It seems as if every season, most NFL teams approach the final 53-man cutdown date with the overwhelming majority of their rosters in place. There may be about ten spots in question. Often, behind-the-scenes injuries have as much to do with those final decisions as on-field performance. There are always a couple of surprises, but rarely more than that.
This year, the signs and omens for the Indianapolis Colts may result in several extra surprises when the final roster is announced on Sunday. There has been a massive overhaul, especially on defense. Even on offense, where most of a potent 2025 unit is back, two of the club’s longest-serving players – Braden Smith and Michael Pittman – have moved on.
Injuries to Alec Pierce, DJ Giddens, and Anthony Gould further complicate projections. In the end, a lot of players who once seemed like longshots may have a surprisingly good chance of sticking. The team maintains an unofficial depth chart, but when it comes to reserves, that guarantees nothing. Here are five longshots who may survive cutdown day.
5 Indianapolis Colts with a decent chance of being surprise additions to the 2026 roster
Coleman Owen – WR
Owen has taken advantage of the injury to Anthony Gould to stake a claim to be a backup wide receiver and primary kick/punt returner. Even with Alec Pierce out, Owen is not likely to challenge other wideouts for offensive snaps.
But Indianapolis does not have another reliable, healthy return man right now who can handle both punts and kickoffs. It is a role that Gould has played for the last two seasons.
Even when Gould returns, Owen may have done enough to earn the spot. This feels different from the running back position, where a backup like Ulysses Bentley IV may claim a roster spot until DJ Giddens is healthy.
Gould has been OK as a returner, but nothing more. It might be time to give someone else a chance. Rookie Deion Burks showed a lot of potential as a kickoff returner in the preseason Week 2, but apart from starting slot receiver Josh Downs, Owen is the only dependable option the club has returning punts with Gould out.
Jimmy Morrissey – IOL
Depth on the offensive line remains a concern. Right tackle Jalen Travis moves into the starting lineup in place of the veteran Braden Smith this year. That depletes the reserve unit. Fortunately, Blake Freeland is returning from injury and figures to compete with Luke Tenuta to be the primary swing tackle.
On the interior, four players may be competing for two spots. The favorites right now appear to be veteran Dalton Tucker and rookie Jalen Farmer. Farmer probably has a spot locked up, but Tucker may have to hold off Morrissey, a 28-year-old journeyman who has already been with four NFL clubs.
He can play both center and guard and has looked good so far in preseason. Has he done enough to beat out Tucker as the backup center? It is close. I thought that guard/tackle Josh Stills looked good in Week 1 at guard but fell off some when playing tackle in Week 2. I still think he has an outside chance, especially if Tenuta’s injury lingers, but right now his position doesn’t appear as strong.
Tim Smith – DT
Tim Smith’s path to a roster spot may depend on several important numbers. He is currently listed as either the seventh or eighth defensive tackle, and it is possible Indy may choose to keep as few as four players at the position. Even though it seems likely that they will keep five or perhaps even six, the 2025 sixth-round draft pick would appear to be outside looking in.
Here are those numbers. Four of the Colts' top six interior linemen have an average age of 31. Two projected reserves – Derrick Nnadi and Jerry Tillery – seem to be on the downside of their careers. The Colts do have a couple of younger players in Colby Wooden and Adetowima Adebawore who they like, but neither is a big run-stopper.
Smith has shown that he can do that. The question becomes: is it worth keeping veterans like Nnadi and Tillery on the roster when their future would seem to be short-term, or perhaps develop Smith as an early down rotational player who could stick farther into the future?
Rob Carter, Jr. – CB
The Colts' backup cornerbacks have not looked good this preseason. Cam Taylor-Britt and Jaylon Jones are the only players who look able to provide quality support to starters Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Justin Waller.
The other primary backups – Mekhi Blackmon and Johnathan Edwards - got some experience playing last year but have both looked lost throughout much of the preseason.
That could open up a spot for a surprise. Rob Carter, Jr., an undrafted free agent who played in the CFL last year, did not look very good against Atlanta in Week 2. But he was one of the best players on the field in Week 1 against the Patriots.
He is an undersized-but-active slot corner who, at the very least, seems to be playing with more confidence and aggression than either Blackmon or Edwards at this point.
Juanyeh Thomas – S
I initially thought Thomas would be a good fit in the Colts' secondary. He has shown flashes with the Cowboys, but injury and coaching changes seemed to set him back. When the Colts drafted AJ Haulcy in the third round this year, it seemed to knock Thomas back a spot.
Then, when the club issued its first unofficial depth chart, Thomas was also looking up at Jonathan Owens and Daniel Scott.
Cam Bynum, AJ Haulcy, and Hunter Wohler have three spots locked up, leaving perhaps just one more safety role up for grabs. Haulcy and Wohler are both better suited to play a traditional strong safety position, and the Colts may prefer to go with Owens or Scott, who are faster than Thomas and may be better fits backing up Bynum at free safety.
But Lou Anarumo switches up his alignments. Thomas has been very active this preseason. In a couple of games, he has outplayed Owens, and the club can’t help but be leery of Scott’s injury history. If Thomas finishes strong, he might move back into contention for a roster spot.
With the exception of Owen, these players still remain longshots. All of them figure to get practice squad invites if they do not make the roster. But I suspect one or two will be surprise additions to the final 53.
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