Insider: Breaking down the Colts' 53-man roster

Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star

August 30, 2022 at 5:55 PM·7 min read

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts whittled down their roster from 81 to 53 players Tuesday, shaving the roster as the team gets into regular-season mode.

From the looks of it, Indianapolis put a lot of stock in the youth, cutting several veterans who seemed destined for roles and keeping 10 rookies, including four undrafted free agents a year after a 22-year streak with one making the opening day roster was snapped.

The Colts likely aren’t done, though, and will spend the next couple of days scanning the waiver wire and veterans cut by other teams for chances to upgrade the roster. (*-rookie)

More:Insider: 5 free agents for the Colts to look into following roster cuts

Aug 27, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan (2) warms up before a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lucas Oil Stadium.

QUARTERBACK (3)

Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Sam Ehlinger

Cut: Jack Coan*

Analysis: A lot of NFL teams keep only two quarterbacks, but the Colts have long been willing to reserve a roster spot for developmental players, knowing that there has to be seven inactives each Sunday. Ehlinger’s sparkling preseason play had little chance of overtaking Foles for the No. 2 spot — Ehlinger himself has been open about the fact that he’s in the early stages of his development — but the second-year quarterback convinced the Colts he’s worth the investment. Now that the regular season has arrived, the spotlight turns firmly to Ryan, the player Indianapolis believes will bring stability to the quarterback position after a topsy-turvy 2021 cost the Colts their passing attack down the stretch.

RUNNING BACK (3)

Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Deon Jackson

Cuts: Phillip Lindsay, Ty’Son Williams, D’Vonte Price*

Analysis: Taylor’s rapid ascendance to the title of the NFL’s best running back has changed the calculus for the Colts at the position. For the first three seasons of Frank Reich’s tenure, Indianapolis typically gave three backs significant snaps in the offense; Taylor’s presence whittled that down to two last season, likely pushing Lindsay out of the picture. In 2021, Taylor and Hines took 1,120 of the 1,195 snaps running backs played in the offense, rendering another veteran, Marlon Mack, inactive for the final nine games. With that in mind, the Colts opted to keep just three backs, combining insurance and special teams ability into one player in the form of Jackson.

WIDE RECEIVER (6)

Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce*, Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, Mike Strachan, Dezmon Patmon

Cuts: DeMichael Harris, Keke Coutee, Ethan Fernea*, Samson Nacua*

Analysis: Indianapolis is betting heavily on Pierce’s raw talent, a healthy season from Campbell and the continued development of Dulin to give the team’s No. 1 receiver, Pittman Jr., the help he needs at the receiver position, at least early in the season. With Dulin still playing a significant role on special teams, the Colts were able to use the other two roster spots on Strachan and Patmon, two late-round picks who haven’t been able to turn their immense physical gifts into consistent production at the NFL level yet.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox (81) is tackled by a San Francisco 49ers defender after making a reception during the second half of the game Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

TIGHT END (3)

Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods*

Cuts: Michael Jacobson, Nikola Kalinic*

Analysis: Indianapolis was likely going to keep four tight ends on the roster before rookie Drew Ogletree’s season-ending injury, and the Colts could still make a move, but recent history suggests that Indianapolis doesn’t have to add another player at the position. Reich has long loved the versatility the tight end position provides, but for the past three seasons, the team has given more than 200 snaps to three tight ends and little work to any other player at the position. If Woods, the rookie, can handle the second Y tight end role capably — hand on the ground, blocking in addition to receiving — Indianapolis might not need to add another tight end.

TACKLE (3)

Braden Smith, Matt Pryor, Bernhard Raimann*

Cuts: Dennis Kelly, Ryan Van Demark*, Jordan Murray

Analysis: Pryor, a veteran who has started just one game at the left tackle position in his career, beat out Raimann, a third-round pick, for the left tackle job, and the veteran is going to need to continue to outperform expectations to hold onto the job long-term. The release of Kelly, who spent most of training camp recovering from a knee injury, is something of a surprise. Kelly was signed this offseason to give Indianapolis veteran depth up front, and Reich had been complementary of the veteran in camp.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich and guard Quenton Nelson (56) speak Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, before a joint training camp with the Detroit Lions at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana.

