Colts 2015 Player Preview: Cornerback Sheldon Price

When it comes to offseason rosters, there aren't many players who are entering their third year with a team despite having yet to play a single game - and not because of injury, either - but that's exactly the situation that cornerback Sheldon Price finds himself in with the Colts.

Price (6-2, 198 pounds) was originally signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2013, where he played in 47 games (starting 45) and notched 157 tackles, five interceptions, 21 passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.  He worked with the team through the offseason, training camp, and the preseason, but was waived as part of the final roster cuts.  He was signed to the team's practice squad two days later, however, and was signed to the active roster before the regular season finale that season, though he didn't play in that game or the two postseason games that followed.  His 2014 season followed a nearly identical pattern, as he worked with the team through the offseason, training camp, and the preseason, but was waived during the final roster cuts before being signed to the practice squad.  In mid-December, he was signed to the active roster, but he didn't appear in either of the two regular season games or the three postseason games that he was on the 53-man roster for.

Price has an edge on some of the other young cornerbacks on the Colts' offseason roster based on the fact that he has spent the past two years working with Chuck Pagano, Greg Manusky, and the rest of the Colts' staff in learning their system and working on his game.  That is something that could help him, and the fact that he has spent most of the past two seasons on the practice squad and has been activated to the 53-man roster at times shows that the Colts still have an interest in him.  But at some point, Price needs to show enough to make the roster as a contributor, and that likely will need to be this year.  The top three on the depth chart at the position are solidified (Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, and Darius Butler), and rookie D'Joun Smith would seem to have the advantage at the number four cornerback spot.  After that, guys like Jalil Brown, Deveron Carr, Chance Casey, and Donald Celiscar will be competing with Price for the fifth spot on the depth chart, likely earning a spot on the 53-man roster as well.  Price will need to impress with his play and show the Colts the reasons why they opted to continue working with him the past two years, and if he can do that in training camp and preseason, he could stand a good chance at making the roster.