Final 53-man roster projection for the Indianapolis Colts
By Dailey Gee
Training camp and the preseason is over and it’s time for the Indianapolis Colts to trim the roster down to just 53 players for the regular season.
With the preseason over, all eyes are on the Indianapolis Colts to see what players will be released and which will make the final 53-man roster going into the regular season. There were guys that showed that they are deserving to be on this team, and there were guys that did not. This seems to always be the hardest time for a team as you have to let so many people go. Here is my prediction on who will make the 53-man roster for the Indianapolis Colts.
Quarterbacks (3)
- Matt Ryan
- Nick Foles
- Sam Ehlinger
This is one of the deeper quarterback rooms in the league. If something were to happen to Matt Ryan, I would feel comfortable with either of these other guys starting. While it’s not typical for a team to carry three quarterbacks, Sam Ehlinger has demanded a spot with his preseason play.
Running Backs (3)
- Jonathan Taylor
- Nyheim Hines
- Phillip Lindsay
Once again, another deep group with loads of talent. Jonathan Taylor is going to be the workhorse, we know that. Hines and Lindsay will also have a role on this Colts team, however.
Wide Receivers (7)
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Parris Campbell
- Alec Pierce
- Ashton Dulin
- Mike Strachan
- Dezmon Patmon
- Keke Coutee
A very young group that has a lot to prove. I think this receiving core can be really solid with Matt Ryan at quarterback. I am excited to see how many the Colts actually keep, and how they play this season.
Tight Ends (3)
- Mo Allie-Cox
- Kylen Granson
- Jelani Woods
Another group that has something to prove. I expect a good leap from this group. All three guys do something different than the other. No matter who you have out there, you are going to get production.
Offensive Line (8)
- Matt Pryor
- Quenton Nelson
- Ryan Kelly
- Danny Pinter
- Braden Smith
- Dennis Kelly
- Bernard Raimann
- Will Fries
This is a group that has looked solid in the preseason for the Colts. They are going to have to do what they can to keep Matt Ryan off the turf. Ryan has never had a line this good, can Indy take advantage of it?
Defensive Line (10)
- Deforest Buckner
- Grover Stewart
- Yannick Ngakoue
- Kwity Paye
- Tyquan Lewis
- Dayo Odeyingbo
- Ben Banogu
- Ifeadi Odenigbo
- Curtis Brooks
- Eric Johnson
The Colts are pretty confident in this group. They believe that they can get after the quarterback on any given play. They want to be able to have a couple of waves of pass rushers. With this group, I think they have that.
Linebackers (6)
- Shaquille Leonard
- Bobby Okereke
- Zaire Franklin
- E.J. Speed
- Sterling Weatherford
- JoJo Domann
This group is led by Shaq Leonard (formerly known as Darius.) Indy has a deep group that has got meaningful reps in the preseason. Also, a couple of these guys will be big on special teams as well.
Secondary (CB/S) (10)
- Stephon Gilmore
- Kenny Moore II
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Brandon Facyson
- Marvell Tell III
- Julian Blackmon
- Nick Cross
- Rodney McLeod
- Rodney Thomas
- Trevor Denbow
With the addition of Stephon Gilmore, this defense as a whole should take a huge jump. I plan to see many takeaways from this group. There is a lot of special teams talent here as well in this group.
Specialists (3)
- Rodrigo Blankenship (K)
- Matt Haack (P)
- Luke Rhodes (LS)
With the injury of Rigoberto Sanchez, the Colts brought in Matt Haack to take care of the punting duties. We will see how this group performs this year.
Ultimately, it’s a pretty good roster for Indianapolis to enter the season with. Obviously, there are some guys who had promising performances in camp and the preseason but unfortunately aren’t projected to make the final roster. They should be able to land on their feet with Indy’s practice squad, or they will find a home on another team’s 53-man roster.
