WESTFIELD — The preseason has changed.

For years, the preseason opener was little more than a test drive, a chance for young players and second-teamers to take an edge in the battle for roster spots while the team’s most important players stayed on the sideline to avoid injury.

Then the NFL removed a preseason game from the rotation, altering the schedule at the same time as coaching staffs around the league increasingly prioritized joint practices. Under the leadership of Shane Steichen, the Colts have held joint practices with two of their three preseason opponents, giving the coaches a chance to tailor situations for their starters while minimizing injury risk.

The preseason opener has been the exception.

When the Colts host Denver at 1 p.m. Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium, it will be the first chance for Indianapolis to test its roster against another NFL team, and although Steichen has not revealed plans for playing time, he hinted on Wednesday that the team’s starters will play.

“Possibly, yes,” Steichen said.

Indianapolis likely will hold a few stars out of Sunday’s game. With that in mind, here’s an educated guess on what to watch as the Colts take on the Broncos.

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Anthony Richardson throwing, not Anthony Richardson running

Obviously.

For the first time since that fateful play against the Titans, the player the Colts hope will develop into the face of the franchise should be on the field.

Richardson has looked like he has much better command of the offense in training camp, completing 59 of 93 passes (63.4%) in 11-on-11 drills, according to IndyStar’s unofficial tally, although an offense that has gone through bouts of inconsistency at Grand Park might not have its two most reliable receivers, Josh Downs (high ankle sprain) and Michael Pittman Jr. (the kind of player Indianapolis might limit) for most of the day.

One thing to remember: Richardson’s mobility is almost certainly going to be a centerpiece of the Indianapolis offense once the regular season arrives, both on the ground and through the air.

But it’s highly unlikely the Colts offer any glimpses of their plans for Richardson’s legs against the Broncos. For starters, Indianapolis does not want to get its starter hurt, and just as importantly, one of Steichen’s strengths is finding wrinkles in the offense tailored to the defense Indianapolis is playing.

Indianapolis has little reason to give any of its opponents a look at those wrinkles now.

Laiatu Latu

The first defensive player taken in April’s draft has looked better in training camp than expected, using his blend of speed and remarkable agility to create problems in the Indianapolis backfield on something close to a daily basis.

Latu gets his first chance to back up his camp performance against another NFL team on Sunday.

Rookie pass rushers often go through growing pains, but the Colts badly need Latu to hit the ground running as the ideal replacement for Samson Ebukam, the returning team leader in sacks who will miss the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the early days of training camp.

Denver is holding an open competition for the starting quarterback job, pitting Jarrett Stidham against the draft’s No. 12 pick, Oregon’s Bo Nix, and former Jets passer Zach Wilson. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has not said who will start against the Colts yet, but the presence of three young quarterbacks suggests Latu will have chances to attack passers trying to get the ball down the field.

Free safety dance

Free safety, the most important position battle on the roster through the first week of training camp, remains wide open. Open enough that Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds put a premium on Sunday’s preseason game.

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“I think we’ve got to get to the games,” Dodds said. “It’s figuring, not just the best combination of two guys, but which guy at free and which at strong, since there are different things stressed out of either one of those positions.”

Julian Blackmon will be one of the safeties.

Blackmon, already coming off a breakout year, has been the secondary’s best playmaker throughout training camp, making plays even after Indianapolis asked him to shift back to free safety at times during the last week.

The other candidates offer plenty of uncertainty.

Third-year prospect Nick Cross has been given every chance to win a starting spot, but there remain questions about his ability to communicate and make big plays. Veteran Ronnie Harrison has not been a full-time starter since 2021, and former starter Rodney Thomas II has been inconsistent in training camp.

Consistent safety play is critical in a zone-heavy scheme, and the remaining veterans available have been signed or wooed by other teams this week. Indianapolis has a month to find answers.

Rookie receivers

Adonai Mitchell, the team’s second-round pick, remains locked in a battle with third-year receiver Alec Pierce for a role in the Indianapolis offense this season.

Mitchell has been inconsistent in training camp, mixing drops and an inability to win battles for jump balls among the handful of big plays he’s made, but the preseason is an opportunity to make a lasting impression.

Fifth-round pick Anthony Gould was supposed to be a player to watch in the Colts’ first live test of the NFL’s new kickoff rules, an electric open-field runner Indianapolis drafted for his return ability.

But the Colts are also going to get a closer look at Gould’s capabilities as a receiver after Indianapolis lost Downs for an undetermined amount of time on Wednesday, due to a high-ankle sprain inflicted by an ill-advised tackle by Cross.

Gould’s downfield speed has been evident on the practice fields; his ability to handle the short, high-percentage option throws that form the bread and butter of Downs’s game is still in question.

The sleepers

Whenever the Indianapolis starters leave the game, the battle for roster spots takes over.

Every year, there are a few sleepers who end up playing a prominent role.

For example, Trey Sermon appears to be the clear front-runner to take over the No. 2 role at running back behind Jonathan Taylor, leaving Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson to battle for the pass-catching role in Steichen’s offense, a role that didn’t make a lot of headlines until the fatal fourth-down call against Houston in the season finale.

Ebukam’s injury — and Raekwon Davis’s continued absence due to high blood pressure — has opened some opportunities on the defensive line. Indianapolis used a waiver claim to land former Florida A&M pass rusher Isaiah Land at the cutdown deadline last season, and Land has showed flashes of potential in training camp, making him a candidate for the roster spot left open by Ebukam’s injury. Davis’s absence has opened a door for a three-way battle among Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson at defensive tackle.

And if anybody’s looking for a reason to watch the final quarters, undrafted free agent quarterback Jason Bean is a long shot to make the roster, but his impressive speed makes Bean a candidate to rack up highlight plays down the stretch, provided he’s given enough time to shine.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Broncos: 5 things to watch in 2024 preseason opener