Stampede Blue
With the preseason winding down, it’s time to look ahead at what the Colts depth chart could look like come Week 1.
Quarterbacks (3)
Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard
The Colts kept 3 quarterbacks last season and with the health questions surrounding Anthony Richardson, the Colts will definitely need to keep 3 on the roster again this season. Riley Leonard and Jason Bean have battled it out all offseason, with their final battle coming in the last preseason game. Leonard played incredibly well against the Bengals and has gotten more snaps to this point and offers a bit more as a passer, so he would be my pick to be the #3 guy.
Running Backs (3)
Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Goodson, DJ Giddens
Jonathan Taylor is obviously a lock, but it’s a bit more muddled. DJ Giddens has been getting a lot of reps and has looked quite good, so I’d say that and the fact that he was drafted in the 5th round give him a great chance of making the team. Tyler Goodson is going into his 3rd season with the Colts and had a nice 2024 season with 32 carries for 4.8 yards per carry, so despite the fact they brought in Khalil Herbert and there are a few other guys, Goodson is likely going to make the team. The question after that is: will they keep more than 3 guys? Last year the Colts took only 3 guys and I see them doing the same this season with no real bright spots behind Giddens and Goodson.
Wide Receivers (6)
Michael Pittman Jr, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, AD Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould
To me, this is one of the easiest positions to predict. Pittman, Downs, Pierce, Mitchell and Dulin are locks. The first 4 are quality receivers who were on the roster and contributing players last season. Ashton Dulin is one of the better special teams players you can ask for, so he’s safe. Then after him, Anthony Gould has proven to be a quality asset on special teams as a returner, but has also shown some ability as a deep threat receiver. It would be silly to keep more than 6 and the Colts kept exactly 6 last season, so this one is a no-brainer.
Tight Ends (4)
Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory
Warren and Mo Alie-Cox are locks, but there appears to be a battle for the 3rd spot. There is also a question of whether the Colts will keep 3 or 4 tight ends, as they kept 4 last season. In my opinion, the Colts will keep 4 again this season as Ogletree and Mallory are both good enough to make an NFL roster and have been had some flashes in their short careers. Ogletree is probably slightly ahead of Mallory, making Mallory a potential last cut and priority practice squad player.
Offensive Line (9)
**Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Braden Smith,...
