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INDIANAPOLIS – By Saturday afternoon, a roster that currently has 90 players on it must be cut to 53.
That’s the dilemma facing Chris Ballard and the Colts staff this week, along with trying to grapple with life post-Andrew Luck.
With the return of now 20 starters, and another 10 draft picks, the Colts have improved their depth, making this roster the most difficult Ballard has had to cut down in his three years on the job.
What are some injury questions facing Ballard’s staff this week when trying to trim the roster down to 53?
-How to handle the new curveball at the quarterback position?
-Andrew Luck will not be on the 53-man roster in 2019. That is still such a weird sentence to type. There’s no injured reserve either coming for Luck. But the Colts must move on, and that means still needing 2 quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Does it make too much sense to just have Jacoby Brissett and Phillip Walker on the 53-man roster at first, as Chad Kelly then heads to the suspension list for the first two weeks of the season? Obviously, the Colts will explore options, besides Walker, to backup Brissett in Weeks 1 and 2. Personally, I don’t see the need to invest a ton of resources behind Brissett early in the season. A veteran waiver claim should satisfy that insurance, until Chad Kelly can return in Week Three.
-Will the running back injuries force any adjusting at that position?
-This position has been hit the hardest with injuries in the preseason. Thankfully, for the Colts’ sake, it hasn’t hit the top two guys in Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines. Next up on the running back depth chart would be Jonathan Williams (ribs) and Jordan Wilkins (foot). Those guys’ statuses for Week One need to be monitored. If one of them can play in the opener, with Williams the more likely candidate, are 3 running backs enough to start a season? It seems like way too much of a luxury for the Colts to carry 5 running backs to start the year.
-Does Parris Campbell’s lingering hamstring injury cement Zach Pascal’s spot on the team?
-Anytime you see a month-long hamstring injury for a speed guy like Campbell, it’s not ideal. Throw in the fact that he’s a rookie and the Colts battled some nagging hamstring injuries to key guys early last season (Marlon Mack, Anthony Castonzo), you have to think he will be eased back in very slowly. But Campbell’s return to practice this week is a very good sign. At receiver, the Colts are also dealing with a back injury for Devin Funchess. So does that mean the Colts definitely need a 6th wideout on their 53-man roster? That would appear to be Zach Pascal, who brings a special teams presence along with being a fairly productive receiver last season.
-Is Jabaal Sheard a candidate to go on injured reserve (to return)?
-It’s been more than a month since we’ve seen Jabaal Sheard on the practice field. The Colts have said it’s possible Sheard misses the start of the regular season and Frank Reich is offering no Week 1 update for the veteran defensive end. If Sheard’s absence is going to eat into deeper parts of September, and possibly longer, would it make sense for the Colts to put the veteran defensive end on injured reserve (to return)? That would open up a roster spot, but it would also cost Sheard at least the first eight weeks of the season.
-Does the safety position need a 5th body?
-Malik Hooker has yet to miss a practice this offseason. And Clayton Geathers has seen some preseason action. Those are positive signs for the Colts’ starting safeties. Behind that duo are Khari Willis and George Odum, two youngsters the Colts are high on. Is insurance still needed for a 5th safety spot? Or can the Colts keep an extra cornerback, who has safety flex (i.e. Quincy Wilson in dime packages or rookie Marvell Tell)?
