ever injured.
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Westbrook-Ikhine has come alive in the Colts’ recent practices and continues to strengthen his case to be the team’s third starting receiver over veterans Ashton Dulin and Laquon Treadwell. While Dulin and Treadwell have made a few plays, neither has been as consistent as Westbrook-Ikhine. The 29-year-old always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and the chemistry he’s building with Jones is easy to notice. Westbrook-Ikhine is coming off a down year with the Miami Dolphins (11 receptions, 89 yards in 15 games). However, he totaled 32 catches for 497 yards and nine touchdowns with the Tennessee Titans in 2024, and so far he’s showing he’s still capable of being a quality contributor.
RB Seth McGowan
Obviously, Jonathan Taylor will headline the Colts’ running back room, especially after inking a two-year, $44 million contract extension. But even after a season in which Taylor never appeared on the injury report, McGowan could come in handy in keeping Taylor fresh.
The rookie seventh-round pick has emerged as Indy’s top backup running back, thanks to his bruising running style and soft hands out of the backfield. He’ll need to prove himself in pass protection to carve out a consistent role, but former Colts coach and current radio analyst Rick Venturi has already dubbed McGowan “the steal of the draft,” and the football lifer may be on to something.
Worth noting
K Blake Grupe: Grupe has made 27 of his 30 field-goal attempts in training camp. Meanwhile, Spencer Shrader is 16-of-22 on his kicks. LB Bryce Boettcher: The Colts have continued to rotate linebackers more than any other position, making it difficult to guess who will start, but Boettcher continues to get valuable first-team reps as a rookie fifth-round pick.
Stock fallers
QB Anthony Richardson Sr.
The Colts’ night practice last week was arguably Richardson’s worst training camp practice ever. The 2023 No. 4 pick was unable to find any offensive rhythm, a theme for him throughout training camp. Richardson has also mishandled or dropped an alarming number of snaps that have resulted in the team’s simulated drives stalling or ending. Riley Leonard appears to be on track to serve as the Colts’ top backup QB, not because he’s had a great camp by any means, but because he just hasn’t played as poorly as Richardson.
RB DJ Giddens
Giddens has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, which has allowed McGowan to take even more reps with the first- and second-team offense. When healthy, Giddens has a little more wiggle and finesse to his game than McGowan, which can help him make defenders miss and pick up bigger chunks. Giddens, however, has dropped a few passes throughout training camp, which hasn’t helped his case after a quiet rookie season. The 2025 fifth-round pick tallied just 26 carries for 96 yards last year. What’s more, since Giddens has been out, 2025 undrafted free agent Ulysses Bentley IV appears to be pushing to be Indy’s third running back after making some standout plays in recent practices.
LB CJ Allen
Allen has also been out with a hamstring injury, marking the second time the Colts rookie second-round pick has been sidelined during training camp. He also missed the start of camp due to a calf strain. Allen’s absences haven’t derailed his chances of starting, but the more time he misses, the more opportunities others will have to step up. Indianapolis has experimented with a slew of linebackers receiving starting reps, including Boettcher, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Austin Ajiake and even undrafted rookie West Weeks.
Worth noting
S Hunter Wohler: Wohler is out with a hamstring injury, as well. The 2025 seventh-round pick had been taking most of the starting reps at strong safety, but in his absence, rookie third-round pick A.J. Haulcy has stepped in as the starter. DE Jaylahn Tuimoloau: Tuimoloau has had a solid camp, to be clear, but he hasn’t flashed enough to overtake veteran Arden Key, who appears to be the front-runner to start opposite Laiatu Latu on the edge.
The Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants meet on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET at Oracle Park, attempting to break a 1-1 series tie. Troy Melton (7-1, 1.58 ERA) gets the start for the Tigers, who are 57-60 this season and fourth in the AL Central. Logan Webb (7-7, 3.74 ERA) is the expected starter for the Giants, who are 49-68 and fourth in the NL West.
How to watch Detroit Tigers vs. San Francisco Giants
Tigers vs. Giants odds
Favorite Moneyline: Tigers -125
Underdog Moneyline: Giants +105
Total: 7.5
Total Over Odds: +100
Total Under Odds: -120
Injury reports
Tigers
Kerry Carpenter: 10 Day IL (Heel), Matt Vierling: 10 Day IL (Adductor), Jack Flaherty: 15 Day IL (Flexor), Trey Sweeney: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Bailey Horn: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Parker Meadows: 60 Day IL (Head/arm), Burch Smith: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Reese Olson: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Will Vest: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Wenceel Perez: 60 Day IL (Face), Brant Hurter: 60 Day IL (Back), Justin Verlander: 60 Day IL (Hip)
Giants
Harrison Bader: 10 Day IL (Plantar fasciitis), Matt Chapman: 10 Day IL (Leg), Casey Schmitt: 10 Day IL (Leg), Victor Bericoto: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Jesus Rodriguez: 10 Day IL (Elbow), Marcelo Mayer: 10 Day IL (Forearm), Trevor McDonald: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Rowan Wick: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jose Butto: 60 Day IL (Arm), Matt Gage: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joel Peguero: 60 Day IL (Hamstring), Randy Rodriguez: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Hayden Birdsong: 60 Day IL (Forearm)
Stats to know
Kevin McGonigle is hitting for a .287 BA, .392 OBP and .431 SLG with a 13.5% strikeout rate and a 14.3% walk rate. His OPS is .823 and he has scored 76 runs. In 510 plate appearances, he has hit 12 home runs and driven in 45 runs. McGonigle has been crafty on the base paths, recording 11 steals on 12 attempts.
