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We've now played three preseason games. The Colts are 0-3, but there's still plenty to learn and plenty to like from the team. They most recently lost to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night, 23-17.
The first roster cuts (down to 75) are due by Tuesday, August 26th, but many of the cuts might come earlier. Here's my latest attempt to try to figure out what the Colts 53-man roster will look like. You can check out my last one (post-camp) here.
| Position | Starter(s) | Backup(s) | Cut | IR |
| QB (2) | Andrew Luck | Matt Hasselbeck | Chandler Harnish | |
| RB (4) | Trent Richardson | Ahmad Bradshaw, Dan Herron, Zurlon Tipton | Deji Karim, David Fluellen | Vick Ballard |
| FB (0) | Stanley Havili (PUP), Mario Harvey,Cameron White | |||
| WR (6) | T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne | Hakeem Nicks, Donte Moncrief, Da'Rick Rogers, Griff Whalen | Ryan Lankford, Josh Lenz,Nu'Keese Richardson, Eric Thomas, Tony Washington | |
| TE (4) | Dwayne Allen, Coby Fleener | Weslye Saunders, Jack Doyle | Erik Swoope | |
| OL (9) | Anthony Castonzo (LT), Jack Mewhort (LG), Khaled Holmes (C), Hugh Thornton (RG),Gosder Cherilus (RT) | Xavier Nixon, Lance Louis, Joe Reitz,Jonotthan Harrison | Matt Hall, Marcus Hall, Josh Walker, Thomas Austin, FN Lutz, Andre Cureton, | Donald Thomas, Ulrick John |
| DL (6) | Cory Redding (DE), Josh Chapman (NT), Arthur Jones (DE) | Ricky Jean Francois, Montori Hughes, Zach Kerr | Gannon Conway, Tyler Hoover, Nnamdi Obukwelu, Brandon McKinney | Fili Moala, Jeris Pendleton |
| OLB (4) | Bjoern Werner, Erik Walden, [Robert Mathis after suspension] | Jonathan Newsome, Andy Studebaker | Cam Johnson, Phillip Hunt, Jonathon Sharpe | Daniel Adongo, Aaron Morgan |
| ILB (5) | Jerrell Freeman, D'Qwell Jackson | Josh McNary, Henoc Muamba, Kelvin Sheppard | Andrew Jackson | Shawn Loiseau |
| CB (6) | Vontae Davis, Greg Toler | Darius Butler, Josh Gordy, Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Burley | Johnny Adams, Qua Cox, Kameron Jackson, Sheldon Price | |
| S (4) | LaRon Landry, Mike Adams | Colt Anderson, Sergio Brown | David Sims, Dewey McDonald | *** |
| ST (3) | Adam Vinatieri (K), Pat McAfee (P), Matt Overton (LS) | Cody Parkey (K) |
You might have noticed a few changes from my post-camp predictions, so I'll note every one of them and explain my reasoning below:
- No fullback? I know, I know - this might not happen for real (in fact, it probably won't, if I'm being honest). But Mario Harvey hasn't been impressive, so if Stanley Havili starts the season on the PUP list, I think the Colts should go without a fullback until Havili returns.
- Zach Kerr was added to the 53-man roster on the defensive line. His play the last two games speaks for itself - he has been incredibly impressive and deserves a spot.
- Marcus Burley was also added to the 53-man roster, brining the cornerback spot to six players. I think Burley has been impressive enough to warrant a spot (along with Purifoy), and it's not a stretch to think the Colts keep six corners.
- At safety (***), this is the most questionable decision I made, and it's totally because we don't know what's going on with Delano Howell. I put him in the IR category, but let me make this very clear: HE'S NOT ON IR YET, AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHEN HE WILL BE BACK. But just me guessing, I wouldn't be surprised to see him placed on IR - or at least the IR with the designation to return. But again, understand that this is purely speculation.
Thoughts on this 53-man roster? Let them be heard in the comments!