The Indianapolis Colts are officially back to playing football Thursday night when they travel to New Era Field to take on the Buffalo Bills to kick off the preseason.
Though many starters won’t be playing in the opener, there are still a number of players to keep an eye on. Whether they are battling for a roster spot or looking to solidify themselves as a leader at their respective position, there will be plenty going on Thursday night.
Here are six Colts to watch in the preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills:
RB Jonathan Williams
It is known who the Colts’ starting running back is. That’s Marlon Mack. But he’s likely to sit Thursday night out. At the reserve spots in the room, there is a bit of a battle going on, and an argument can be made that Williams has been leading the charge through training camp thus far.
A bruising back, Williams could fit the role of short-yardage nicely and wind up being the Colts’ RB3. With Spencer Ware on the PUP list and Jordan Wilkins dealing with an injury for roughly a week now, Williams should get a shot to show his talents on Thursday night.
That could help him get a leg up in the RB3 competition.
DT Grover Stewart
Even with a heavy rotation expected on the front lines, the Colts know who their starters on the interior are with Denico Autry serving as the three-technique and Margus Hunt working at the one-technique. Stewart, though, has been an early winner at training camp thus far.
Sporting a leaner build to go along with his powerful get-off, Stewart has become an intriguing candidate to see his role increase in 2019. The Colts certainly have expressed their love for the former fourth-round pick and with a need to fill the Al Woods role, Stewart has a chance to show how much he’s improved on Thursday.
WR Deon Cain
There are so many wide receivers that need to be watched on Thursday night that it’s nearly impossible to name just one. But if there is just one to watch, it is Cain—who makes his return to game action for the first time since tearing his ACL in the 2018 preseason opener.
Though he isn’t leading the competition in the wide receiver room, Cain has been flashing again, similarly to the fashion in which he did his rookie season. With so much hype and anticipation, Cain is the wide receiver to keep an eye on Thursday night.
CB Jalen Collins
Like the wide receiver room, there are a number of cornerbacks to watch. That includes second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin and Nate Hairston. But the guy to watch might be Collins, who is fighting for a roster spot and could be slipping as training camp passes the halfway point.
There have been some notable plays from Collins that show he could be ready to earn one of the final spots in the cornerback room. Then there are plays in which he gets beat for a long gain in practice. Whichever Collins shows up this preseason will determine who gets that final roster spot in the secondary.
TE Mo Alie-Cox
The tight end room is one that should be deep again for the Colts, and that notion can be furthered even more with the development of Alie-Cox. With Jack Doyle likely to have the night off, we could get a big dose of the former VCU standout.
What I will be looking for most is how he is developing as a route runner. He’s already a solid run blocker and while he’s a total mismatch in the middle of the field, his route running was something that left a lot to be desired in his first season seeing consistent action.
The Colts love to use their tight ends, and Alie-Cox could have a future in Indy. For that to happen, he must show he’s making strides as a route runner.
LB E.J. Speed
You could probably lump third-round pick Bobby Okereke into this as well, but Speed has been making noise through the first half of training camp. Getting work at all three linebacker spots, Speed should see plenty of action in the preseason opener on Thursday night.
The Colts have cited his athleticism and aggressiveness in a similar manner to that of a certain All-Pro in Darius Leonard. That type of production shouldn’t be expected, but we can get a glimpse Thursday night to see if the upside for Speed holds water.
