Both veterans and rookies will report for Indianapolis Colts’ training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th. So with football on the horizon, here is an early 53-man roster prediction for the Colts.
Continuity was the theme of the offseason for the Colts. The only outside additions made to this roster in free agency were Joe Flacco and Raekwon Davis. Otherwise, any new faces on the roster primarily came from the draft.
In fact, according to Over the Cap, 79.3 percent of the players that were on the Colts roster in 2023 are still there now, which is the third-highest rate in football. This lack of turnover on the roster doesn’t mean that GM Chris Ballard didn’t spent any money. As ESPN’s Stephen Holder pointed out, the Colts spent over $200 million on contracts this offseason, it’s just that most of it went to retaining their own players.
“Well, I think you can see the communication and the chemistry with the guys,” said Steichen during minicamp. We signed a lot of our guys back, which I think that’s a bonus and I think that’s a plus for us.
“Sometimes, you get so many new faces here and then you got to recreate the communication piece of it. Guys know the standard. Guys know how to operate and I think that’s going to pay dividends come September and in the fall.”
With little roster turnover, there may not be many–relatively speaking–roster spots up for grabs, but there will be several important positional battles taking place, most notably for backup running back, starting cornerback, starting free safety, the tight end pecking order, and the third linebacker role.
Now, here is my Colts’ roster prediction before training camp gets underway, which is when the pads come on, the intensity gets kicked up several notches, and these battles for playing time and roster spots really begin to unfold.
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Colts quarterbacks, Anthony Richardson, from left, Joe Flacco and Kedon Slovis wait for the next drill during Indianapolis Colts minicamp practice Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 31: Trey Sermon #27 of the Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 31, 2023 in…
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