The Indianapolis Colts will be wrapping up their final week of the preseason on Saturday night when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to Lucas Oil Stadium.
Frank Reich has confirmed that he plans on playing the starters up to a half of the game. Last week, Bucs head coach, Todd Bowles said “They’ll play. They’ll definitely play.”
So unless he has a change of heart, it does sound like Indianapolis will get a chance to work out some wrinkles against one of the best teams in the NFL.
Here are five things to keep an eye on during the exhibition:
How does the offense look?
The last time the Colts’ starting offense was on the field, they left more to desire in their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in week one of the preseason. Matt Ryan and company have an opportunity to test out some plays against one of the better defenses in the league. With the expectation that everyone playing outside of Jonathan Taylor and Ryan Kelly (COVID), Frank Reich can focus on how to find to get his passing attack in rhythm to start a game.
While I don’t expect him to open up the playbook and get creative. I do expect that we won’t see a basic route tree from the receivers like we did when they faced the Bills. Nyheim Hines will get his fair share of carries but this weekend should be used to help Ryan continue to build chemistry with his receivers and tight ends. Regardless of the play calling, a half of the offense moving the ball and putting points on the board can build some momentum for the season opener.
Who creates separation in the receiving room?
The competition for the final spots in the receiving corps has been the talk during the course of the Colts’ preseason. Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Parris Campbell, and Ashton Dulin are locked to make the final 53-man roster. But what about the rest? Does Chris Ballard elect to keep five or six receivers on the roster?
Dezmon Patmon will be looking to build upon his performance against the Detroit Lions. He’s made the final roster in his first two seasons, will he make it a third?
Mike Strachan came back blazing after his return from the PUP list. It didn’t take that long for him to remind the front office why he made the roster last year. His ceiling as a player should make Ballard think twice about taking a chance to get him to the practice squad.
Keke Coutee did return to practice this week after missing last week against the Lions. He will be looking to regain some posture for a spot on the team with a solid night against Tampa.
If any of these three receivers get snaps with Matt Ryan then we got some insight on which one(s) are in favor of making the final roster.
Kylen Granson and Jelani Woods' development
Dating back to the OTAs, there was a concern over the tight end production coming from the depth behind Mo Alie-Cox. That carried into the first week of training camp with the reports of Kylen Granson’s drops and Jelani Woods struggling to figure out his place on the offense. Since then, the pair have steadily gotten better over the first two weeks of the preseason.
Granson has his spot in the two-tight end sets and can help open up the passing attack with his receiving ability. Saturday night he can earn more trust of Frank Reich and Matt Ryan with a solid performance.
With the reports that Woods has looked increasingly better in practice, it does help give some relief after the loss of Andrew Ogletree. He offers so much potential with his athleticism but needs to use this weekend to help him get down the nuances of the game.
The two young tight ends will be needed throughout the season and some signs of further development can help give some promise to the Indianapolis offense.
How does the defense look?
This has been offensive-heavy thus far because I believe there are more questions about that side of the ball than the defense for Indianapolis. While there are concerns over Shaquille Leonard’s availability for the start of the season, the starting unit seems to be figured out. If he were to miss then we do know the expectation is Zaire Franklin will take his place.
Brandon Facyson is penciled in as the opening day starter for the outside cornerback spot opposite Stephon Gilmore. Unfortunately for Isaiah Rodgers, he’s currently in concussion protocol and didn’t get a chance to heat up the competition for that spot.
Nick Cross looks like he won the starting strong safety spot but I do expect that there will be some type of rotation between him and Rodney McLeod. Gus Bradley may give us a look into what the defense will look like when he wants Cross, McLeod, and Julian Blackmon on the field.
The biggest thing to watch for from the Colts’ defensive unit will be the backups in the second half. Tyquan Lewis and Dayo Odeyingbo are locked to make the final roster, but what about the rest of the defensive front? Players like Ifeadi Odenigbo, R.J. McIntosh, Ben Banogu, Eric Johnson, and Curtis Brooks will be competing for the spots in the rotation.
Forrest Rhyne, Sterling Weatherford, and JoJo Domann is another competition to look out for. The three are battling for a place in the linebacker room. As well as for the final spots at cornerback. Based on the Lions game, Tony Brown, Marvell Tell II, and Anthony Chelsey are vying for the last spot or two in that position group.
Each of these players among others will have one last opportunity to not only make a lasting impression to the Colts front office, but also to the other 31 NFL teams that will continue to tweak their rosters in the lead up to the season opener.
The debut of Matt Haack
The Colts received an early blow to the team on Tuesday when Rigoberto Sanchez tore his Achillies which ended his season. Losing one of the elite punters in the league is a brutal blow. His ability to affect field position helped out the defense immensely and will be heavily missed.
Between Sanchez, Pat McAfee, and Hunter Smith, Indianapolis has been blessed with a steady presence at the punter position. The new addition, Matt Haack (pronounced hawk) will have some large shoes to fill as he looks to latch onto his third team in six seasons.
He played for four seasons with the Miami Dolphins before spending the 2021 season with the Buffalo Bills. Haack doesn’t need to show he’s at Sanchez’s level but that he at least can handle the duties and not be a detriment to the team. Not only with his punts, but his execution with his handles in field goal and PAT situations. As well as possibly handling kickoffs.
Kickoffs might be the biggest concern that the coaching staff will have. Haack only has four kickoff attempts in his career. Rodrigo Blankenship offers more experience with 24 kickoff attempts. Whoever handles the first kickoff on Saturday night will show who will handle that job to start the season. Unless Haack does disappoint and another punter enters the market after all 32 teams cut their teams down to 53 players.
