2. Safety
With veteran starter Mike Adams unlikely to play much and his starting counterpart Clayton Geathers potentially out for the entire preseason with a broken foot, Colts rookie 2nd round pick T.J. Green could see ample playing time at starting safety Sunday.
Due to injuries, the former Clemson standout has been running with the Colts 1st team unit in training camp, showcasing his world-class speed in the process.
Having converted from wideout after his freshman season with the Tigers, Green only has 2 years of experience starting at safety–having declared for the NFL Draft after just his junior season.
As such, Green is still a bit raw at safety, but by being thrown into the fire early on while gaining invaluable playing experience, the fleet-footed rookie could hasten his development at the position.
Not to mention, it’s a great opportunity for some safeties lower on the depth chart such as Winston Guy, Stefan McClure, and Dezmen Southward to stand out as they figure to receive extended playing time in the preseason opener.
Safeties that will have to ultimately stick on the 53-man active roster by starring on special teams. There are certainly special teams jobs up for grabs, so each safety could lay their stake to such a job by showing the ability to both run and hit at a high level–prerequisites for playing on special teams.
