Projecting Colts 53-Man Roster After 2026 Offseason Program - Page 4
- Colts will likely carry 3 QBs despite Anthony Richardson Sr. situation.
- Ballard favors keeping more players on the offensive and defensive lines.
- Tough decisions at LB and S due to hybrid players and depth.
Projecting Colts 53-Man Roster After 2026 Offseason Program
INDIANAPOLIS – With the book closed on the Colts two-month offseason program, we have some details on the makings of the 2026 football team.
More answers will come at Grand Park when training camp starts on July 28th, but it’s never too early to try and cut the current 90-man roster down to 53.
Let’s take a post-spring look at a projected 53-man roster.
Quarterbacks (4/3): Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Anthony Richardson Sr., Easton Stick
Bowen’s Analysis: Well, this isn’t so easy to write in Sharpie. No matter how the Anthony Richardson Sr. situation plays out, I still believe the Colts will carry 3 quarterbacks, seeing last year how important it is to have as much depth as possible at the most important position in sports.
Running Backs (6/3) Ulysses Bentley, Anderson Castle*, DJ Giddens, Seth McGowan*, Lincoln Pare*, Jonathan Taylor
Bowen’s Analysis: We know Chris Ballard adores keeping more numbers in the trenches, so I have to cut elsewhere. I’ll cut at running back to 3, knowing I can carry a back or two on the practice squad if need be. Of course, the depth here at running back has barely played in the NFL.
Wide Receivers (12/6) Deion Burks*, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould, Sahmir Hagans*, E.J. Horton*, Coleman Owen, Eli Pancol, Alec Pierce, Raylen Sharpe*, Laquon Treadwell, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Bowen’s Analysis: I didn’t have a ton of debate here, despite the uncertainty on how the Colts will go about making up for the loss of Michael Pittman Jr. The major debate for me was Deion Burks vs. Anthony Gould. Burks needs to show some return ability to secure that. Treadwell really showed out on special teams last year, so that’s helpful for him.
Tight Ends (6/3): Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, Sean McKeon, Drew Ogletree, Carson Towt*, Tyler Warren
Bowen’s Analysis: Like running back, I had to cut a number here for an extra trench body. That meant Will Mallory not finishing out his rookie contract with the Colts.
Offensive Line (15/9): Tanor Bortolini, Jalen Farmer*, Blake Freeland, Matt Goncalves, Josh Kreutz*, Bayron Matos, Jimmy Morrissey, Quenton Nelson, Bernard Raimann, Nolan Rucci*, Josh Sills, Luke Tenuta, Jalen Travis, Dalton Tucker, Geno VanDeMark*
Bowen’s Analysis: Should I have kept one more offensive lineman and cut one more defensive lineman? While the Colts need to solidify their offensive line depth spots, I don’t know if there’s a ton of separation from the backups I kept, versus the names I’m cutting. There should be some good competition there.
Defensive Line (16/11): Adetomiwa Adebawore, Cameron Ball*, DeForest Buckner, Micheal Clemons, Caden Curry*, George Gumbs Jr.*, Adren Key, Laiatu Latu, Mitchell Melton*, Durell Nchami, Derrick Nnadi, Tim Smith, Grover Stewart, Jerry Tillery, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, Colby Wooden
Bowen’s Analysis: Chris Ballard loves, loves, loves keeping double digit defensive linemen. So I’ll go with 11. Would Curry or Gumbs Jr. sneak onto the practice squad? That’s hard for me to see. Is Tillery stout enough to handle backup nose tackle duties, or is that more for Nandi? Those were some of my thoughts, while also knowing the staff is intrigued by Ball as an undrafted free agent.
Linebackers (8/4): Austin Ajiake, CJ Allen*, Bryce Boettcher*, Jaylon Carlies, Tahj Chambers*, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Devin Veresuk, West Weeks*
Bowen’s Analysis: Many will see 4 linebackers and think it’s a very low number. That’s true. But I see some hybrid safeties potentially helping at linebacker (A.J. Haulcy, Juanyeh Thomas and Hunter Wohler). Ajikae was a tough cut for me. Is it him or Carlies for a spot?
Cornerbacks (10/6): Mekhi Blackmon, Rob Carter Jr. Johnathan Edwards, Sauce Gardner, Jaylon Jones, Jai’Onte’ McMillan, Cameron Mitchell, Cam Taylor-Britt, Justin Walley, Charvarius Ward Sr.
Bowen’s Analysis: Not a ton of debate for me at cornerback. I don’t see Jaylon Jones as a fit for Lou Anarumo. Cameron Mitchell is probably the next one knocking on the roster door.
Safeties (10/5): Austin Brown, Cam Bynum, A.J. Haulcy*, Ben Nikkel, Jonathan Owens, Daniel Scott, Juanyeh Thomas, Trey Washington, Hunter Wohler
Bowen’s Analysis: This is going to be a hard group to cut down, in my opinion. Similar to the backups along the offensive line, I’m not sure there’s a big gap between some of the guys I kept and some of the reserves I cut.
Specialists (4/3): LS-Luke Rhodes, P-Rigoberto Sanchez, K-Spencer Shrader, K-Blake Grupe
Bowen’s Analysis: Until I see Shrader back to full health, I’ll go with Grupe. That’s a good problem to have, deciding between a couple solid kickers.
