The Indianapolis Colts officially kick off the preseason with a road matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night at New Era Field, but there won’t be a high number of starters participating in the game.
With many Colts dealing with injuries—both big and small—and the history of soft tissue injuries early in the preseason, head coach Frank Reich said there will be a handful of players that won’t see time in the opener.
“Yeah, we have done that. I don’t want to go through the list right now, but if you have a specific question I would address it,” Reich told reporters Tuesday. “There are a handful of guys that won’t play. We have addressed all the playing time down through the fourth quarter.”
There were a few names Reich addressed specifically when asked by the media. Running back Marlon Mack “is probably not going to see any time.”
With Andrew Luck still dealing with a calf injury, Reich said backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett will play “somewhere around a quarter.” The rest of the game will likely be split between Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly.
A player of note set to make his return to the field after missing almost a full year of on-field work is wide receiver Deon Cain. He won’t be playing the full game, likely just a quarter, but this will be the first game Cain plays in since tearing his ACL in the preseason opener in 2018.
There will also be a question as to how much work new running back D’Onta Foreman will get. With Mack not likely to play and Jordan Wilkins dealing with an injury, there could be a scenario where Foreman gets some work. However, Reich said it would have to be the perfect spot.
The preseason is back, and football is almost here, but there will be several starters held out of the opener on Thursday to ensure they will be ready for the real opener on Sept. 8.
