Camping With the Colts, Day 9

Tuesday was another prep day for the pre-season opener on Saturday.    The Colts released their first depth chart of the season, and it looks like we’ll see Jeff Linkenbach protecting Curtis Painter’s blind side against the St. Louis Rams in a possible preview of what the post-Manning offense will look like.   If this pairing doesn’t convince you just how much a well-protected Peyton Manning is, nothing ever will.   Also according to the current chart, hulking Jacques McClendon should see some time at left guard against the Rams.

In other news, the Colts acquired former Bills TE Michael Matthews a day after releasing their own Rob Myers.  Matthews is 27 and has played in 16 games during his career.   He’s probably just a practice squad pick-up, but then those guys are only “a heartbeat away,” right?

The Colts also signed former Bears guard Josh Beekman.

Finally, Jacob Lacey left practice with the dreaded “undisclosed injury.”   Any extended absence by Lacey would be a real hit, because he’s expected to start at left cornerback, and the burner corps is already thin.  Kelvin Hayden is still out there on the market, and he could conceivably be a back-up plan, but it’s looking more and more like the Colts released him over injury concerns rather than for salary cap savings.