Predicting Colts' 53-Man Roster Following Preseason

The Indianapolis Colts must cut their roster down from 90 players to 53 by next Tuesday afternoon's deadline.

The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for the 2023 regular season.

The team has concluded four weeks of training camp, including 13 practices, three joint practices against the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, and all three preseason matchups against the Bears, Eagles, and Buffalo Bills.

The next step is to determine the best players to move ahead with and then enact the excruciating process of gashing the roster from 90 players down to 53 by the league-mandated 4:00pm ET deadline next Tuesday.

After digesting the spring offseason program and the summer's training camp and preseason, here is my educated guess at the Colts' initial 53-man roster.

QUARTERBACK (3)

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Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, Sam Ehlinger

Close Cuts: None

This is a pretty simple group to guess; no changes. Richardson is the (hopeful) future of the Colts while Minshew is his trusty veteran backup, and Ehlinger earns the role of emergency QB. 

RUNNING BACK (3)

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Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, Evan Hull

Close Cuts: Kenyan Drake, Jake Funk

In this scenario, Jonathan Taylor is off of the active roster, either by way of an outbound trade or designation to the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List. Moss is still nursing a broken arm and his status for Week 1 is quite murky so we could see someone like Funk kept on the roster for the first week or two if Moss isn't ready. Otherwise, it's Jackson and Hull to carry the load following the potential exit of Taylor and the absence of Moss. This is a group that seems primed for an addition following roster cuts, so keep an eye out.

WIDE RECEIVER (6)

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Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Isaiah McKenzie, Amari Rodgers, Juwann Winfree

Close Cuts: Mike Strachan, Breshad Perriman

This is a tough group to gauge behind the top four, as there are six players who can make a legitimate argument to earn a fifth or sixth spot on the receiver depth chart. With the WR5/WR6 role holding very little equity on offense, special teams is likely to be the determining factor. Rodgers and Winfree both have quite a bit of experience on special teams.

TIGHT END (4)

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Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory

Close Cuts: Mo Alie-Cox

This is a roster that's getting younger all the time and supposedly investing playing time in those young players. At this point, although he's been a serviceable player through the past five seasons, I don't know how Alie-Cox fits into that. Given the opportunity to be "the guy" at tight end following Jack Doyle's retirement last season, Alie-Cox didn't stand out much. He's also been injured for much of the summer. If the Colts are going to see what they've got in their young tight end group (particularly as blockers), it's time to move forward with the youth movement. Granson is an above-average separator while the Colts hope Mallory eventually follows suit, and Woods (when he returns from a hamstring injury) and Ogletree have the potential to be true game-changers at the position.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9)

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TACKLE — Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith, Blake Freeland, Arlington Hambright

INTERIOR — Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Carter O'Donnell, Wesley French

Close Cuts: Dan Skipper, Dakoda Shepley

If there's one group I'm most confident will be affected by waiver/free-agent moves following roster cuts, it's the offensive line. The depth behind the starters was already iffy and then saw its top interior player, Danny Pinter, go down with an injury on Thursday night. The Colts' depth simply has to improve before starting the season with a rookie quarterback and new running backs.

DEFENSIVE LINE (9)

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END — Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Khalid Kareem 

TACKLE — DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson II, Adetomiwa Adebawore

Close Cuts: Al-Quadin Muhammad, Titus Leo, McTelvin Agim, Taven Bryan

In terms of experience and potential, this appears to be the deepest that the line has been in a while and therefore is tougher to make cuts. The first factor is just the numbers; the Colts probably won't keep more than nine or 10 players on the line. To me, this came down to Kareem, Muhammad, or Leo at end, and whether to go with the youth upside or veteran experience on the inside. Ultimately, Kareem has had a solid summer and appears to be getting better, and it would be on-brand for the Colts to invest in the youth at tackle. Bryan has seen a lot of snaps this summer but has done very little with it. Agim is arguably the toughest cut, as he's also had a very productive summer. Again, it's a numbers game.

LINEBACKER (5)

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

Close Cuts: Segun Olubi

Each of Stuard, Domann, Olubi, and Cameron McGrone has a compelling case to make the roster, but it's unlikely that more than two of the four make it. Stuard has played like a madman all preseason, and Domann is one of the Colts' core special teamers despite having a lowkey training camp.

CORNERBACK (7)

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Kenny Moore II, Darrell Baker Jr., Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, Tony Brown, Darius Rush

Close Cuts: None

The Colts have a clear top seven cornerbacks and I don't see them messing with it. The only issue is who goes where on the depth chart. Moore, Baker, and Flowers are the clear starters right now, but rookie second-round pick Brents will probably grab one of those spots sooner than later, and Jones has been a consistent bright spot throughout the spring and summer. Brown is the only true corner who plays the slot, and Rush is still looking for consistency. 

SAFETY (4)

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Rodney Thomas II, Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Trevor Denbow

Close Cuts: None

This one is also pretty clean-cut. While veterans like Henry Black or Ronnie Harrison make sense, these four have been the clear top four safeties. Thomas and Blackmon are the de facto starters, but Cross has had an outstanding camp and looks to factor in as well. While Denbow is primarily a special teamer, he can line up at strong safety or in the slot as well.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

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KICKER — Matt Gay

PUNTER — Rigoberto Sanchez

LONG SNAPPER — Luke Rhodes

Close Cuts: None

No-brainer. Sanchez and Rhodes have been the only players at their positions on the roster all offseason, and Gay signed the biggest free-agent deal for a kicker in NFL history this offseason.

CONCLUSION

This summer's roster cutdown may appear a little different than in years past. For starters, the Colts have a new head coach in Shane Steichen and a nearly completely new offensive coaching staff. The team's decision-makers know they're closer to a rebuild than they are competing for a playoff run. That means building a foundational roster and investing in youth, which may put established veterans on the chopping block.

This roster also has some clear thin spots that could see turnover after the Colts cut their own roster by way of free-agent and waiver pickups. The team is also in the midst of trade winds surrounding Taylor, and they will also have some list designations to make, including the three-game suspension of cornerback Chris Lammons.

Stay tuned to Horseshoe Huddle as news of roster cuts begins to trickle in.

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