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INDIANAPOLIS — The puzzle is only beginning to take shape.
And there will likely be a few obstacles thrown in the way over the next couple of weeks.
When the Colts open preseason play against the Ravens at 7 p.m. Thursday in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, the race for the initial 53-man roster will hit another gear, one that will likely be affected by injury and unpredictable performance in the preseason.
For the moment, though, this is a look at a potential season-opening roster for the Colts as they get ready to open the preseason with Anthony Richardson at the helm.
(*-rookie)
Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard*
Analysis: Who will start at quarterback remains the biggest question surrounding the Colts. From the sidelines, it has looked like Richardson and Jones have been roughly even through the first two weeks of practice, and if the coaching staff sees it the same way, that would likely favor the incumbent. Richardson has a history of being more explosive in both the passing game and running game, which might make up for the difference in completion percentage through the first two weeks of camp. Leonard looks like he's slowly pushed past Jason Bean for the emergency quarterback job, taking an increasing share of the third-team snaps the past two weeks.
Jonathan Taylor, D.J. Giddens*, Khalil Herbert, Tyler Goodson
Analysis: Giddens looks like he might be the change-of-pace back the Colts need behind Taylor, and Herbert offers a veteran insurance policy in case either Taylor or Giddens goes down. Goodson might seem like a long shot given his missed opportunities in the past, but he may also be a critical piece on special teams, an important part of building the 53-man roster.
Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould
Analysis: Pittman, Pierce and Downs are established in their roles, Gould has taken big strides as a receiver, and Mitchell has bounced back from a rough opening to training camp by making a handful of big plays. Those two developments give the Colts a deep receiving corps, one that will nonetheless be somewhat dependent on who wins the quarterback battle and how he plays.
Tyler Warren*, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory
Analysis: Warren instantly transforms the tight end position in Indianapolis, offering Steichen plenty of options, but the Colts will likely preserve versatility on their depth chart by keeping a group of players who are collectively having a good training camp. Alie-Cox is the best in-line blocker, Ogletree can block from a variety of different spots and Mallory has quietly been one of training camp's standouts as a receiving option, leaving former third-round pick Jelani Woods on the outside.
Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Braden Smith, Jalen Travis*, Danny Pinter, Blake Freeland, Dalton Tucker
Analysis: Preseason games and joint practices will likely be telling for the offensive line, particularly the depth. Freeland and Tucker both have starting experience in the NFL, but the Colts replaced both players fairly quickly in their time as starters, making the offensive line the odds-on favorite for an addition from the outside if the backups struggle in the preseason.
Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam, J.T. Tuimoloau*, Tyquan Lewis
Analysis: Latu is expected to be the primary pass rusher, and the other four players are the type who have the ability to play the run. Expect the other defensive ends to make most of their plays in second-effort style; Latu's the key to the pass rush in Lou Anarumo's first season as defensive coordinator.
DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Neville Gallimore, Adetomiwa Adebawore
Analysis: Sixth-round rookie Tim Smith and familiar face Eric Johnson are battling for the right to be Stewart's backup, but neither player has stood out so far, and Adebawore has special-teams ability. Traditionally, the Colts carry five defensive tackles, but unless one of those two players takes a step forward in presesason games, Indianapolis may be able to carry a nose tackle on the practice squad and elevate the player quickly in case of an injury to Stewart.
Zaire Franklin, Joe Bachie, Jaylon Carlies, Cameron McGrone, Austin Ajiake
Analysis: The starting weak-side linebacker spot might be the biggest mystery on the team heading into the preseason opener against the Ravens. Carlies has been expected to be the heir apparent, but ongoing injury issues have opened a door for McGrone, a Lawrence Central product, and Bachie, who has been the team's best linebacker through the first two weeks of training camp with Franklin sidelined. Ajiake is a sleeper for the roster, a developmental player who has looked good in both coverage and against the run.
Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore II, Justin Walley*, Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, Samuel Womack III
Analysis: Walley, the third-round pick out of Minnesota who surprised the Colts in the spring, might have already won the other outside cornerback job. The rookie opened training camp as the team's No. 2 outside corner, and although both Jones and Brents have had their moments, the pair of third-year cornerbacks are currently dealing with hamstring injuries, an injury that is notorious for lingering. Womack's roster spot might depend on their recovery; he played just 15 snaps on special teams last season.
Camryn Bynum, Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Hunter Wohler*
Analysis: Bynum and Cross will take most of the snaps at safety, but Wohler has put himself in line to get playing time in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's sub-packages. Wohler can play both safety positions and line up at the dime linebacker position, a critical role considering that Anarumo would like to get dime packages on the field in obvious passing situations.
K Spencer Shrader, P Rigoberto Sanchez, LS Luke Rhodes
Analysis: The Colts would still like to see a little more from Shrader, but the second-year kicker has been much more accurate than undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo through the first two weeks of training camp, and Trujillo's struggles have come in the highest-pressure settings so far.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts 53-main roster projection: Complete depth chart predictions
Continue reading...
And there will likely be a few obstacles thrown in the way over the next couple of weeks.
