INDIANAPOLIS -- Ten thoughts on the Colts’ 34-30 preseason loss to the Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium:

Anthony Richardson rusty in return to field

1. Anthony Richardson and the starting offense got two series together in this preseason opener, as Shane Steichen promised. Richardson attempted four passes, completing two for 25 yards, and he ran one time for 1 yard.

You could see some rust in a player with four career starts who hasn’t played in a game setting since last October and then went a third of the year not throwing a football. Richardson forced a throw against a quick pressure to Michael Pittman Jr. before he was ready, and he threw late twice to Kylen Granson on third downs, one of which should have been a fairly easy conversion on a long crosser.

Colts score: Colts drop preseason opener to Denver Broncos

2. I liked Richardson’s throw to beat the blitz to Mo Alie-Cox, which hit him right out of his break so he could turn and run for 19 yards. The positives were that Richardson played mistake-free and stayed healthy, and it was just hard to get into a groove with four total attempts.

Richardson has shown in nearly every practice and in this game a need to settle in and start playing free. He plays a bit robotic early on, particularly when it’s throwing 1-on-1 drills or 7-on-7 reps. It’s as if a pass rush sometimes settles him down because it gets his body moving and his mind to a healthy level of thinking in conjunction with those superhuman body parts rather than as forced movements.

3. JuJu Brents didn’t suit up, instead resting a shoulder issue the team is describing as minor. It sounds like the second-year cornerback would have suited up if it were a regular season game, but after resting him Friday for the same issue, the Colts decided not to push anything in a preseason game.

That left Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers to start on the outside. Both got picked on early, though Jones came back with a nice rep along the sidelines where he turned his body in time to swat the ball away on a fade route, showing growth on a play where Pittman beat him a few practices ago.

Colts secondary concerns remain

4. Flowers struggled quite a bit more, constantly getting out of position on routes up the field and outside the numbers and getting flagged for pass interference. He’s struggled with penalties this camp, as he seems to be reaching more to compensate for the speed that isn’t there yet in his return from an Achilles tear last fall.

That type of injury usually takes top athletes another full season to get their legs back under them, as Julian Blackmon showed in 2021. So, the future could still be a good one for Flowers, but it feels like this position race is over for now. Jones and Brents will be the starters until their health or performance changes that.

5. The Colts rolled with a healthy mix of Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, Laiatu Latu and Dayo Odeyingbo at their edge spots. The first three added pressures in their brief time, with Lewis flashing the best with a strong rep against a double team that blew up the pocket and drew a holding penalty.

This is the group that is going to have to carry the pass defense until things settle on the back end. Lewis was a sneaky re-signing at the time, but he looks like a vital piece after Samson Ebukam went down with an Achilles tear. The goal will be to make use of him without overextending him, as his first 17-game season came on a career-low 37% of snaps last season.

Laiatu Latu continues to flash

6. Latu had a pair of pressures, including one on the bobbled pass that Kenny Moore II intercepted off Jarrett Stidham and another where he beat Garett Bolles around the edge so badly that the former first-round pick had to hold him, though it wasn’t called. The Broncos came back a few plays later and ran right at Latu, testing the part of his game most understandably underdeveloped, but the rookie did a nice job of disengaging and making the tackle after a couple yards.

The tests will get longer and harder, including joint practices and then, obviously, the games that count. But day-in and day-out, Latu has looked the part in his speed, rush plan, refinement, technique and pursuit.

The Colts need it badly with how they’ve built their back end.

7. Trey Sermon left the game with a hamstring injury and was quickly ruled out. It’s preseason, so nobody is going to push through anything, but those can be very tricky injuries, as Jelani Woods learned last season.

Trey Sermon injury: Colts RB Trey Sermon leaves preseason game with injury

Sermon has looked like the clear No. 2 runner behind Jonathan Taylor so far in training camp. Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull have both have had ups and downs as receiving-centric backs so far, though Goodson looked more in control against the Broncos and Hull had a nice 15-yard swing route to set up a touchdown.

Those two combine for 14 career carries, so although Sermon doesn’t have much of a track record, it’s still easier to feel good about limiting Taylor’s wear and tear with him than without.

I continue to look at this spot as a possible area to go after on waivers.

Nick Cross gets another shot

8. This week, assistant general manager Ed Dodds said the Colts needed to get to the games in order to really evaluate who can play in which safety position.

This game featured a lot less mixing and matching than we’ve seen in practice. Nick Cross was consistently in the single-high spot, first with Julian Blackmon at strong with the first team and then with Ronnie Harrison Jr. at strong when more of the backups checked in.

MORE: Colts coach Shane Steichen met with Nick Cross to discuss hit that injured Josh Downs

Cross had some positives and negatives. He had a nice pursuit angle to stop a stretch run along the sidelines, and he broke up a pass to a tight end that was ill-advised. He did need to help Flowers a little more on a couple of downfield plays, and he got picked on for a touchdown on a difficult rub route from inside the 5.

9. Micah Abraham made the biggest play of this one by stripping Audric Estime from behind on a run play, stealing the ball and taking it 45 yards down the left sideline for a third-quarter touchdown.

The Colts’ sixth-round pick out of Marshall has gotten decent run in camp as the second-team nickel cornerback behind Kenny Moore II, thanks in part to Chris Lammons’ absence while recovering from ankle surgery. Abraham’s now in a battle for that spot with Lammons, who has 46 games of experience on him.

But the Colts love Abraham’s natural ball skills, something they’ve coveted in their defensive back room since Isaiah Rodgers Sr.’s departure more than a year ago. Abraham will be in a good spot to learn how to deliver them in an NFL setting by watching Moore at that position this season.

10. Despite those flashes, what’s becoming more and more clear is how an injury will unravel this secondary. That’s been true at safety, where Blackmon is sometimes playing both positions. It’s felt true at nickel cornerback, where Moore’s ball skills and leadership are so vital to living so young on the outside.

But now it feels obvious at outside cornerback as well, at least with Brents. He has been the only player in that spot this preseason who looks like he can consistently and reliably stick with starting caliber receivers in coverage. Flowers looks like he needs a year of recovery, and Jones can sometimes fall into the same penalty habits when he doesn’t win off the snap.

It's not too late to make a veteran addition here, and it feels like one is needed.

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Broncos: 10 thoughts on preseason opener