Colts
Colts GM Chris Ballard said the team would provide competition for QB Anthony Richardson, but it would need to be someone that can actually push him.
“It’s got to be the right guy to create real competition,” he said, via ESPN. “We want to create real competition. I think it’s good for the team. I think it’s good for Anthony. We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time and we knew there’s going to be some hiccups along the way. I know we all want a finished product right now. I do. You do. Fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
Ballard said the team has had conversations with Richardson about their plans moving forward and said the two sides are on board with the future.
“We’ve had good conversations,” Ballard said. “Anthony’s accepted all of it. He understands there needs to be some growth and there’s work. That’s the one thing I’m really proud of him about. There’s no deferring or defensiveness. It’s, ‘I know I’ve got to go to work.’ I think it’s understanding the enormity of who the quarterback is and what the value of that position is. [He was] — I don’t want to say naïve when he first came into the league — but there was a little naïvety.”
Ballard added that the organization’s confidence has not wavered in Richardson and said that he simply needs to be more consistent.
“He is really competitive, and I think for a six-game stretch there, we saw some really special stuff out of him,” Ballard said. “Now we’ve just got to get consistent. He’s a really good dude. He cares, and I think he’ll put the work in.”
- Colts GM Chris Ballard said he has no update on OT Braden Smith other than that he is doing really well and wants to continue playing football. (Mike Chappell)
Titans
The Titans look toward the 2025 NFL Draft and could be eying top rookie quarterbacks in Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. GM Mike Borgonzi praised Ward for having the “grit and determination” to turn himself from a lightly recruited player out of high school to one of college’s top prospects.
“It’s a positive that he has that grit and determination to prove other people wrong,” Borgonzi said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s site “Every place he was at, he performed at a high level – that’s something you certainly take into account when you see someone that plays with that chip on their shoulder.”
As for Sanders, Borgonzi said he has great arm strength and anticipation of passes.
“To answer your question about Shedeur,” Borgonzi said. “I think he has plenty of arm strength. Some of the (anticipation) throws sometimes make up for lack of arm strength, we’ve seen quarterbacks over the years that are able to do that because they anticipate better. And a lot of that has to do with field instincts too.”
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter is another candidate for the top pick as possibly the highest-rated player in this year’s draft. Borgonzi said he’s someone who can be considered a “generational talent.”
“Abdul is a very good player,” Borgonzi said. “I don’t want to go into many evaluations of the players, but there are certainly some players at the top that fit that description of generational talent.”
Titans
- Titans HC Brian Callahan said Travis Hunter can have a role at both cornerback and wide receiver, but probably sees him as a cornerback first. (Terry McCormick)
- Callahan noted that it is important for the team to prioritize talent over the right fit for their system. (McCormick)
- Callahan said the team would prefer a long-term solution and upside over immediate success and fit when it comes to the quarterback position. (McCormick)
- Titans GM Mike Borgonzi said what they do in free agency will not necessarily impact what the Titans do at quarterback in the draft. (Turron Davenport)
- Borgonzi believes that QB Shedeur Sanders has significant arm strength. (McCormick)
- Callahan commented that if the Titans take a quarterback first overall, that player would be expected to be a day one starter. (McCormick)
- Borgonzi reiterates that Will Levis will compete with whoever they bring in at quarterback this offseason. (McCormick)
- Callahan said he’s pleased with the rehab process and where CB L’Jarius Sneed is: “He’s on track.” (Davenport)
- At running back, Callahan said he’s happy with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears but could still add something different. (Jim Wyatt)
- Callahan said if the Titans find a left tackle, they would be open to moving JC Latham to the right side in order to have their two best tackles on the field. (McCormick)
- The Titans had a formal combine meeting with Texas RB Jaydon Blue. (Tom Downey)
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