On Thursday evening, the Indianapolis Colts will have their seemingly annual August contest with the Cincinnati Bengals. This time around, the Colts will once again take the short trip to the Queen City, for their final game of the 2014 NFL Preseason. There might be very little (if anything) seen from the two team’s starters on Thursday night, but there will still be plenty to watch for.
The Colts still have several areas of concern on their roster, which hasn’t really been sured up over three preseason games so far. Spots such as the offensive line, defensive line, and safety position still remain big questions for this team. There is a possibility that the Colts may have to keep some players in these spots that they otherwise wouldn’t have, do to injury and inconsistency.
The majority of the players we see on Thursday night against the Bengals, will be fighting for a bench spot, or at least a place on the practice squad. Considering how banged-up the Colts are already, Indianapolis may have to load up in several areas just for the sake of safety.
The problem is, the Colts are only allowed the 53-man roster. that sounds like a high number, but considering how many interchangeable parts they dealt with just last season, it would be easy to see this team shuffling spots all over again. The Colts have been good in recent seasons at finding diamonds in the rough, but have also dealt with big additions not paying off. Whether its injury or whatever other reason you can think of, some of these players just aren’t staying on the field.
These issues are going to hamper the growth of this up and coming team, if they continue. Indianapolis will have some hard choices to make, as they cut the roster down to size. We will see a lot of players fighting for their careers against the Bengals on Thursday, and it won’t be surprising if many of them end up staying with the Colts.