The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the third preseason game on Saturday against the Chicago Bears and while it’s typically known as the dress rehearsal, there won’t be many starters on the field.
When speaking to reporters Wednesday, head coach Frank Reich confirmed that most of the starters won’t play in the preseason game. He spoke with Bears head coach Matt Nagy, who mirrored those sentiments.
While the third preseason game is typically when the starters play most, there has been a league-wide trend this preseason in holding out starters to ensure their health for the start of the season.
This means that most of the first-team offense and defense won’t be on the field much until the first week of the regular season. With the topic of health becoming a bigger issue every season, teams don’t feel the need to throw their top players out in meaningless games.
Though some will be disappointed to see the starters sit on the sideline, this is a good opportunity for Colts players on the roster bubble. Now that the cutdown day is just that—one day—there will be even more tape for other teams to look at when players hit the market.
The Colts will continue practicing for the Bears, but we won’t see the majority of starters in the game on Saturday.
