7 takeaways from Colts first released depth chart

The Indianapolis Colts have released the first depth chart of the year, and while it’s still early, there are some key takeaways.

With the Indianapolis Colts set to hit the field on Saturday for a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Indy’s first depth chart of the season came out on Tuesday. While it’s early, and there’s still so much to take place before Week 1, there are several takeaways from this first depth chart.

The listing shows which players have an early lead in position battles and also some position changes that show how players will be used in the scheme. Here’s a look at 7 of the biggest takeaways from the first depth chart.

Colts depth chart

1. Matt Pryor is the starting left tackle

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after a couple of weeks of camp. Entering camp, Bernhard Raimann was expected to challenge Pryor for the starting job but Pryor has taken all the No. 1 reps throughout camp. So far, the position is still his to lose.

2. Kylen Granson is holding off the young tight ends

With so much focus on Indy’s new rookie tight ends, Kylen Granson hasn’t received much publicity this offseason. However, it is Granson that is listed as the TE2 after Mo Alie-Cox. While Andrew Ogletree has been stealing the headlines and Jelani Woods impresses with his athleticism, Granson is doing his part to deliver on the second-year breakout he promised.

3. Ben Banogu is currently ahead of Dayo Odeyingbo

Entering this year, it’s fair to say a lot of Colts fans were ready to move on from Ben Banogu. He hadn’t really produced in his three seasons so it seemed like Indy would be moving on. However, Banogu has had a tremendous camp and currently sits behind Yannick Ngakoue and ahead of Dayo Odeyingbo.

4. Shaquille Leonard and Bobby Okereke swapped positions

In Shaquille Leonard’s time with the Colts, he has always been the Will linebacker, playing on the weak side. Bobby Okereke was the Mike, lining up in the middle or to the strong side. When Gus Bradley was first hired, I highlighted how it could lead to a breakout season for Okereke because the Mike linebackers usually have career years in Bradley’s system. However, Bradley and the defensive staff made the decision to move Leonard to the Mike linebacker and let Okereke play on the weak side.

5. Youth at safety

The Colts will be very young at the safety positions but there is plenty of talent. Julian Blackmon is back and has reclaimed his starting spot at free safety and rookie Nick Cross is penciled in as the starting strong safety. The surprise, however, is that Blackmon’s backup is rookie Rodney Thomas II. Thomas was Indy’s last pick in the Draft, selected in the seventh round out of Yale. He has experience as a corner and safety and is apparently impressing in camp already.

6. Brandon Facyson is winning the battle against Isaiah Rodgers

Similar to Pryor and Raimann, this is a battle but Brandon Facyson has been taking all of the top reps. Facyson has been impressive in coverage but Isaiah Rodgers has been making a ton of plays. While Brandon is currently the starter, the real winner is the Colts because they have depth at corner.

7. JoJo Domann is in a good position to make final roster

Undrafted free agent, JoJo Domann, has become a bit of a fan favorite. Coming out of Nebraska, everyone marked Domann as the undrafted player most likely to make the final roster. He is currently listed as the second-string SAM linebacker behind Zaire Franklin. That should give JoJo a pretty good chance to make the 53-man roster.

3 Colts whose stock has risen during training camp

The Indianapolis Colts have had a number of impressive training camp performances from players who need to step up this year.