We got our first taste of football with the Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio. The rest of the NFL opens this week with their respective preseason openers, and with that comes the first depth charts of the year.
The Indianapolis Colts are no exception as they prefer for their first exhibition clash against the Denver Broncos.
These depth charts give both fans and teams a chance to see how camp battles are progressing. With that in mind, here are the big initial impressions from the Colts' first depth chart of the preseason.
Multiple options jockeying for position behind Jonathan Taylor at running back
We all know Jonathan Taylor will be the undisputed starter and the main ball-carrier this season.
As I wrote in an earlier roster prediction, Trey Sermon had the early lead for the backup running back position. This depth chart confirmed that, and it does have Tyler Goodson, not Evan Hull, as the third running back. That's a bit of a surprise as reports so far have been kind to Hull.
The Colts have also moved undrafted free agent Trent Pennix to running back rather than the tight end position he played at NC State.
Colts can't make a decision at WR2
No surprise here, but the franchise literally worded the depth chart to have “Alec Pierce OR Adonai Mitchell” winning the battle for the outside spot opposite Michael Pittman Jr. The position will continue to be fluid as these two continue to battl
Could Josh Downs’ injury at Wednesday's practice affect either one of them? Might they be asked to play inside more? Or will they rely on rookie Anthony Gould and Ashton Dulin, who is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2023 season?
Shakeups to the tight end depth chart
This portion of the depth chart contained a bit of a surprise with Mo Alie-Cox so high on the chart and Jelani Woods so low. At this point, I might have to eat crow on my prediction of Alie-Cox being the odd man out.
All local reporters have said that Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree have stood out during training camp. Woods is coming back from hamstring injuries, and Will Mallory has been banged up so far.
Can the franchise continue to carry five tight ends into the season? That remains unlikely.
Secondary arguments starting to have some answers
The most-argued position battle of camp so far is going about how we expected so far. JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones seem to have the driver’s seat at the outside spots with veteran Kenny Moore II at the nickel corner spot.
It appears rookie Jaylin Simpson has officially been slotted in as a cornerback and will continue to compete with Dallis Flowers, Ameer Speed, and Darrel Baker Jr. Veteran Chris Lammons is back and competing with rookie Micah Abraham for what is potentially the final cornerback spot on the roster
At the safety position, the fanbase has continued to scream for depth even with reports of a terrific camp for Julian Blackmon, who seems to be the team's offseason standout thus far. Nick Cross appears to have a leg up on the other starting safety spot with Ronnie Harrison Jr and Rodney Thomas II as the clear backups.
How the franchise handles the secondary through the first quarter of the season will be a storyline to follow, especially if blown coverages pop up again early in the schedule.