The Indianapolis Colts entered this offseason with a goal of adding more depth to the foundation of the roster in order to have more competition all over the field.
With the spring workouts over and the team enjoying summer break before returning for training camp at the end of July, head coach Frank Reich is feeling strongly about the depth that has been added this offseason.
“Yeah, and that was the goal, right? I mean we said it, we said it was going to be harder to make the team. We have said that before,” Reich told reporters Thursday. “Just the depth at every position it seems like is going to be very competitive. Everyone on this team knows that’s good for all of us. It just brings out the best in each other.”
Adding competition to the roster has been the main objective for Chris Ballard since his tenure as general manager began ahead of the 2017 offseason. The roster looks entirely different since the work began to shed the fat and add youthful talent.
Now, the Colts are looking at having one of the best young rosters in the league—large in part due to the uber-successful 2018 draft class headlined by two All-Pros.
When training camp does finally arrive, the Colts are expected to have competition all over the place. The defense is primarily where the biggest battles will occur with linebacker and cornerback being the biggest positions to monitor.
An indication that the roster depth is better than it has been in recent years could show in the form of rookie starters. Typically, the Colts have had a strong number of rookies enter the starting lineup, but that might not be the case here in 2019.
That isn’t a knock on the rookie class, but it simply shows the depth of the roster.
The Colts will have their eyes keen on competition throughout training camp and the preseason games, which is likely going to lead to some difficult decisions come cutdown day.
