The Indianapolis Colts are trimming down their roster to 53 players, which must become official by 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The preseason is behind us, and there was plenty we learned about the team.
Aside from working through the shocking retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck—a storyline that will dominate the season—we learned other things about the Colts, both good and bad, throughout the preseason.
Here are six things we learned about Colts this preseason:
Offensive line depth is a concern
When it comes to the offensive line, it is certainly a tale of two halves. On one hand, the starting five the Colts have will be among the best in the league when healthy. On the other hand, there is a considerable drop off in talent and consistency with the backup units.
A few moves have already begun to take shape in the offensive line room—most notably with Evan Boehm getting traded. Le’Raven Clark is likely to be the backup left tackle to Anthony Castonzo, but he hasn’t shown he should be in the future plans of the Colts.
Some additions could be made through the waiver wire this weekend, but the offensive line depth is a concern for the Colts.
The pass rush has a lot of potential
One of the biggest areas that needed to be addressed this offseason was the pass rush. This led the Colts to sign veteran Justin Houston and drafting Ben Banogu in the second round. Though it was just the preseason, this unit looks to be getting deeper.
Despite Jabaal Sheard’s knee injury, the Colts’ pass rush could see an increase in production. Houston is a great fit in the attacking front while Kemoko Turay has shown immense development in his game. Banogu also flashed some potential rushing from the edge.
It obviously remains to be seen how the unit will fare in 2019, but the potential for increased production is certainly there.
Chris Ballard and Frank Reich can handle anything
The Colts will be dealing with the fallout of Andrew Luck’s retirement for years, but the ones calling the shots in Ballard and Reich showed they can handle any situation thrown at them.
Luck’s retirement was the ultimate test. No one saw it coming and while the season has yet to be played, it has been encouraging in how they handled the situation. Reich and Ballard have often maintained the notion that one player doesn’t make a team.
It was impressive to see how they handled the situation. Are the Colts in a much tougher place now? Absolutely. But the duo of Riech and Ballard at least gives the fanbase some hope they can come out of it.
The Colts might actually have linebacker depth
A position the Colts felt strongly in addressing this offseason, Ballard used a third and sixth-round pick to add to the linebacker room. Through the preseason games, it appears the Colts have solid depth in the middle of the field.
The linebackers have been a crux in the defense for a while. However, the Colts have filled the room with intelligent and athletic playmakers. Led by Darius Leonard and with the upside of Bobby Okereke and E.J. Speed, the Colts have some serious talent in the room.
How the rotation will wind up working out isn’t clear, but the Colts have more depth at linebacker than we have seen in a while.
Jacoby Brissett should have plenty of weapons
Brissett is under center as the starter for the second time in three seasons, but this should be an entirely different outcome than 2017. With a new coaching staff leading the way, Brissett has a much better situation surrounding him in terms of weapons.
T.Y. Hilton returns to lead a wide receiver room that now includes Devin Funchess, Parris Campbell and Deon Cain. The tight end room has Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron and Mo Alie-Cox while the backfield should see improved production with Marlon Mack entering Year 3.
Brissett is beloved by the coaching staff, and he finds himself in a much better situation than the last time he was called upon to be the starter.
Chad Kelly has a future with the team
What type of future isn’t clear. But Kelly showed during the preseason that he has the potential to be a talented quarterback in the NFL. The Colts took a chance on him this offseason, and Kelly delivered with a fantastic showing in the preseason.
Though he isn’t likely to be the main backup quarterback in 2019—the Colts could prefer a veteran—Kelly showed he has intriguing arm talent and ability to make big plays, especially when it comes to running the ball.
Staying out of trouble off the field is Kelly’s biggest hurdle, but he showed there is potential in his game as an NFL quarterback.