When the Colts open preseason play against the Ravens at 7 p.m. Thursday in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, the race for the initial 53-man roster will hit another gear, one that will likely be affected by injury and unpredictable performance in the preseason.
For the moment, though, this is a look at a potential season-opening roster for the Colts as they get ready to open the preseason with Anthony Richardson at the helm.
(*-rookie)
Quarterbacks (3)
Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard*
Analysis: Who will start at quarterback remains the biggest question surrounding the Colts. From the sidelines, it has looked like Richardson and Jones have been roughly even through the first two weeks of practice, and if the coaching staff sees it the same way, that would likely favor the incumbent. Richardson has a history of being more explosive in both the passing game and running game, which might make up for the difference in completion percentage through the first two weeks of camp. Leonard looks like he's slowly pushed past Jason Bean for the emergency quarterback job, taking an increasing share of the third-team snaps the past two weeks.
Running backs (4)
Jonathan Taylor, D.J. Giddens*, Khalil Herbert, Tyler Goodson
Analysis: Giddens looks like he might be the change-of-pace back the Colts need behind Taylor, and Herbert offers a veteran insurance policy in case either Taylor or Giddens goes down. Goodson might seem like a long shot given his missed opportunities in the past, but he may also be a critical piece on special teams, an important part of building the 53-man roster.
Wide receiver (6)
Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould
Analysis: Pittman, Pierce and Downs are established in their roles, Gould has taken big strides as a receiver, and Mitchell has bounced back from a rough opening to training camp by making a handful of big plays. Those two developments give the Colts a deep receiving corps, one that will nonetheless be somewhat dependent on who wins the quarterback battle and how he plays.
Tight end (4)
Tyler Warren*, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory
Analysis: Warren instantly transforms the tight end position in Indianapolis, offering Steichen plenty of options, but the Colts will likely preserve versatility on their depth chart by keeping a group of players who are collectively having a good training camp. Alie-Cox is the best in-line blocker, Ogletree can block from a variety of different spots and Mallory has quietly been one of training camp's standouts as a receiving option, leaving former third-round pick Jelani Woods on the outside.
Offensive line (9)
Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Braden Smith, Jalen Travis*, Danny Pinter, Blake Freeland, Dalton Tucker
Analysis: Preseason games and joint practices will likely be telling for the offensive line, particularly the depth. Freeland and Tucker both have starting experience in the NFL, but the Colts replaced both players fairly quickly in their time as starters, making the offensive line the odds-on favorite for an addition from the outside if the backups struggle in the preseason.
Defensive end (5)
Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam, J.T. Tuimoloau*, Tyquan Lewis
Analysis: Latu is expected to be the primary pass rusher, and the other four players are the type who have the ability to play the run. Expect the other defensive ends to make most of their plays in second-effort style; Latu's the key to the pass rush in Lou Anarumo's first season as defensive coordinator.
Defensive tackle (4)
DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Neville Gallimore, Adetomiwa Adebawore
Analysis: Sixth-round rookie Tim Smith and familiar face Eric Johnson are battling for the right to be Stewart's backup, but neither player has stood out so far, and Adebawore has special-teams ability. Traditionally, the Colts carry five defensive tackles, but unless one of those two players takes a step forward in presesason games, Indianapolis may be able to carry a nose tackle on the practice squad and elevate the player quickly in case of an injury to Stewart.
Linebacker (5)
Zaire Franklin, Joe Bachie, Jaylon Carlies, Cameron McGrone, Austin Ajiake
Analysis: The starting weak-side linebacker spot might be the biggest mystery on the team heading into the preseason opener against the Ravens. Carlies has been expected to be the heir apparent, but ongoing injury issues have opened a door for McGrone, a Lawrence Central product, and Bachie, who has been the team's best linebacker through the first two weeks of training camp with Franklin sidelined. Ajiake is a sleeper for the roster, a developmental player who has looked good in both coverage and against the run.
Cornerback (6)
Charvarius Ward, Kenny Moore II, Justin Walley*, Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, Samuel Womack III
Analysis: Walley, the third-round pick out of Minnesota who surprised the Colts in the spring, might have already won the other outside cornerback job. The rookie opened training camp as the team's No. 2 outside corner, and although both Jones and Brents have had their moments, the pair of third-year cornerbacks are currently dealing with hamstring injuries, an injury that is notorious for lingering. Womack's roster spot might depend on their recovery; he played just 15 snaps on special teams last season.
Safety (4)
Camryn Bynum, Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Hunter Wohler*
Analysis: Bynum and Cross will take most of the snaps at safety, but Wohler has put himself in line to get playing time in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's sub-packages. Wohler can play both safety positions and line up at the dime linebacker position, a critical role considering that Anarumo would like to get dime packages on the field in obvious passing situations.
Specialists (3)
K Spencer Shrader, P Rigoberto Sanchez, LS Luke Rhodes
Analysis: The Colts would still like to see a little more from Shrader, but the second-year kicker has been much more accurate than undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo through the first two weeks of training camp, and Trujillo's struggles have come in the highest-pressure settings so far.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts 53-main roster projection: Complete depth chart predictions
Continue reading...
