The Indianapolis Colts are going to make some difficult cuts before 2020.
The Indianapolis Colts will enter 2020 with a few power-packed segments of their roster.
Unfortunately, that also means depth pieces embedded in those units who likely thought they’d get a chance someday in Indy … probably won’t.
No, you can never have too much depth. Certainly. We hear you. But from Philip Rivers’ protection to his multi-headed backfield, there are a few areas where some members of previous administrations are going to have to get sent home a few weeks early.
Without a preseason for fringe performers to prove themselves, the road to being rostered is tougher to navigate than ever. Those third-quarter pass catchers and late-game sack specialists only have drills and intra-squad workouts to establish their necessity.
Limited reps will be available, and these players will unfortunately be left without a gig when the season (hopefully) opens.
4. Chad Kelly
The Colts simply … do not have room for four quarterbacks.
Chad Kelly has been Mr. Irrelevant before, and unfortunately, we’ll predict he embodies the title again this summer.
Whatever promise the Colts see in Kelly — perhaps it’s legitimate, or perhaps they’re just blinded by his supposed prestige — likely isn’t enough to convince them to keep four quarterbacks on the roster in 2020. Perhaps (and this is going out on a significant limb) the team instead dangles Jacoby Brissett in trade talks, as his free agency next spring complicates the whole equation, but it would be far more important for our comfort in the moment to get rid of Kelly, let Jacob Eason sit in the third-string slot, and use Brissett as the Philip Rivers’ insurance policy.
After all, this is a team that should compete for the AFC South. Their backup should not be Eason when the curtain rises Week 1.
So, now we’re left dismissing Kelly. Selected with the final pick of the seventh round in 2017, after battling demons in separate incidents with Clemson and Ole Miss, his legal troubles did not stop when he reached the professional level. A bizarre home invasion spelled the end of his time with the Broncos, and several lawsuits have followed him to Indy.
As if his clouded path to playing time wasn’t enough of a reason to remove the bandage, Kelly is likely more trouble than he’s worth.