In 458 plate appearances, Dillon Dingler has slashed .275/.340/.530 this season. He has hit 26 long balls (9th in MLB) and driven in 80 runs (5th in MLB) with a strikeout rate of 21.6% and a walk rate of 6.3%. He has come around to score 64 times.
Jung Hoo Lee is hitting for a .301 BA, .337 OBP and .444 SLG with a 9.9% strikeout rate and a 4.2% walk rate. His OPS is .782 and he has scored 56 runs. In 433 plate appearances, he has hit eight home runs and driven in 45 runs. Lee has recorded eight steals on nine attempts.
In 495 plate appearances, Rafael Devers has hit 24 long balls (18th in MLB), tallied 64 RBIs and scored 61 runs. He is batting .247/.319/.475 and has posted a 26.5% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate.
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President Donald Trump and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan were together before the final round of LIV Golf’s event at Trump National Bedminster on Sunday. They stood side-by-side in the player dining room, as Trump extolled the playing accomplishments of legend Gary Player, who was also in the room.
Bubba Watson’s caddie, Gabe Sauer, published the video to his Instagram story. As Trump exited the clubhouse and was photographed by wire services, Al-Rumayyan was in the background.
While Trump has routinely visited LIV tournaments held on his properties, it’s not immediately clear what Al-Rumayyan’s intentions are for being in New Jersey. He was previously chairman of the board for LIV and widely seen as its biggest supporter within Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, until the PIF pulled future funding from the rebel golf league in April.
“The substantial investment required by LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF’s investment strategy. This decision has been made in light of PIF’s investment priorities and current macro dynamics,” the PIF explained in a statement at the time.
Since the PIF decided to pull away from LIV, an investment that cost it billions of dollars, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil has been searching for a new funding source that would allow the four-year-old league to continue until 2027.
He claimed Wednesday to have found a new “lead” investor, though he declined to provide specifics. Bloomberg reported that BC Partners Credit was considering a loan, and the Financial Times indicated that the PIF was considering paying off remaining player contracts to settle any potential liability. Multiple players, most notably Jon Rahm, could be convinced to stay with LIV and be given equity in “LIV 2.0” as a result.
Ted Goldthorpe, head of BC Partners Credit, was also in the same room at Trump Bedminster as Trump and Al-Rumayyan, per a source with direct knowledge. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
A LIV Golf spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on Al-Rumayyan’s presence.
Al-Rumayyan’s portfolio extends far beyond the sporting world, but the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has limited oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, has hurt the Saudi Arabian economy.
The 25-year-old defender withdrew from the Netherlands’ World Cup squad this summer due to an ongoing groin injury picked up in March. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta says that Jurrien Timber is still “weeks” from returning from a groin injury but that the defender is “progressing well”.
Timber, 25, withdrew from the Netherlands’ World Cup squad this summer due to an ongoing groin issue that he initially suffered against Everton in March.
He has been part of Arsenal’s pre-season training preparations, travelling to their camps in Spain and the Republic of Ireland, but has yet to feature in a matchday squad. Arsenal have also been without William Saliba, who is out with a back injury suffered during France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain.
Asked for a timeline on the recovery status of both players, the Arsenal manager said: “I cannot be very precise with that. Jurrien is progressing really well. He’s on the pitch and doing quite a lot right now but is still weeks away (from returning) — I cannot tell you how much.
“Willy (Saliba) is in rest mode at the moment. For two weeks he had to do almost nothing so he did not aggravate the injury. It’s going to take some time to heal and as soon as we have more news we will inform.”
Timber himself told Arsenal’s social media channels that he was taking things “slowly” last month. Ben White, who returned from a medial cruciate ligament injury during the summer, has been Arsenal’s starting right-back throughout pre-season.
Arteta will have players returning to his squad en-masse in the next 24 hours, however, with those who represented England and Spain returning from their post-World Cup holidays.
“Some of them were back today watching the game,” he added. “Some of them, Bukayo (Saka) and David (Raya) were back yesterday, a bit earlier than expected, which is great to see. Tomorrow everyone will be available to start the training programme.”
Even with the staggered returns, Arteta is confident that these returning players will be available for Arsenal’s official start to the 2026-27 season. They travel to Cardiff to face Manchester City on August 16 in the Community Shield before getting the league campaign underway five days later by hosting newly-promoted Coventry City on August 21.
