The Indianapolis Colts officially trimmed the roster down to 53 players on Saturday afternoon after making a series of cuts and trades.
There wasn’t a whole lot of surprises with the cuts outside of maybe a few releases, but the Colts know who their starting units are on both sides of the ball, speaking in a relative manner. There will be more moves made to the roster over the next few days, but this is how it looks at the deadline.
Here’s a break down of the Colts’ initial 53-man roster following cutdown day:
Quarterback (1)
Who’s in: Jacoby Brissett
Who’s out: Phillip Walker, Chad Kelly (suspended)
Analysis: The Colts roll with Brissett as the only eligible quarterback on the roster right now with Chad Kelly on the suspended list until Week 3. Expect the Colts to make a move for a quarterback to add to the depth chart behind Brissett.
Running Back (4)
Who’s in: Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins, Jonathan Williams
Who’s out: Charcandrick West, Aca’Cedric Ware
Analysis: The Colts stick with a group of four running backs that have currently two injured in the form of Wilkins and Williams. The Colts must feel optimistic that they can return soon.
Wide Receiver (6)
Who’s in: T.Y. Hilton, Devin Funchess, Parris Campbell, Chester Rogers, Deon Cain, Zach Pascal
Who’s out: Krishawn Hogan, Marcus Johnson
Analysis: The Colts keep six wide receivers with Hilton and Funchess leading the way as WR1 and WR2, respectively. Campbell, Cain and Pascal should all be expected to work in while Rogers also sees time as the team’s punt returner.
Tight End (4)
Who’s in: Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Mo Alie-Cox, Hale Hentges
Who’s out: Ross Travis
Analysis: One of the biggest questions entering the roster cuts, the Colts keep four tight ends and roll with the undrafted rookie in Hentges. This extends the streak of the Colts keeping an undrafted free agent to 21 consecutive years.
Offensive Line (8)
Who’s in: Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, Braden Smith, Josh Andrews, Joe Haeg, Le’Raven Clark
Who’s out: Jake Eldrenkamp, Jackson Barton
Analysis: Despite Chris Ballard always talking about having 10 offensive linemen, it wasn’t worth it to keep more than eight. With need elsewhere, the Colts roll with a solid starting five but a shaky group of depth pieces.
Defensive Line (10)
Who’s in: Jabaal Sheard, Justin Houston, Margus Hunt, Denico Autry, Kemoko Turay, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ben Banogu, Jihad Ward, Grover Stewart
Who’s out: Carroll Phillips, Obum Gwacham, Caraun Reid
Analysis: This group had several strong performers that were deserving of a roster spot, but this offseason saw the defensive line add several depth pieces. It was a numbers game throughout the entire offseason.
Linebacker (6)
Who’s in: Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker, Matthew Adams, Bobby Okereke, E.J. Speed, Zaire Franklin
Who’s out: Skai Moore, Ahmad Thomas
Analysis: Not any surprise here. The Colts have a solid corps of linebackers being led by Leonard and Walker with some high upside rookies in the form of Okereke and Speed.
Cornerback (6)
Who’s in: Pierre Desir, Kenny Moore, Rock Ya-Sin, Quincy Wilson, Chris Milton, Marvell Tell III
Who’s out: Jalen Collins
Analysis: Another group that doesn’t have many surprises. The top four were virtual locks halfway through training camp while Milton, Tell and Collins battled it out for the final two spots.
Safety (5)
Who’s in: Malik Hooker, Clayton Geathers, Khari Willis, George Odum, Rolan Milligan
Who’s out: Micah Abernathy, Matthias Farley
Analysis: This is a bit surprising to see the Colts keep five safeties, but once they add a veteran quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett, Milligan is likely the one to be released in a corresponding move.
Special Teams (3)
Who’s in: Adam Vinatieri, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes
Who’s out: Cole Hedlund
Analysis: Not much to see here. This group is as consistent as it gets across the league.
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