10 Potential Roster Cuts the Colts Could Target
Indianapolis Colts' General Manager Chris Ballard has been pretty active around roster cut down day in his career with the team. By my count, Ballard has made 18 claims and/or trades in the waning days of August/early days of September since 2017. In fact, 2020 was the only offseason where he didn't make a trade prior to the start of the season.
Some of the notable roster moves include:
- Claiming CBs Kenny Moore II and Pierre Desir in 2017
- Trading for QB Jacoby Brissett in 2017
- Trading for WR Marcus Johnson in 2018
- Claiming DE Al-Quadin Muhammad in 2018
- Trading away CB Nate Hairston in 2019 for a 6th Round Pick
- Trading for LT Matt Pryor in 2021
Ballard is extremely active around roster cut down day, and this trend could continue in 2022. With the team having some question marks with their depth at wide receiver, cornerback, and offensive line, who are some roster bubble players around the league that the Colts could target? I dive into a few names down below (each player's name has a clickable hyperlink to an article talking about the player being on the roster bubble).
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton, New York Giants:
Once thought of as a day three steal, Darius Slayton's career took a sharp turn in 2021. After totaling over 700 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons in the league, his numbers plummeted to a mere 339 yards receiving in 2021. With a new regime in New York, Slayton days could be numbered with the Giants.
The Colts were quite high on Slayton back during the 2019 draft, and I distinctly remember them considering him with one of their day three picks that year. If the Colts want to add more production and downfield ability to their receiving core, sending a late day three pick for Slayton could make a ton of sense.
Greg Ward, Philadelphia Eagles:
Ward has certainly been a surprise in the NFL, as the former UDFA college quarterback has amassed 768 total receiving yards in his three years with the Eagles. While that steady production would seem like a lock as a fourth or fifth receiver, he appears to have fallen out of favor with the coaching staff in Philly.
Ward only saw 10 targets in 2021, that coming off of a 2020 season where he saw a career-high 78 targets. If Ward is the odd man out during roster cut downs, the Colts could be in play for a productive bottom-of-the-roster receiver.
Scotty Miller/Tyler Johnson/Jaelon Darden/Jerreth Sterns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The Buccaneers have an absolutely stacked wide receiver core. As a result, it will be a crazy numbers game for them at the position. It could lead to quite a few surprise cuts. Among those potential names are veterans Scotty Miller (501 yards receiving in 2020) and Tyler Johnson (360 yards receiving in 2021).
Youngsters Jerreth Sterns and Jaelon Darden are also super intriguing if the Bucs decide to keep the veterans instead. This is going to be an interesting group to watch on cut downs and I'm sure the Colts, and many other teams, will be monitoring the situation closely.
Cornerbacks
A potential victim of how stacked the Buffalo Bills' roster is at the moment. Lewis is a versatile player that can play a little bit of the slot and on the outside. He came into camp seemingly as a lock for the team, but the emergence of 6th rounder Christian Benford might put his roster spot in jeopardy.
With the Colts' lack of depth at the cornerback position, adding a player with the versatility that Lewis has could be a big addition for this team after cut downs.
Justin Layne, Pittsburgh Steelers:
Layne has hardly lived up to his third round selection in the 2019 draft in his NFL career. That being said, he could be an interesting project for the Colts to take a shot on. Layne has barely seen the field on defense with the Steelers, but he has been a quality special teams player for the team over the past three seasons.
The Colts could opt to take a flyer on Layne as a 6th cornerback after cut downs and hope to roll the dice on his impressive frame, while also getting a solid special teamer at the bottom of the roster.
Offensive Linemen
Sean Harlow, Center, Arizona Cardinals:
Harlow is a veteran player that actually has a history with the Colts, as he was signed to the team's practice squad during the 2018 season for a brief stint. He has struggled to find firm footing in any of his many destinations in the league, but he did play some solid football in reserve in 2021 for the Cardinals.
The 27 year old center appeared in 441 snaps last season and only allowed one sack and seven hurries. While it would seem logical that the Cardinals would keep him going into 2022, they did just select Virginia Tech center Lecitus Smith in this past draft. Harlow could be an interesting depth add for a Colts' team that lacks a ton of experience on their reserve offensive line.
Greg Van Roten, IOL, Buffalo Bills:
Van Roten is an experienced player that has played in over 400 snaps in each of the past four seasons. He has had some strong seasons too, despite playing on some putrid teams. Now that he is on a stacked roster in Buffalo, he could find himself as the odd man out.
Van Roten is far from a great player, but his experience and versatility could be huge for depth on this Colts' team if he ends up being a victim of roster cuts.
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