Colts: 5 Roster Bubble Players Stand Out in Minicamp

The biggest winner out of minicamp was easily linebacker Joe Bachie. The lone player brought over with Lou Anarumo from the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, Bachie's experience in the system clearly gave him an upper hand in the battle at linebacker. With both Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies nursing injuries, it was Bachie (not Segun Olubi as expected) getting a majority of the first-team reps at MIKE linebacker this week.

Bachie, 27, has primarily served as a reserve linebacker in the NFL thus far. He has appeared in just 238 career defensive snaps in five seasons, spending the last four years learning from Anarumo in Cincinnati. He was a core special teams player with the Bengals whp could be in for an increased workload with the Colts if he maintains his current pace.

We have seen defensive coaches in the past show favor to guys they have worked with before (Gus Bradley and Brandon Facyson being the biggest example), so it's hard to count out Bachie as a roster contributor this next season, given his connection to this defensive staff.

Cameron McGrone, Linebacker

In a similar vein as Bachie, linebacker Cameron McGrone also stood out due to injuries at the linebacker position. While Bachie filled in for Franklin at MIKE, McGrone saw the vast majority of snaps at the WILL position in place of Carlies. McGrone made the most of his opportunities in this role, breaking up a few passes and intercepting Riley Leonard on day one of minicamp.

McGrone is a player who has been marinating in the Colts' system for a few seasons. He initially came over as a waiver claim from the New England Patriots back in 2022 and has been with the team ever since. He has only appeared in nine defensive snaps over his two seasons with the team, but he did finish last year with five special-teams tackles.

At just 25 years old, despite being in his fourth season, McGrone is still an intriguing young player to look out for with this Colts team.

Will Mallory, Tight End

The Colts want to get the tight end position more involved next season, hence the high draft selection of Tyler Warren in this past draft. Will Mallory is another player who could factor into that if he takes a step forward in his game. After a down season in 2024, Mallory was one of the top performers in minicamp. He operated primarily with the second and third teams, but he continued making play after play each day in the pass game.

Mallory is an odd fit with the Colts going forward, as Warren is likely to see the bulk of the receiving snaps next season. If the team has room for another pass catcher at the position, a chain mover like Mallory could make some sense with a low ADoT passer like Daniel Jones at the helm.

His roster spot feels far from safe at this moment, but if Mallory can continue to string together strong days, maybe he can push a player like Jelani Woods off the roster in August.

Trey Washington, Safety

The Colts' safety room is a bit dicey after the two starters, as Rodney Thomas II has gone downhill since his standout rookie season and Hunter Wohler is more of a linebacker cosplaying as a safety in the NFL. That leaves the door open for an undrafted free agent like Trey Washington to really make some waves this offseason. He got his hands on a few passes this summer and really impressed with the third team in practice.

Washington may only be a rookie, but he is an experienced player who wore multiple hats with Ole Miss in college. His versatility and skill set have served him well thus far, and he has a chance to make a splash in August with the opportunity in front of him. So far, Thomas has seen a majority of the second team reps over Washington, but it will be interesting to see if that changes come August at all.

For what it's worth, Colts Assistant Director of College Scouting, Jamie Moore, is a big fan of Washington's game and is one of the biggest reasons why the safety chose to sign with the Colts.

Alex Johnson, Cornerback

The Colts dealt with a few injuries in the secondary this spring, as Charvarius Ward took time to be fully unleashed while ramping up his involvement, and Jaylon Jones missed all of minicamp in general. With that situation on the outside, the Colts mainly relied on rookie Justin Walley and third-year vet JuJu Brents on the outside. Aside from those two players, however, an occasional rep was given to second-year cornerback Alex Johnson.

Johnson was added to the Colts' practice squad last season after spending most of the offseason with the New York Giants (learning under now-Colts' DB coach Jerome Henderson). At 6'1" with long arms and good long speed, Johnson fits the archetype of a player that this coaching staff prefers at outside cornerback. He may have a very long way to go to make the roster, but Johnson seeing first-team reps in minicamp is fairly significant for his chances going forward.

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