Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – After viewing a handful of Colts spring practices, you gather a decent idea of what a depth chart looks like heading into training camp.
Certainly, this depth chart will take much more shape once the Colts begin training camp practices and have their 3 preseason games.
For now though, here’s a post-spring Colts depth chart (* denotes rookie):
-Quarterback: Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson*, Sam Ehlinger
-Running Back: Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss, Evan Hull*, Deon Jackson, Jake Funk
-Wide Receiver: Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin, Mike Strachan, Malik Turner, Breshad Perriman, Zavier Scott*, Johnny King*
-Wide Receiver: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs*, Isaiah McKenzie, Vyncint Smith, Ethan Fernea, Kody Case*
-Tight End: Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Pharaoh Brown, Drew Ogletree
-Tight End: Kylen Granson, Will Mallory*, Kaden Smith
-Left Tackle: Bernhard Raimann, Jordan Murray, Carter O’Donnell, Jake Witt*
–Left Guard: Quenton Nelson, Arlington Hambright,
–Center: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter, Wesley French
–Right Guard: Will Fries, Dakoda Shepley, Emil Ekiyor*,
–Right Tackle: Braden Smith, Blake Freeland*, Matthew Vanderslice*
Offensive Notes:
-Should I put one of those OR notes between Richardson/Minshew? Probably. Clarity on this should start to happen in early-to-mid August.
-The battle for that 3rd running back spot will be one to watch.
-The order of the wideouts was tough to gauge in the spring with so many guys in and out of the lineup. It’s worth noting Scott, an undrafted free agent out of Maine, spent some time with the running backs, too.
-Similar to wide receiver, tight end had several guys out in the spring (Jelani Woods, Will Mallory, Drew Ogletree).
-Expect a lot of interchanging on the offensive line interior depth spots in camp. Plus, the full pads will tell a much truer story of settling competition.
-Defensive End: Samson Ebukam, Genard Avery, Titus Leo*
-Defensive End: Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Khalid Kareem, Rashod Berry
-Defensive Tackle: Grover Stewart, Eric Johnson, McTelvin Agim, Jamal Woods*, Caleb Sampson*
–Defensive Tackle: DeForest Buckner, Tyquan Lewis, Taven Bryan, Adetomiwa Adebawore*
–MIKE: Zaire Franklin, JoJo Domann, Liam Anderson*
–SAM: E.J. Speed, Grant Stuard, Cameron McGrone
-WILL: Shaquille Leonard, Segun Olubi, Donavan Mutin*,
-Cornerback: Darrell Baker Jr., Isaiah Rodgers Sr., JuJu Brents*
–Cornerback: Dallis Flowers, Darius Rush*, Jaylon Jones*, Kevin Toliver II
–Nickel: Kenny Moore II, Tony Brown, Cole Coleman*
–Free Safety: Rodney Thomas II, Trevor Denbow, Henry Black, Aaron Maddox*
–Strong Safety: Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Marcel Dabo (international roster exemption), Michael Tutsie*
Defensive Notes:
-Similar to the offensive line, the full pads coming on during camp will offer a clearer picture of the depth for the defensive front.
-No matter the linebacker position, E.J. Speed should be viewed as the 3rd LB, assuming Shaquille Leonard is healthy.
-In the spring, it was Darrell Baker Jr. and Tony Brown making the most of their reps, with Isaiah Rodgers Sr. and JuJu Brent sidelined. This entire cornerback position is wide open when it comes to figuring out playing time.
-The backup safety spots always carry a strong special teams presence. It’ll be interesting to see how much Nick Cross pushes for a starting job in his second season, after he won the SS job in last year’s camp. Plus, a roster spot has likely opened up with rookie Daniel Scott’s season-ending due to a torn ACL.
