One of the toughest aspects of a team like the Indianapolis Colts building a roster from the inside-out, rather than making a bunch of splash free agency moves, is the idea that they'll have even tougher decisions to make going forward.
Home-grown talent is the best kind of talent, but it also makes saying 'goodbye' much more difficult.
The Colts pride themselves on retaining good players and building through the draft, and because of that, some difficult roster calls lay ahead.
These five Colts players could be in search for a new home when the summer has come and gone
Jake Witt, OT
It would be tough to see a guy the Colts invested draft capital in, just a year ago, get cut this offseason. But, Jake Witt might just find himself off the roster at some point, this summer.
A 2023 seventh-round pick out of Northern Michigan, Witt did not appear in a single game for Indy last year. Fast forward to Year 2 for Witt, and the Colts invested a third rounder in Matt Goncalves and also have 2023 fourth-round pick, Blake Freeland. Both of these guys are ahead of Witt on the depth chart, and of course Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith are ahead of Witt as well.
There simply may not be room for Witt on this roster, and he'd find himself either looking for a new team or hoping to be brought back on the practice squad.
Trey Sermon, RB
Last season, the Colts kept three running backs after their initial, monstrous roster cutdown. If they do the same thing this year, the Colts would be in line to keep Jonathan Taylor, Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson. At least, those are the three which are currently projected as the top three on Indy's depth chart.
In 2023, Trey Sermon got some opportunities with this Colts offense due to injuries ahead of him. He was active for 14 games and carried the ball 35 times for 160 yards, which was good for a healthy 4.6 average.
Coming out of Ohio State three years ago, Sermon was looked at as a guy who could potentially become a high-level starter in this league. After all, he was a third-round pick by the 49ers. Now, he could be without a job.
Anthony Gould, WR
Last year, the Colts initially kept four wide receivers and five tight ends. Of course, things can and will change after the very first cut. However, let's say the Colts only choose to keep five wide receivers. Who is the odd man out? As it stands, it'd be either veteran Ashton Dulin or fifth-round pick Anthony Gould.
It would seem strange for a fifth-round pick to get cut before he even has a shot to impress on an NFL field for the first time, but stranger things have happened in this league. Dulin is, at least, a guy the Colts have trusted for several years now.
Mo Alie-Cox, TE
On a similar topic as the wide receiver room, let's also assume the Colts could keep less than five tight ends (and they should) while holding onto more wide receivers on their 53-man roster. Mo Alie-Cox has been around a while, but the Colts have since invested four draft picks into the tight end position since 2021.
If Indianapolis simply kept the four guys they've invested draft capital in, that would include Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Will Mallory and Drew Ogletree, leaving Alie-Cox out of the picture altogether. One important detail: Alie-Cox is in the final year of his contract and the Colts endure zero dead cap by cutting ties.
Sam Ehlinger, QB
The third string quarterback position might be up for grabs, this offseason. Sam Ehlinger has been around since being a sixth-round pick back in 2021, but the key aspect to remember, here, is the fact that Ehlinger was not chosen by the Shane Steichen staff. He came on board before Steichen.
Meanwhile, Steichen's staff chose to bring in undrafted free agent Kedon Slovis out of BYU. There have already been some reports that Slovis is one of the undrafted free agents to watch around the league, this summer, as he brings a unique skill set.
Slovis had a great Combine, all-around, but most interestingly he posted a 4.55-second 40-yard dash time. He showed off accuracy as well. Give the Colts some speed and accuracy in a third string quarterback and you might have something, there.