Colts 53-Man Roster Projection Heading into OTAs

The Indianapolis Colts kick off OTAs this week, starting on Tuesday.

Although the helmets won't be cracking in this non-contact stage of the offseason, this is a good time to look at the roster and see what the Colts are working with as the rookies and veterans share the practice field for the first time.

With that being said, let's see what a pre-OTA 53-man roster prediction looks like before this stage officially kicks off.

Quarterback (3): Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson Sr., Riley Leonard

The quarterback room will provide no shocks once the initial 53-man roster drops. This is Daniel Jones' team for the foreseeable future, and Riley Leonard the immediate backup.

This room would've only had two on the active roster if it weren't for Anthony Richardson being slated to play out the remainder of his rookie contract after failing to net any interest on the trade market.

Running back (3): Jonathan Taylor, DJ Giddens, Seth McGowan

Outside of their mobile quarterback(s) who will inevitably get some run, the vast majority of the Colts' rush attempts will come via Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis' most recent Day 3 (rounds 4-7) draft selections will fill out their room, serving as decent complementary sidekicks.

Think of Taylor being to the Colts what a horse means to a cowboy.

Wide Receiver (6): Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Anthony Gould, Deion Burks

Pierce is the Colts' newest WR1 after his massive payday earlier this offseason. Although Josh Downs is mainly set to play from the slot during his final year of his rookie contract, it's expected that he'll get some run at outside receiver as the Colts embrace a committee approach to the WR2 spot.

Don't be surprised if each of the Colts' rostered wide receivers ends up with a reception this season.

Tight End (4): Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory

The Colts' tight end room complements each other well, while Tyler Warren leads the way as the team's de facto WR3.

Warren is the top-tier receiving option, Alie-Cox remains an underrated blocker, Ogletree is the most balanced of the three reserves, and Mallory rounds out the room as a big slot field-stretcher.

Offensive Line (9): Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Jalen Travis, Jalen Farmer, Dalton Tucker, Luke Tenuta, Josh Sills

The Colts' starting six-man rotation of Raimann, Nelson, Bortolini, Goncalves, Travis, and Farmer is set in stone, but the remainder of the room will have to secure their spots as depth on the roster throughout the summer.

EDGE (5): Laiatu Latu, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, Arden Key, Michael Clemons, Caden Curry

The Colts' four veterans are basically locks to make the roster, and therefore fill out the top two defensive end spots. The final spot will go to one of the two Colts' Day 3 (rounds 4-7) draft selections at the position, and I'm giving Caden Curry the nod based on how raw George Gumbs Jr. is.

Defensive Tackle (6): DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Colby Wooden, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Derrick Nnadi, Tim Smith

The star defensive tackle duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart is set to turn as a pair of 32-year-olds, whereas the young and up-and-coming reserve duo of Colby Wooden and Adetomiwa Adebawore is expected to back them up nicely.

I'm the guessing the Colts roll with six tackles, mainly because of the unknown that is Buckner's outlook health-wise. He is coming off a serious neck injury that caused him to second-guess his future after last seaosn.

Linebacker (4): CJ Allen, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Bryce Boettcher, Jaylon Carlies

CJ Allen is essentially guaranteed to become defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's next green dot of the defense, but the LB2 spot opposite remains up for grabs. The fresh additions of Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency and Bryce Boettcher via the draft will compete for said opening opposite Allen, whereas Carlies is looking to retain his roster spot as he enters his third season.

Cornerback (6): Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward Sr., Justin Walley, Cam Taylor-Britt, Jaylon Jones, Mekhi Blackmon

Arguably the Colts' deepest room, and that comes after cutting longtime leader Kenny Moore II following the draft, Lou Anarumo has to be ecstatic at the prospect of having a healthy Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward together, especially after a full offseason working in tandem.

Second-year player Justin Walley is expected to replace Kenny Moore II in the slot, and although he was essentially forced to medically redshirt in year one and is now a rookie, the Colts are sky-high about what he can become.

Safety (4): Cam Bynum, A.J. Haulcy, Hunter Wohler, Juanyeh Thomas

The Colts are expected to start their 2026 third-round draft pick, A.J. Haulcy, at strong safety alongside Cam Bynum. Haulcy has the makings of a productive rookie, as his combination of experience, durability, and production at the college ranks suggests immediate contribution.

Don't forget about Hunter Wohler or Juanyeh Thomas, though. Both should serve as ideal depth, with Wohler likely getting some run as a sub-package defender.

Specialists (3): Spencer Shrader, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes

No changes made been made the punting game, as the decade-long duo of Sanchez and Rhodes is back.

As far as the placekicking competition goes, Blake Grupe will not just give Spencer Shrader the job after filling in for him perfectly (11-for-11 on FGAs), especially with Shrader returning from a major ACL injury, but I do expect Shrader to come back with a vengeance and reclaim his spot on the throne.