Expect Colts to Be Active on Waiver Wire with Roster Cuts

The bottom of the Indianapolis Colts' roster is lacking heading into the 2023 season. Can they find help on the waiver wire?

The Indianapolis Colts are in the midst of a retooling heading into the 2023 season, as the team is looking to break in their rookie head coach Shane Steichen and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

This is a transitional year, so naturally, the team's overall roster may not be the strongest that it has been in the Chris Ballard era.

Luckily (if you can call it that), the Colts do have an extra weapon at their disposal come roster cutdowns this year. Since they finished with the fourth-worst record in the NFL last season, the Colts will have the fourth spot on the waiver wire until Week 3 of the regular season (when the wire resets based on the new league standings).

This is somewhat of an advantage when it comes to roster cutdown day, as the Colts will only be behind the Chicago Bears, the Houston Texans, and the Arizona Cardinals in the pecking order for released players. With hundreds of players set to be waived in the next 24 hours, the Colts will be at the top of the list for players that they wish to scoop up.

The Colts have been quite active on waiver claims in the past, and it is reasonable to expect the team to be even more active this year with the current state of the roster and the high placing on the waiver order.

Here is a list of Ballard waiver claims on cutdown day by year since he took over in 2017:

• 2017: Pierre Desir (CB), Kenny Moore II (CB), Matt Jones (RB), Matt Hazel (WR), Ian Silberman (IOL)

• 2018: Corey Moore (S), Al-Quadin Muhammad (DE)

• 2019: Ryan Lewis (CB)

• 2020: N/A

• 2021: BoPete Keyes (CB), Chris Wilcox (CB)

• 2022: Luke Tenuta (OT)

Another hit for the #Colts’ pro scouting department: Kenny Moore is now the third waiver claim of the Chris Ballard era to sign a long-term deal with the team, joining Pierre Desir and Mark Glowinski. https://t.co/TTu7ZKU91S

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 13, 2019

The current state of the Colts roster points more to a 2017 type of year for waiver claims rather than what we've seen recently. This Colts team desperately needs help on the offensive line, and a waiver claim at running back or wide receiver to help fill out the roster may be useful as well.

The Colts' offensive line depth is in dire straits at the moment. The starting five players are solidified in their roles, and rookie offensive tackle Blake Freeland should be safe despite an inconsistent preseason. Veteran Danny Pinter would have been the seventh man up on this list, but he was lost for the season due to a broken ankle he suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Arlington Hambright and Carter O'Donnell had adequate offseasons on the interior, but the Colts are currently looking at roughly six locks across the offensive line to make the roster. For a team that typically keeps anywhere from 9-10 players in this group each season, that is not the greatest sign heading into the year (especially with injury concerns lingering with Ryan Kelly at center).

The Colts' 2019 starting offensive line was flukishly healthy and took like 98% of the total snaps and the Colts have seemingly had to pay for it ever since.

— Derek Schultz (@Schultz975) August 25, 2023

Wide receiver is another position that could use a roster claim on cutdown day. Versatile special teams ace Ashton Dulin was lost for the season due to an ACL tear a few weeks ago and the other veterans on the roster have struggled to step up in his absence. The team does like the skillset that Amari Rodgers brings, and Juwann Winfree had a solid camp, but a waiver claim at receiver shouldn't be out of the question.

Running back is the position group completely in limbo at the moment. Star running back Jonathan Taylor is likely to be traded by Tuesday's deadline, which would leave just Evan Hull and Deon Jackson as the team's lone healthy backs heading into the opening week game (Zack Moss has a chance to be healthy by this time as well). While the likely move here is signing a certain veteran back who came to visit a few weeks prior, a waiver claim isn't completely outside the realm of possibilities.

Overall, this should be a busy year for waiver claims with the Colts. They have noticeable holes at several key positions, and their spot near the top of the waiver wire should be an asset in claiming new talent. There is no limit to how many waiver claims a team can put in, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Colts put in five-plus claims in the next 24 hours.

Stay tuned to Horseshoe Huddle as the Colts continue their cuts.

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