If you are one of those glass-half-empty types, you could paint a pretty dire picture of what faces the Indianapolis Colts on the eve of the 2026 NFL season. A lot of very important players have been dealing with injuries in training camp. But that is the nature of training camp.
Little bumps and bruises (that’s relative, you understand – a little bruise to an NFL player would have me demanding breakfast in bed for two weeks) are de rigueur.
So we’re not going to stress out about the fact that, officially, both starting perimeter corners and the tight end are listed as questionable for the opener, and of course, the top receiver remains on the PUP list. Not worried about that at all.
Players with the most on the line in the Indianapolis Colts' second preseason game
I do think that come opening day, Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward and Tyler Warren will all be suited up, and I remain hopeful that Alec Pierce will be on the field as well.
If they are not, the position battles to watch in the Colts' second preseason game against Atlanta expand to essentially fill up every spot on the field. But optimistic that I am, I’ll just focus on the five battles that I think will matter apart from those potentially affected by injury
Offensive line depth
We’ll start up front. This is a real strength of the team, but there are still questions to be resolved regarding the backups. The Colts' five starters are arguably one of the five best lines in the NFL. But lines rarely remain healthy and intact for an entire year.
It looks as if my personal campaign for backup guard Josh Sills has yet to catch fire. According to the depth chart, he remains behind rookie Jalen Farmer and veteran Dalton Tucker at a position where they may only keep one backup.
Farmer, barring a major misstep, probably has a spot. So both Tucker and Sills will have to be dominant performers to force their way onto the roster. Sills performed like that last week against New England, but I suspect he will need to do it again.
It will be interesting to see if Tucker gets snaps at center. If he looks good, that could really boost his resume. And at tackle, where the Colts might want to keep two backups, we’ll need to see if Luke Tenuta shows any ill effects of his injury against the Patriots. I think Blake Freeland has already secured a spot.
Wide Receiver
This position is in a great state of flux. Keenan Allen’s arrival was essential. A projected starting three of Allen, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce looks very good on paper. But we don’t know about Pierce; Downs was dealing with his own nagging issues earlier in camp, and Allen remains a bit of an unknown.
This game would seem to be very important to rookie Deion Burks. The Colts know what they have in veterans Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, and Anthony Gould. All three have been important special teams players but none have stood out as receivers in recent seasons.
Dulin is probably a lock. If Gould isn’t, right now his spot would probably go to Coleman Owen, the other primary kick returner on the roster. That may set up a showdown between Burks and Treadwell.
It seems likely the team would prefer the young draft pick to claim a spot, but he will need to do it on the field.
Running Back
DJ Giddens has missed time with a hamstring injury, but he returned to practice this week. Hopefully, he will get on the field and look fast on Saturday. If not, Seth McGown will probably lock down the primary backup role. That is, if he hasn’t already done that.
The team remains publicly supportive of Giddens, but he has to start showing it on the field. I don’t know if Ulysses Bentley or Anderson Castle is ready to steal a spot as the third back, but the Colts could absolutely go in search of a veteran castoff after the league makes its final cuts. That’s how Ameer Abdullah wound up in Indy last season. Giddens needs to prove he deserves a spot.
Backup Linebacker
Carlies of Ajiake? They are very similar players. Both could stick on the 53, especially if projected starter CJ Allen suffers any kind of setback as he returns from injury. Carlies and Ajiake are both good coverage backers, and Ajiake has been excellent on special teams. It will be fun to see if either really shines against Atlanta.
And speaking of Allen, it would be very reassuring to see him on the field making plays. The Colts have been counting on that ever since they drafted him, and so far, have not seen it.
Strong Safety
The competition to replace Nick Cross appears to be a one-on-one battle between AJ Haulcy and Hunter Wohler. Haulcy is currently listed as the starter on the unofficial depth chart.
Both players figure prominently in Lou Anarumo’s defensive schemes this year, and it would not be surprising to see them on the field together. The contest over who starts may not matter all that much. But NFL players are competitive, and I suspect both safeties want to show that they deserve the starting position.
You may notice I left out the backup quarterback contest. It’s such a nice day here, and I didn’t want to have to consider what Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard might do on Saturday. There’ll be time for that in a post-mortem.
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