Top Takeaways From Day 3 of Colts Training Camp: CJ Allen's Promising First Day of School

WESTFIELD, IN -- The Indianapolis Colts took the field at Grand Park for their third practice of training camp, and it was a quiet showing overall, but it did feature multiple standouts, both in performance and participation.

Follow along as we break down the practice's top takeaways in question, starting with rookie linebacker's long-awaited Colts debut.

CJ Allen's Welcome Back to Gridiron

Allen had been sidelined for the Colts' first two training camp practices after he started the week off on the Active Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, but he was activated ahead of Friday's practice and was a full participant in his first bit of action back.

He was a full participant on the day, and slid in to take first-team reps in 11-on-11 play.

We covered Allen's return in full earlier on Colts On SI, but the main takeaway was that the rookie linebacker showed his communication chops and natural leadership at every opportunity.

The Colts are counting on Allen to take over for longtime starter Zaire Franklin as the quarterback of the defense, and this was a great first step in making that a fruitful reality.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Intrigues With Increased Workload

The Colts' lone free agent addition to the wide receiver room had a promising first day with an increased workload as he continues to acclimate to head coach Shane Steichen's offense.

The first two practices didn't feature much of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, but he's slowly but surely proved to be a solid depth piece with each step of the way since.

Even though he didn't receive a target on Thursday's practice, he was featured as the first-team offense's motion man on multiple occasions.

On Friday, however, Westbrook-Ikhine hauled in each of his handful of targets. He had receptions with both the first and second teams, with such consistency suggesting that he may just be a decent plug-and-play option after all.

He'll need to continue stacking days before we can be confident that he'll become a reliable contributor, but his 19 career touchdowns in six seasons provide reason to believe it's possible.

Anthony Richardson Has Best Play of Camp

While the backup quarterback remains the same with Daniel Jones serving as the unquestioned starter, with Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard dishing out blows of highs and lows, Richardson did have the best play of training camp through three days.

There hasn't been much opportuntity of explosive plays for the offense as the Colts are ramping up their overall workload, but Anthony Richardson found a way in an 11-on-11 session at today's practice.

Richardson's arm talent was on full display, but it was how he sensed pressure and stepped up into the pocket to deliver said throw that made for such an impressive play.

The fourth-year quarterback uncorked one from the left side of the logo to the right side of the end one to wide receiver Sahmir Hagans, who hauled in the jump ball for a touchdown reception over cornerback Jaylon Jones.

Jones had solid coverage on the play as well, which only added to how impressive this connection was.

Even though Richardson has shown that he's still the hot-and-cold quarterback that's relegated him to a backup role, with a handful of overthrows over the past three days, he still managed to find a way to remind fans that his highs will always be electric.

Other Notes:

DeForest Buckner Ramps Up: Buckner is back from a scary neck injury (herniated disc) that resulted in contemplation of retirement over the offseason, but he's since returned to the mix after being fully cleared ahead of training camp. Buckner participated in all individual work over the past two days, but it wasn't until Friday that he took his first bit of 11-on-11 reps.

Kicking Competition Kicks Off: We'll be breaking down the results in full in a piece later today at Colts On SI, but the long-awaited battle between kickers Spencer Shrader and Blake Grupe had its first bit of action today, with both having successful outings overall.

Veteran Off Days: Running back Jonathan Taylor, defensive tackle Grover Stewart, cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. (hip), and tight end Mo Alie-Cox all had rest days today.

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