The Indianapolis Colts will cut their roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Saturday. Here's a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker
Andrew Luck isn't on the 53-man roster at this point of the season for the first time since he as starring at Stanford. The real question mark is at backup quarterback, as it wouldn't be surprising if the Colts try to acquire a veteran player to play behind Brissett, who went 4-11 as a starter in 2017.
RUNNING BACK (4): Jordan Wilkins, Nyheim Hines, Marlon Mack, Jonathan Williams
Coach Frank Reich is confident that this group can finish in the top five in rushing after finishing 20th in that category last season. Wilkins missed a significant portion of the preseason injured. Mack was just 92 yards shy of rushing for 1,000 yards despite missing four games last season.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, Chester Rogers, Devin Funchess, Deon Cain, Zach Pascal
Campbell, who was selected in the second round out of Ohio State, was impressive earlier in training camp until a hamstring injury sidelined him. Funchess gives the Colts another big red-zone target to go with tight end Eric Ebron. Hilton had 966 yards, the second-lowest total of his career, in 2017 when Brissett started 15 games.
TIGHT END (4): Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Ross Travis, Mo Alie-Cox
Ebron, a Pro Bowler last season, leads arguably the best overall tight end group in the NFL. Alie-Cox, a former college basketball player, could be a sleeper this season. Doyle, a former Pro Bowler, missed 11 games with injuries to a kidney and hip last season.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, Joe Haeg, Braden Smith, Le’Raven Clark, J’Marcus Webb, Evan Boehm
The Colts return all five starters from an unit that gave up a NFL-low 18 sacks last season. They have depth concerns behind the starting unit.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Jabaal Sheard, Kemoko Turay, Margus Hunt, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Jihad Ward, Justin Houston, Grover Stewart, Tyquan Lewis, Ben Banogu, Denico Autry
The Colts will take a pass-rush-by-committee approach with their group of defensive ends, led by former Kansas City Chiefs standout Houston, who has 78.5 sacks in his career. Sheard, who started his first 32 games with the Colts, had knee surgery during training camp and there’s a chance he could miss time at the start of the regular season.
LINEBACKER (6): Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker, Bobby Okereke, Matthew Adams, E.J. Speed, Zaire Franklin
Leonard led the NFL tackles (163) and was named an All-Pro as a rookie. Okereke, who was selected in the third round out of Stanford, is versatile enough to play in the middle and on the outside.
SECONDARY (9): Rock Ya-Sin, Pierre Desir, Kenny Moore, Quincy Wilson, Jalen Collins, Malik Hooker, Clayton Geathers, George Odum, Khari Willis
The Colts could have a formidable secondary as long as Hooker and Geathers can remain healthy. Ya-Sin showed why some had him as a possible first-round pick during training camp. He got some first-team reps and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s the second starting cornerback as early as Week 1. Moore became the highest-paid slot cornerback during the offseason.
SPECIALIST (3): Adam Vinatieri, Luke Rhodes, Rigoberto Sanchez
Vinatieri, 46, is the NFL’s all-time leading scorer (2,600 points). The Colts rewarded Rhodes and Sanchez with contract extensions during the offseason.