Indianapolis Colts' 53-man roster projection following preseason finale

The Indianapolis Colts concluded the preseason with a 27-14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium.

With the preseason now over, the Colts have until Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET to cut the roster down to 53 players. Potential additions through the waiver wire are possible, but it's difficult to make those predictions without knowing which players have been cut from other teams.

There aren't a ton of roster spots up for grabs, but the position battles have been going strong for the majority of the preseason.

Now, it's time to project the final roster cuts for the Colts ahead of Tuesday's deadline:

Rookies are marked in italics.

Indianapolis Colts' 53-man roster projection

Quarterback (2)

In: Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco
Out: Sam Ehlinger, Jason Bean , Kedon Slovis

Richardson and Flacco are locks while Ehlinger and Bean battled for the QB3 spot. It will be interesting to see what the Colts decide. Whichever one is chosen likely will be on the practice squad.

Running Back (4)

In: Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, Tyler Goodson
Out: Zavier Scott, Demetric Felton

Sermon is dealing with a hamstring injury . Assuming that won't keep him out to begin the season, the Colts backfield is essentially set. Scott, a second-year undrafted free agent, is a practice squad candidate.

Wide Receiver (6)

In: Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell , Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould
Out: DJ Montgomery, Juwann Winfree, Tyrie Cleveland, Laquon Treadwell, Derek Slywka, Greg Ward

The six spots here are locked in as long as Downs doesn't need to start the season on a reserve list due to his ankle injury. Treadwell was the best of the rest while Winfree, Montgomery and Ward could land on the practice squad.

Tight End (4)

In: Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Andrew Ogletree, Will Mallory
Out: Jordan Murray, Eric Tomlinson, Jelani Woods (PUP/IR)

The Colts carry four tight ends here in a decision that was made easier after it was revealed Woods needs surgery on a turf toe injury. No reason to cut him if he can be put on a reserve list.

Offensive Line (9)

In: Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Braden Smith, Blake Freeland, Matt Goncalves , Tanor Bortolini , Danny Pinter
Out: Jake Witt, Arlington Hambright, Dalton Tucker

The five starters plus the two draft picks in Goncalves and Bortolini are safe as long as the latter's toe injury isn't long term. Freeland likely is projected to make the roster, but his struggles during the preseason may have pushed Goncalves higher on the depth chart. The final spot goes to Pinter due to the Bortolini injury.

Defensive Line (9)

In: DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Laiatu Latu , Tyquan Lewis, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Isaiah Land, Raekwon Davis
Out: Taven Bryan, Jonah Laulu, Eric Johnson II, Genard Avery, Levi Bell, Derek Rivers, Titus Leo

The Colts like Bryan more than I do, and there's a very good chance he makes the roster. Raekwon Davis was dealing with blood pressure issues but he seems ready to go for Week 1. That makes Bryan a cut candidate, especially with the emergence of Adebawore.

Linebacker (5)

In: Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Jaylon Carlies , Grant Stuard, Segun Olubi
Out: Craig Young , Liam Anderson, Cameron McGrone, Austin Ajiake

Not many questions in this room. Franklin and Speed lead the way while Carlies and Olubi provide depth.

Cornerback (6)

In: Julius Brents, Kenny Moore II, Jaylon Jones, Dallis Flowers, Jaylin Simpson , Micah Abraham
Out: Darrell Baker Jr., Ameer Speed, Chris Lammons, Clay Fields III

An extremely young room with massive question marks, four of the projected players are either second-year players or rookies. Lammons has the best chance to make it over the projected cuts, but it's not clear if the Colts are comfortable subjecting Abraham to waivers.

Safety (5)

In: Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Ronnie Harrison Jr., Trevor Denbow
Out: Michael Tutsie, Marcel Dabo

The Colts are taking a massive risk with this safety room, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they scoured the waiver wire for a potential addition. Harrison seems to have played himself onto the roster as the backup strong safety while Denbow makes the cut due to his special teams prowess.

Specialists (3)

In: Matt Gay, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes
Out: Spencer Shrader

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