WESTFIELD, Ind. — There was no celebration. Heck, there was barely even a reaction. After Tyler Warren broke to the end zone and high-pointed a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones for a touchdown, the fans inside the Indianapolis Colts’ indoor practice facility Saturday erupted with joy. Their top tight end had just made one of the most memorable plays of training camp, yet his only response was to simply high-five a few of his teammates and return to the huddle.
Warren’s nonchalant response belies how hard he works, according to his coaches and teammates, and what he’s capable of with the ball in his hands. As promising as his rookie campaign was, it was only a preview, many of them say. This year could be even better as he enters his second season in coach Shane Steichen’s offense.
“I think that (continuity) is really important with getting the same coaches back and having a lot of the same players back,” Warren said last week on The Fan Morning Show. “… We’re not installing (new plays) every day. We’re kind of just going back over stuff. There will be new installs and stuff like that, but I think it’s important we have that foundation we’ve already built everything on and just kind of building off of it.”
Tyler. Warren. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JE477GOb1D
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 2, 2026
Warren totaled 76 catches for 817 yards and four TDs during a promising rookie season in 2025. He finished with the fourth-most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season in Colts history, trailing only Hall of Famer John Mackey and Ring of Honor member Dallas Clark.
Warren’s production took a noticeable dip when Jones fractured his left fibula and ultimately tore his right Achilles tendon. The second-year tight end, however, was part of a slew of Colts pass catchers who recently joined Jones on a trip to Florida so that they could practice together in the lead up to training camp. Their unofficial minicamp also served as a progress report for Jones, whom all his teammates praised for his remarkable Achilles rehab.
Jones, just eight months removed from surgery, took every first-team rep during the Colts’ four consecutive practices to start training camp. After a couple of up-and-down moments as he reacclimated to 11-on-11 drills, he looked his sharpest Saturday. Jones finished 14-of-17 passing as the Colts focused heavily on executing in the red zone.
“He looks like he never got hurt,” tight end Mo Alie-Cox said. “You see, he’s throwing dimes left and right on the field, getting out the pocket scrambling and different things like that. I think his confidence is building more and more every day, and when we put the pads on (Monday), I think it’ll just take it to another level.”
Quenton Nelson, who’s blocked for several quarterbacks throughout his now nine-year tenure with the franchise, said he’s thrilled to have Jones back in the saddle as they prepare for their second season together. Throughout the first week of training camp, Nelson was often one of the first players to hype Jones up after leading the offense down the field.
“He’s been incredible,” Nelson said of Jones on Saturday. “He’s back like he never left.”
Charvarius Ward Sr. doesn’t feel he’s under pressure anymore
James Boyd
Nelson’s negotiations
Nelson was much more interested in discussing his teammates to conclude the first week of training camp than he was about his contract situation. The star left guard is entering the last year of his four-year, $80 million deal. He said in the spring he would defer to his agent regarding any potential negotiations, and his hands-off approach hasn’t changed.
“I haven’t had any discussions. That’s not up to me,” Nelson said. “I’m just really thankful to be here. Excited for this year, and (I) love this team, love my teammates.”
The Colts drafted Nelson sixth overall in 2018, and he’s become arguably the greatest offensive lineman in franchise history. Nelson is an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All Pro.
The last time he signed an extension, the deal was agreed to the night before the Colts’ season opener in 2022. The Falcons recently signed their star left guard, Matthew Bergeron, to a four-year, $96 million extension that could inform the price point for Nelson’s new deal.
Kicking competition
Spencer Shrader and Blake Grupe squared off Friday in the first kicking competition of training camp. Grupe made all six of his field goal attempts from 33, 37, 41, 45, 50 and 55 yards. Meanwhile, Shrader was 5-of-6, missing his 50-yard attempt wide left. This was only the second public kicking competition of the offseason, with Grupe drilling all five of his field goal attempts during OTAs in the spring and Shrader missing two.
Shrader suffered a season-ending knee injury last October that derailed a very promising campaign. He drilled 13 of his 14 field goal attempts in five games. In Shrader’s absence, the Colts eventually turned to Grupe, who was cut midseason by the New Orleans Saints but bounced back tremendously in Indy. After missing eight field goal attempts in 11 games last year with the Saints, Grupe was a perfect 11-of-11 on field goals with the Colts, highlighted by a 60-yarder.
“We expect there to be a little bit of rust and some inconsistency since he hadn’t kicked for eight months,” Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason said of Shrader last week. “I think he’s cleaned up some of those things throughout the summer. It continues to get better. … Grupe, since he’s been here in practice, in the season, in OTAs, he’s been highly consistent.”
Allen’s return
Rookie linebacker CJ Allen was removed from the physically unable to perform list and made his camp debut Friday. The second-round pick missed the first two days of camp due to a calf strain that he said was caused by overtraining.
“I think a got a little ahead of myself,” Allen said after his return. “Probably should’ve shut it down that day, went home, got some treatment. But decided to get another (workout) in and had a small little tweak.”
Allen was never worried that he’d be sidelined long, and he was immediately inserted into the Colts’ starting defense. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has been experimenting with Allen wearing the green dot in his helmet, meaning he’ll relay the defensive calls to the rest of his unit. The former Georgia star held those responsibilities in college and joked that he’s only faced one issue since transitioning to the NFL.
“I’m from Georgia, so I got like a little southern twang. So, I gotta really enunciate my words,” Allen said through a grin. “But nah, just making sure we’re on the same page, being a communicator. The guys kind of respect that.”
