The Colts are about to open preseason play against the Patriots, and while the scoreboard won’t carry much weight, the roster decisions absolutely will. With Indianapolis expected to hold out a bunch of starters, this first tune-up is really a showcase for players trying to force their way onto the team or climb a little higher on the depth chart.
One of the biggest things to watch is the quarterback picture behind Daniel Jones. Jones won’t play against New England, and he probably shouldn’t see much, if any, preseason action at all because the risk of injury is too steep. He could get limited reps in preseason Week 2, but for now the snaps should mostly belong to Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson, with Easton Stick potentially finishing things off late.
Richardson is slated to start against the Patriots, though Leonard could end up starting next week or at least be the first quarterback in after Jones leaves, if Jones plays. Richardson’s preseason assignment is pretty clear: sharpen the accuracy and show better awareness of pressure.
Last year, he hurt his finger in the preseason after not having a clue how to read the defense and hitting his hand while throwing a pass. Leonard already looks like a lock to make the roster, with three seasons left on his contract, but a steady showing against a Patriots group that won’t be leaning heavily on its starters could strengthen his case to be Jones’ immediate backup.
At receiver, the Colts may get a long look at the players battling for the WR3 job. Alec Pierce won’t play after missing camp since ankle surgery in March, and his Week 1 availability is still unclear.
Josh Downs might get some run, but sitting him would make plenty of sense given the need to keep him healthy and the fact that he doesn’t need the reps. That could leave a crowded group fighting for snaps: Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, rookie Deion Burks, and free-agent addition Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Each has had his moments in camp, but Indianapolis still needs one of them to separate as the third option.
The inside linebacker group is also in the middle of a major reset, and preseason reps should tell a lot about where things stand. General manager Chris Ballard traded Zaire Franklin and didn’t re-sign German Pratt, then added CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher in the first four rounds of the draft and brought in Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency.
Allen had a shot at being the rookie wearing the green dot in Lou Anarumo’s system, but a hamstring injury has cost him valuable time. Boettcher has looked solid, and Davis-Gaither already knows Anarumo’s defense from their time together with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Since the Colts haven’t settled on their two starters yet, fans should expect a lot of rotation there in Week 1.
The running back situation behind Jonathan Taylor might be the most interesting of the bunch. Taylor is obviously the starter, but the Colts want to lighten his workload compared with the way he’s been used over the last six seasons.
That opens the door for whoever wins the RB2 role to matter more than usual. DJ Giddens came into camp with an edge because he’s already spent a season with the team, and Indianapolis knows he can pass protect and handle Shane Steichen’s offense.
Still, he doesn’t bring much power, and that may open the door for Seth McGowan. The Kentucky product has size, strength, and some speed, and he’s been having an excellent camp.
If he carries that into the preseason, he could pass Giddens.
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