Carney: 2021 Colts' 53-Man Roster (Version 2.0)
Fresh off of a 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers in the preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indianapolis Colts' 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad are rounding into form.
To date, the Colts have made five roster moves to get down to the required 85 players ahead of the second preseason game, placing defensive end Damontre Moore on IR, waived/injured receiver Quartney Davis and safety Nick Nelson, and waived running back Darius "Jet" Anderson and tight end Graham Adomitis.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Should Davis and Nelson clear waivers, they will revert to the team's IR list.
Knowing that those moves are out of the way, I thought it would be a good time to take a shot at predicting the Indianapolis Colts' 53-man roster for the 2021 season under head coach Frank Reich.
Today, I'll take my second crack at predicting the 2021 53-man roster, breaking it down by position with some analysis underneath. The first version can be found here.
Let me know how I did in the comments below! I'll take another shot later in the preseason prior to kickoff for the regular season.
Offense (25)
Quarterback (3) — Carson Wentz, Jacob Eason, Sam Ehlinger
This should not be a surprise whatsoever. Wentz is the starter once he's healthy; the only debate is who is the backup. Both Eason and Ehlinger looked pretty solid Sunday in the preseason opener, which should give the Colts some confidence heading into the regular season.
While this group lacks experience overall behind Wentz, I feel much better about the backup combination compared to how I felt leading up to the draft and coming out of the draft.
© Jenna Watson/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Running Backs (4) — Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Marlon Mack, Benny LeMay
The top three are locked into place with Taylor, Hines and Mack expected to hold down key roles for the Colts in 2021. The real surprise here is that I decided to go with Benny LeMay as the fourth running back.
While I don't think LeMay beats out Jordan Wilkins outright, I am projecting Wilkins to be dealt for a 2022 draft pick prior to cutdown day, allowing the Colts to recoup some draft capital while keeping a young running back that they clearly like.
A win-win, if you will.
© Jenna Watson/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Wide Receiver (6) — T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal, Michael Strachan, DeMichael Harris
This was really tough to narrow down to six receivers. I really wanted to keep Dezmon Patmon as the sixth wide receiver because I think the top five are locked into place, but in the end I gave DeMichael Harris the edge over Patmon and fellow special teams ace Ashton Dulin, simply because Dulin has been battling injury all summer, putting him behind the 8-ball when it comes to roster construction.
The top five is pretty darn solid overall, which will help the Colts' offense take a step forward through the air in 2021.
© Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Tight Ends (3) — Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson
Pretty chalk here at tight end. I debated keeping tight end Farrod Green over a sixth receiver, but in the end the trio of Doyle, Alie-Cox and Granson will get a ton of snaps in 2021, meaning it would be pointless for me to try and keep Green as a fourth tight end that won't see many offensive snaps.
© Jenna Watson/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Offensive Linemen (9) — Sam Tevi, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, Braden Smith, Chris Reed, Will Holden, Will Fries, Danny Pinter (Eric Fisher on reserve/PUP)
As I said on the latest Horseshoe Huddle podcast, I am very worried about the tackle depth coming out of the first preseason game. Will Holden, Sam Tevi and Julien Davenport looked downright awful against the Panthers.
That said, I'm keeping Tevi and Holden, as much as that pains me. I am projecting Fisher to open the year on the PUP/reserve list, meaning he won't be back until Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers at the earliest. That's not great, but that's how I see it playing out.
Outside of the tackles, I am thrilled with depth along the interior. Chris Reed is a fantastic swing guard and I really like the versatility of Will Fries and Danny Pinter inside.
© Robert Scheer/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Defense (25)
Defensive Linemen (9) — Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Antwaun Woods, Tyquan Lewis, Kemoko Turay, Ben Banogu, Andrew Brown, Al-Quadin Muhammad (Dayo Odeyingbo on reserve/PUP)
Pretty chalk here as well, so I apologize for being a bit boring.
I was originally going to keep Damontre Moore on the 53-man roster, but the Colts made that decision easy, allowing me to keep the steady Muhammad as a rotational defensive end.
I did debate keeping Taylor Stallworth over Muhammad, but Andrew Brown's terrific performance Sunday against the Panthers pushed me to keep an extra defensive end over another interior guy.
This group has the chance to be special.
© Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Linebackers (6) — Darius Leonard, Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Jordan Glasgow, Matthew Adams
Malik Jefferson is certainly making the case to stick on the roster, but I went with Matthew Adams and his special teams abilities over Jefferson in the end.
The top four might not look like much on paper past Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke, but I've been very impressed by Zaire Franklin all training camp and he really stood out in a big way on Sunday.
I like this group more than most, especially if Franklin emerges as the starter in base and E.J. Speed develops into exactly what the Colts were eyeing when they drafted him.
© Jenna Watson/IndyStar, Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Cornerbacks (6) — Kenny Moore II, Xavier Rhodes, Rock Ya-Sin, TJ Carrie, Marvell Tell III, Isaiah Rodgers
Nothing surprising here either. This group of six has been locked into place since Day 1. The only real question is who the third cornerback is.
The Colts would like Rock Ya-Sin to grab the job and run with it, but veteran TJ Carrie and young cornerback Marvell Tell III are lingering, as is Isaiah Rodgers.
© Robert Scheer/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Safeties (4) — Julian Blackmon, Khari Willis, George Odum, Andre Chachere
Chachere is the only real surprise here, I'm guessing.
While I left both Chachere and Odum off of my original 53-man prediction, Odum has had a great camp, as has Chachere, who has emerged as the true free safety backup being Julian Blackmon.
He's made plays seemingly every day in camp and is really standing out at the position. Plus, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has praised him and his versatility multiple times. He's sticking.
© Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Specialists (3)
Kicking Game (3) — Rodrigo Blankenship, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes
Chalk again. I'm sure you're frustrated you read this far, but thank you.
NOTABLE COLTS CUTS
WR Ashton Dulin, WR Dezmon Patmon, TE Farrod Green, OT Julién Davenport, DE Isaac Rochell, DT Taylor Stallworth, S Sean Davis, S Shawn Davis, LB Malik Jefferson
Have thoughts on my second crack at a 53-man Colts' roster prediction? Drop a line in the comments section below!
Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.
