With the preseason officially concluded, the Indianapolis Colts have some difficult decisions to make as rosters must be cut down to 53 players by Saturday afternoon.
While there were some Colts that helped their stock with the team throughout the four-game preseason slate in August, there were also a number of players that saw their stock fall—due to performance or injuries.
Here are six Colts whose stock went down during the preseason:
QB Phillip Walker
While Chad Kelly was a quarterback that rose his stock during the preseason, Walker’s showing was less than encouraging. After spending two seasons on the practice squad, Walker’s development has stunted a bit. He’s shown the potential to make some big throws but more often than not, he’s an inconsistent passer who is wildly inaccurate on intermediate throws. He’s mobile, which is good, but Walker completed just 50% of his passes while averaging a measly 5.5 yards per attempt. It appears his time with the Colts could be coming to an end.
RB Jordan Wilkins
Holding injuries against a player can be crude. However, there is no denying that injuries can crush a player’s stock. That’s what has happened to Wilkins. Entering his second season, Wilkins has been hampered by a foot injury that is still being evaluated. He didn’t see any time during the preseason games and could now have fallen to the RB4 spot if and when he returns from the foot injury. It isn’t clear how long Wilkins will be out, but his stock took a massive hit this preseason.
WR Penny Hart
There was some excitement that Hart would be the undrafted free agent to make a splash at Colts training camp this preseason. While there were some flashes early, Hart was mostly unavailable due to hamstring injury he suffered during the first week of camp. He finally made his debut on Thursday night, and it was less than ideal. Hart’s path to the 53-man roster resided in making a difference as a return man. Perhaps it was nerves, but Hart struggled mightily on punt returns. He fumbled two punts—losing both—and didn’t make a difference as a receiver.
CB Jalen Collins
This one is a bit tricky because there were some encouraging moments from Collins in coverage during the preseason. In a deep cornerback room, though, he’s likely on the outside looking in. There is still development to take place in Collins’ game and the fact that he didn’t play at all Thursday night means the Colts could be looking to trade him before roster cuts. Collins simply didn’t do enough to separate himself from the pack this preseason.
OT Jackson Barton
As a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft, we knew there was development needed for Barton’s future to remain with the Colts. However, the product that Barton put on the field this preseason was tough to watch. He struggled mightily to consistently use proper technique, and he had a very difficult time against speed rushers off the edge. The Colts offensive line depth has left much to be desired, and a chunk of that is on Barton.
OT Le’Raven Clark
While the Colts’ starting offensive line should be fine, there are some serious and legitimate concerns with the depth behind the top five. Those concerns start with Clark, who is likely to be the backup left tackle to Anthony Castonzo. In a contract year, Clark has done nothing to prove he should be in the future plans of the Colts. His technique is wildly inconsistent, and he’s still struggling to get proper depth on deeper dropbacks. It wasn’t a strong showing for Clark this preseason, and his time with the Colts could come to an end following the 2019 campaign.
