Colts Inactives vs. Broncos: Trent Cole Out; Darius Butler & Clayton Geathers Active

The Indianapolis Colts released their inactive players ahead of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos at 4:25 EST:

Of course, there’s no real surprises on the list.

Starting cornerback Vontae Davis is still at least a couple of weeks from returning with a severe ankle injury, while other starter Patrick Robinson is still recovering from a concussion suffered this past Sunday.

The encouraging news is that nickelback Darius Butler is not on the inactive list, which means he’ll be featured prominently in the team’s secondary and should provide a much-needed boost.

Per WTHR’s Bob Kravitz, backup cornerback Rashaan Melvin will start on the other side of veteran Antonio Cromartie, meaning Butler will presumably be covering the slot where he’s much more comfortable (effective) than on the outside.

Safety T.J. Green has a mild MCL sprain and is “week-to-week”, but was unable to practice all week. On the positive side, it looks as though safety Clayton Geathers will be able to play today–albeit in limited snaps.

With conditioning still an issue, the Colts will likely deploy Geathers situationally at safety. Look for backup Winston Guy to platoon with Geathers at the position.

Otherwise, veteran pass rusher Trent Cole was downgraded from questionable to eventually out for this weekend’s game with a back injury, which is a big blow to the Colts pass rushing rotation.

Meanwhile, two of the team’s rookie offensive lineman Le’Raven Clark and Austin Blythe appear to be healthy scratches–assuredly because the Colts need additional bodies in the secondary with all of the injuries to their defensive backs.

Lastly, Henry Anderson–who is slowly but surely recovering from a season-ending torn ACL suffered last season could still be another week or two from returning. It’s worth mentioning that he’s getting really close though, as he was a full participant in this past Friday’s practice.