Colts’ 53-man roster prediction following spring workouts
The Indianapolis Colts have been separated from team workouts since they decided to forgo mandatory minicamp and end the spring activities at the beginning of June.
While mandatory minicamp would have given us a bit more information as to what the position battles look like, we still have enough to make an educated guess as to what the roster will look like.
Following the spring workouts, here’s a 53-man roster prediction for the Colts as training camp is just over a month away:
Rookies are labeled in italics
Quarterback (3)
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1. Carson Wentz 2. Sam Ehlinger 3. Jacob Eason Given the inexperience at quarterback behind the starter in Wentz, it is likely the Colts keep three on the roster. The battle between sixth-round pick Ehlinger and 2020 fourth-round pick Eason will be interesting to watch, especially given how different their games are. But both are likely making the roster. Notable Cuts: Jalen Morton
Running Back (4)
AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
1. Jonathan Taylor 2. Nyheim Hines 3. Marlon Mack 4. Jordan Wilkins Wilkins is the one to keep an eye on here. Chances are he makes the roster and the Colts go into the season with a four-player backfield. But undrafted rookie Deon Jackson could give Wilkins a run for his money, especially with the latter being a free agent in 2022. For now, Wilkins makes the cut. Notable Cuts: Deon Jackson
Wide Receiver (6)
1. Michael Pittman Jr. 2. T.Y. Hilton 3. Zach Pascal 4. Parris Campbell 5. Dezmon Patmon 6. Ashton Dulin The Colts could go with five wideouts on the active roster but given the injuries that have hit the room over the years, my money is on them keeping six. The top four are locked in and an argument can be made that Dulin is locked because of his special teams work. I see Patmon as the favorite for the final spot but he'll have some competition from rookie Mike Strachan. Notable Cuts: Mike Strachan, DeMichael Harris
Tight End (3)
AP Photo/Zach Bolinger
1. Jack Doyle 2. Mo Alie-Cox 3. Kylen Granson This room is unlikely to change, barring an injury. Doyle and Alie-Cox will play the majority of snaps while Granson, who is coming off of a strong spring will look to break the mold of Day 3 tight ends. Notable Cuts: Noah Togiai
Offensive Line (9)
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1. Eric Fisher 2. Quenton Nelson 3. Ryan Kelly 4. Mark Glowinski 5. Braden Smith 6. Chris Reed 7. Sam Tevi 8. Danny Pinter 9. Will Fries This will be interesting. The Colts like to keep 10 offensive linemen if they can. They could also go with eight to add depth elsewhere like the defensive line. We compromise here and go with nine. The question will be with Fisher, who is working his way back from Achilles surgery. If he's good to go and can at least avoid the PUP, Tevi will fill in and then provide depth afterward. I went with Fries over Julién Davenport because of versatility and due to the latter not being very good. Notable Cuts: Julién Davenport, Joey Hunt, Jake Eldrenkamp
Defensive Line (9)
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1. Kwity Paye 2. DeForest Buckner 3. Grover Stewart 4. Tyquan Lewis 5. Kemoko Turay 6. Al-Quadin Muhammad 7. Antwaun Woods 8. Ben Banogu 9. Isaac Rochell *Dayo Odeyingbo* Like the offensive line, the Colts want depth so they can rotate here. I believe they can get by with eight defensive linemen, but Chris Ballard likely disagrees. We don't agree on a lot of things because he's much smarter than I am. So here, most of the spots are locked up. We have five defensive ends and four defensive tackles but players like Lewis and Rochell can work on the edge and interior. Woods beats out Taylor Stallworth and Kameron Cline while Banogu just makes the cut. Second-rounder Odeyingbo starts on the IR list but replaces Rochell upon return. Notable Cuts: Taylor Stallworth, Kameron Cline, Robert Windsor
Linebacker (5)
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1. Darius Leonard 2. Bobby Okereke 3. E.J. Speed 4. Zaire Franklin 5. Jordan Glasgow Typically, I always keep six linebackers but we have to make room elsewhere on the roster. Leonard and Okereke are locks while Franklin probably is too. He was a team captain and led the team in special teams snaps. Glasgow showed a ton of promise on special teams as well during his rookie season. Matthew Adams gets cut here because the Colts are in nickel most of the time and Speed has higher upside on defense. Notable Cuts: Matthew Adams
Cornerback (6)
AP Photo/Michael Conroy
1. Xavier Rhodes 2. Kenny Moore II 3. Rock Ya-Sin 4. T.J. Carrie 5. Marvell Tell III 6. Isaiah Rodgers The Colts need all the depth they can get here. This room is pretty straightforward outside of the competition for the No. 3 cornerback spot behind Rhodes and Moore. Training camp should be fun for this group but in terms of personnel, it's set barring an injury.
Safety (5)
AP Photo/Brett Carlsen
1. Khari Willis 2. Julian Blackmon 3. Shawn Davis 4. George Odum 5. Sean Davis I don't like keeping five safeties on the roster, but the Colts don't seem like they want to give Odum more work on defense. I guess they'd rather him just continue to focus on his All-Pro stature as a special teamer. Essentially, it will come down to a competition between Davis and Davis for the third safety role. There's a chance the Colts roll with four and put the rookie on the practice squad, but that would mean Odum sees snaps on defense. Notable Cuts: Nick Nelson, Ibraheim Campbell
Specialists (3)
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
1. Rodrigo Blankenship 2. Rigoberto Sanchez 3. Luke Rhodes Sanchez and Rhodes are set. Blankenship has competition at kicker from Eddy Pineiro, but we'll give the edge to him right now. Hopefully, the reports are true that he's improved his deep kicking this offseason.
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