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INDIANAPOLIS – The latest August tradition of examining roster cuts is here for the NFL world.
By next Tuesday at 4:00 PM eastern, the Colts will need to cut their roster from 90 to 53.
Here are 10 questions the Colts will have to weigh in cutting their roster down:
1. How will the Colts handle Sam Ehlinger and the 3rd Quarterback slot?
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Sam Ehlinger is in line to be the Colts 3rd quarterback for a 4th straight year. You hardly see that in the NFL. But the Colts have some decisions to make on this front next week. The NFL has changed the rule for the 3rd QB, with teams not having to carry that player on the 53-man roster, but still can dress a 3rd QB from the practice squad on game days. A 3rd QB on the practice squad though means you have to risk that player to waivers, initially, during the final cut down. So, will the Colts view Ehlinger as too valuable to risk on waivers, and keep him on the 53-man roster? Or will they expose him to waivers for the first time in his NFL career? Some will view Ehlinger as a 3rd QB on the 53-man roster as wasting a roster spot. Others will see him as one play away from being the backup. A decision is needed here. Plus, on the quarterback front, the Colts might have been intrigued enough by Jason Bean to try and keep him around on the practice squad?
2. Who are the Colts running backs, and how many will they keep?
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Two questions behind Jonathan Taylor here. A healthy Trey Sermon (hamstring) seems like a definite, but he hasn’t been on the field since injuring the hamstring last Sunday. Assuming Sermon is good to go, there’s 2 running backs. Should the Colts carry 3 running backs or 4? That decision will impact Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull. Room for 4 running backs isn’t a must, so this is definitely a spot to debate.
3. Is Ashton Dulin a lock to make the 53-man roster?
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At wide receiver, let’s live under the assumption Josh Downs is good to be on the 53-man roster right away, meaning he would play sometime in the first month of the season. A handful wide receivers seem to be obvious: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, AD Mitchell and Anthony Gould. What about a 6th though? Should the Colts keep 6 wideouts, if they are seriously entertaining a 5th tight end? Ashton Dulin has been a roster mainstay, but ACL rehab kept him off the field this spring. And now he’s battled a hamstring injury and missed the first two preseason games. Is Dulin safe? Is he feeling strong competition from Laquon Treadwell and/or D.J. Montgomery? Again, are the Colts going to keep 6 wideouts. All questions to ponder.
4. Will Jelani Woods be a headline cut?
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I think it’s fair to say the Colts have 3 locks at tight end: Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree. Jelani Woods and Will Mallory are next on the depth chart, in places that many consider a luxury to keep on a 53-man roster. And it should be pointed out Woods was a draft pick of Frank Reich’s coaching staff, whereas Mallory was a draft pick under the Shane Steichen regime. Is this either Woods or Mallory, or do the Colts really feel they can keep 5 tight ends on the 53-man roster? With Shane Steichen saying Woods is going to be out “a while” with a toe injury he suffered against the Cardinals, does that mean Mallory is going to make the team, and Woods could be an injured reserve to return candidate (must miss at least 4 weeks)? Another Woods injury could mean we get an answer at cutting this tight end group down.
5. Any questions along the offensive line depth wise?
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Outside of rookies Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini, I’m not sure the Colts should feel great about definite offensive line depth answers. Blake Freeland will probably still be around, but he’s had some obvious struggles in August. Interior wise, Wesley French was lost for the season and then Josh Sills (ankle) was waive injured earlier this week. Those were the two main interior backups last season. So does that leave an open spot for one more interior guy? If so, Danny Pinter is still around after missing all of last season due to an ankle injury. And undrafted free agent Dalton Tucker has earned some valuable time. Could Tucker restart that UDFA Week 1 streak for the Colts? Offensive line depth, and where guys would line up if needed on game day, remains a definite question
6. Where is Raekwon Davis’ health situation?
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High-blood pressure that arose this summer has kept the Colts biggest defensive free agent off the field for this entire camp/preseason. If the Colts keep Davis on the non-football injury list at roster cut down time, he can stay there for 4 games, and not count against the 53-man roster. The domino of this would benefit the likes Taven Bryan, Adetomiwa Adebawore or potentially an Eric Johnson. This is an odd situation, but one that needs some monitoring.
7. Who benefits from the loss of Samson Ebukam?
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At defensive end, you have 4 locks: Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, Laiatu Latu and Dayo Odeyingbo. Lewis and Odeyingbo offer position flexibility interior wise, too. Is Isaiah Land showing too much flash to risk on waivers? I think he’s trending towards that even if a 5th defensive end seems like a bit much. Titus Leo and Genard Avery are a couple of other end names to think about.
8. Where is the linebacker depth?
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Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed are not coming off the field. Segun Olubi is probably the 3rd linebacker, and rookie Jaylon Carlies should comfortably make the team. What about a 5th linebacker? Grant Stuard is probably that given his constant special teams presence. Any more room at linebacker for a Cam McGrone or Liam Anderson? I find it hard to play the numbers game elsewhere by keeping 6 linebackers.
9. How many defensive back wavier claims will the Colts make?
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Roster cuts are due by Tuesday, August 27 at 4:00 PM eastern. Over the next day following those, teams will tinker with the back of their roster on the waiver wire. How many defensive backs will the Colts try to claim during that time? For me, it makes plenty of sense to make a waiver claim at both cornerback and safety to try and improve the depth and competition at both of those spots. Do the Colts agree with that thinking?
10. Do the Colts need a kicker on the practice squad?
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Yes, this is a serious question. Matt Gay struggled on long-distance kicks last season and now he’s missed from 44, 53 and 54 yards this preseason, all to the left. How should the Colts handle the Gay situation? I think exploring a practice squad spot for a kicker make some sense insurance wise. Weirdly, Gay didn’t kick much at Grand Park and then hasn’t connected on any of his three field goal attempts in the preseason. This action would let us into the Colts thinking a bit on how worried they are about Gay.
