Indianapolis Colts: Biggest Remaining Questions Before Roster Cuts

The Indianapolis Colts will have to make some difficult decisions when making final roster cuts on Tuesday.

Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull (26) celebrates in the end zone with teammates during a pre-season game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos on Sunday, August. 11, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Indianapolis Colts, like the rest of the teams in the NFL, will have to make difficult decisions in order to trim their current roster of 91 players down to 53 by the 4:00 PM EST deadline on Tuesday, August 27th.

After a full training camp and their third and final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts have about four and a half days to deliberate on what they've seen so far and decide which players to retain and which to move on from.

Will the Colts keep a fourth running back?

With the availability of backup running back Trey Sermon for Week 1 up in the air due to a hamstring injury, this question may have an easy answer. Still, if the Colts are confident Sermon will be full-go by the time the season begins, we could see a promising young running back landing on another team's roster.

Keeping four running backs is a luxury, but the Colts may like Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull enough to squeeze them both in. The pair of 23-year-old runners have largely split time as the third running back throughout camp and the preseason, but it appears Goodson may have the slight edge, being the one who was given the first opportunity for snaps after starter Jonathan Taylor exited the Colts' final preseason game.

For my money, Goodson would get the nod if the Colts decide to keep only one of these backs, but ultimately I think they will find a way to hang on to them both.

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Will the rookie cornerbacks make the roster?

In 2023, the Colts drafted three cornerbacks in a clear attempt to get younger at the position. They followed that up in 2024 by selecting two more, Jaylin Simpson in the fifth round and Micah Abraham in the sixth.

Although they are listed at the same position, the roles that these two rookie corners have been asked to play have been different. Simpson has taken most of his snaps on the outside while Abraham has played almost exclusively in the slot. This essentially means that the primary competition they face to make the roster comes from veterans above them on the depth chart and not from each other.

Keeping Simpson likely means the Colts would be moving on from Darrell Baker Jr. and Ameer Speed. Baker is a player who got significant playing time last season until he was removed from the lineup in favor of JuJu Brents after several poor performances. Has Baker regained the trust of the defensive staff? He has consistently been playing with the second unit over players like Speed and Simpson, but the struggles of last season may be fresh in the Colts minds.

Abraham faces veteran Chris Lammons as his most direct competition for a roster spot. While Lammons recovered from an ankle injury during the first couple weeks of camp, Abraham was the primary backup behind Kenny Moore II. Once Lammons returned, however, Abraham was bumped down to the third team. Since then, Abraham has had some impressive moments, including a defensive touchdown in Week 1 of the preseason against the Denver Broncos stripping the ball away from running back Audric Estimé and returning the ball 45 yards to the end zone.

Could this be a situation like last year when the Colts waived fifth-round pick Darius Rush, or will the Colts be reluctant to risk losing another talented rookie cornerback (or two)?

Does Ashton Dulin still have a role?

The longest-tenured wide receiver on the Colts roster may not be able to hold onto that title for much longer. Ashton Dulin has been with the Colts since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and has grown into a star on special teams, earning Second-team All-Pro in 2021. His production on the offensive side of the ball has never surpassed 15 receptions in a single season, peaking in 2022, but his special teams ability has always earned him a roster spot.

It is unclear whether or not that will be enough for him to make the roster this season. As it stands, there are five wide receivers on the team that seem to have a higher chance of making the roster in Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, AD Mitchell, Alec Pierce, and Anthony Gould. Keeping Dulin would mean keeping six receivers, a large number for a team that felt comfortable enough to open last season with only three on the active roster.

Dulin has not had much of an opportunity to prove his worth to head coach Shane Steichen and the current coaching staff after missing the entirety of the 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL in training camp. He also missed two weeks of training camp this season with a hamstring injury.

If, despite these injuries, Dulin can prove that he is capable of being the special teams ace he has been in the past, his place on the roster should be a no-brainer, but the opportunity to convince the Colts to keep a sixth wide receiver may have come and gone.

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