Breaking Down Colts' 2026 Practice Squad: UDFAs and Quality Veterans Lead the Way

The Indianapolis Colts released their official practice squad for the 2026 regular season.

The Colts' initial 53-man roster was mostly as expected, though there were a handful of surprising cuts. Players like defensive tackle Colby Wooden, kicker Blake Grupe, and safety Juanyeh Thomas all found new homes via the waiver wire, while others fell through the cracks and re-signed with the Colts to join their practice squad.

Indianapolis had one successful waiver claim, adding undrafted free agent defensive back Kapena Gushiken to its official 53-man roster. In a corresponding move, the Colts released swing tackle Luke Tenuta, but they quickly re-signed him to the practice squad.

With that being said, follow along as we break down the Colts' official practice squad.

Official Practice Squad Intrigues

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Ulysses Bentley IV (37) catches the ball before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Indianapolis Colts re-signed sixteen of their cut-day victims on Monday, finalizing their practice squad for the foreseeable future.

Name	Position
Cam Ball	Defensive Tackle
Ulysses Bentley IV	Running Back
Pharaoh Brown	Tight End
Robert Carter Jr.	Cornerback
Anderson Castle	Running Back
Anthony Gould	Wide Receiver
Kenneth Harris	Cornerback
Roy Mbaeteka	Tackle
Mitchell Melton	Defensive End
Nolan Rucci	Tackle
Daniel Scott	Safety
Josh Sills	Guard
Luke Tenuta	Tackle
Trey Washington	Safety
West Weeks	Linebacker
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	WIde Receiver

This is an intriguing group overall.

Of the sixteen spots in question, the Indianapolis Colts doubled up at five positions: wide receiver, running back, tackle, cornerback, and safety.

Although they missed out on retaining defensive tackle Colby Wooden and safety Juanyeh Thomas, the Colts have a practice squad they can count on if/when they're elevated on gamedays.

5 Rosterable Players Return to Indy

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (12) waits to run through a drill Thursday, July 30, 2026, during the second of Colts Camp at Grand Park in Westfield. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No NFL practice squad will ever be viewed as a legitimate group of viable players, given their reserve-team designation, but the Colts' practice squad features numerous gameday options.

Wide receivers Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Anthony Gould were on active NFL rosters in 2025, and both have done enough to be rostered moving forward. The Colts chose rookie Deion Burks and longtime veteran Laquon Treadwell as their final active wide receivers, but the training camp battle for those fifth and sixth spots was much closer than the initial 53-man roster would lead you to believe.

Gould has proven to be a decent option out of the slot on offense and as a returner on special teams, whereas Westbrook-Ikhine's strong training camp and upside as a red zone threat suggest he'll be a worthwhile add on gamedays if need be.

Tackle Luke Tenuta, safety Trey Washington, and running back Ulysses Bentley IV may not be as obvious of elevation candidates as the two wideouts, but each showed enough during the offseason to warrant a roster spot.

Given that none of the other 31 NFL teams chose to add these five players to their roster, whether that be on the 53-man or the practice squad, it makes sense that people would write them off as viable gameday options.

However, I believe these players will prove otherwise if called upon during the 2026 regular season.

6 UDFAs Make The Cut

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Nolan Rucci (76) walks up the field Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, during practice at Colts Camp at Grand Park in Westfield. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Colts signed twelve undrafted free agents following the 2026 NFL Draft, and six of them made the team after the dreaded cutdown weekend.

Rookie linebacker Tahj Chambers was the lone UDFA to make the Colts' initial 53-man roster, and he survived the waiver claim period the day following, but there's a chance he joins his fellow UDFAs on the practice squad before the 2026 regular season officially arrives on September 13.

The five Colts' UDFAs who made the practice squad were linebacker West Weeks, tackle Nolan Rucci, running back Anderson Castle, defensive end Mitchell Melton, and defensive tackle Cam Ball.

The Colts also added another undrafted free agent to their practice squad, cornerback Kenneth Harris. Harris joined the team late in the preseason after veteran cornerback Mekhi Blackmon was released due to poor performance, and he did enough in a short time to ensure a roster spot moving forward.

The Indianapolis Colts aren't going to churn out any Pro Bowlers from their UDFA-led practice squad, but they do have a solid amount of intriguing options to monitor moving forward.

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