GUARD (3)

Quenton Nelson, Danny Pinter, Will Fries

Cuts: Josh Seltzner*

Analysis: Nelson is fully healthy, a critical development for the NFL’s best guard after a rash of injuries hampered his 2021 season. The interior depth chart gets a little muddled beyond Nelson and center Ryan Kelly. Pinter is in line to start the regular season at right guard, but he’s also been the No. 2 center behind Kelly late in training camp, even though both undrafted rookie Wesley French and Fries have played that position as well. Fries, who has positional versatility, appears to be most comfortable at guard.

Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly (78) squints from the bench during a rainy, chilly game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

CENTER (2)

Ryan Kelly, Wesley French*

Analysis: Kelly’s the rock of the offensive line, but French’s relative lack of experience and Pinter’s status as the starting right guard could have the Colts searching the rest of the league’s cuts for a center who can provide the experience and depth Indianapolis has always had in the past.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) signals to fans during training camp Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.

DEFENSIVE END (6)

Yannick Ngakoue, Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, Dayo Odeyingbo, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Ben Banogu

Cuts: Kameron Cline

Analysis: The Colts have been optimistic about the minor knee injury Paye suffered in practice last week, and barring a setback, the 2021 first-round pick will open the season opposite Ngakoue in a pairing the Colts are excited about unleashing on quarterbacks. Beyond those two players, positional versatility reigns. Lewis will likely move inside to rush with the starting pass-rush group in obvious passing situations, and both Odeyingbo and Odenigbo have the same capability.

Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) and middle linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) stand in between plays during the second quarter of the game on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (4)

DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson*, Byron Cowart

Cuts: R.J. McIntosh, Curtis Brooks*, Chris Williams

Analysis: A move could still be coming in the next couple of days to add a backup to Stewart at nose tackle. Cowart, the former New England Patriot, likely projects as the initial backup to Stewart — Johnson, a fifth-round pick, is explosive but still raw in the running game — and there are several options available around the league. Depth issues aside, the starting tandem of Buckner and Stewart is as good as any in the NFL.

LINEBACKER (6)

Shaquille Leonard, Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, JoJo Domann*, Grant Stuard

Cuts: Sterling Weatherford*, Forrest Rhyne*, James Skalski*, Brandon King

Analysis: Avoiding the reserve/PUP list in the regular season means that Leonard has a chance to get back on the field sooner. If he’s forced to miss time, the pairing up front will likely be Franklin in the middle and Okereke on the weak side. Domann earned a spot as a playmaking force from the start of camp, and the Colts swung a trade for Stuard on cutdown day that essentially replaced King, adding an experienced special teams ace in a spot left open by offseason departures.

CORNERBACK (6)

Stephon Gilmore, Kenny Moore II, Brandon Facyson, Isaiah Rodgers, Tony Brown, Dallis Flowers*

Cuts: Anthony Chesley, Marvell Tell III, Chris Wilcox

Analysis: The Colts have long been excited about the potential of their top four cornerbacks, a group that played well throughout training camp, sparked by Gilmore’s impressive play. Indianapolis believes it has four starting-caliber cornerbacks, and that allowed the Colts to take a shot on raw ability by keeping Flowers, who has an enormous amount of natural talent. Brown, a veteran, made the roster with his versatility, both in coverage and in the kicking game.

Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) steps in front of and intercepts a pass Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, intended for tight end Mo Alie-Cox (81) during training camp at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana.

SAFETY (5)

Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross*, Rodney McLeod, Rodney Thomas*, Trevor Denbow*

Cuts: Will Redmond, Marcel Dabo

Injured reserve: Armani Watts (ankle)

Analysis: The lone outstanding battle for a starting spot is at strong safety, a position the Colts are grooming Cross to take over long-term. If Cross is able to start right away, expect McLeod to have a role along with the two young safeties. With those three up front, Indianapolis bet again on youth and special teams ability. Thomas has shown impressive range as a free safety; Denbow led the entire NFL with six special-teams tackles in the preseason. Dabo will be back as an extra practice squad player due to the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.

SPECIALISTS (3)

Rodrigo Blankenship, Matt Haack, Luke Rhodes

Injured reserve: Rigoberto Sanchez (Achilles)

Analysis: Blankenship’s consistency in training camp beat out Jake Verity for the kicking job a week ahead of time, and the Colts hope Haack can do a reasonable imitation of Sanchez while the punter heals from a devastating training camp injury.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Breaking down the 53-man roster

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