Colts get roster down to 53 by making several cuts, including Josh Chapman, Duron Carter

The Indianapolis Colts this afternoon cut their roster down to 53-players by the 4:00 p.m. deadline, taking every minute possible to make the cuts.  And they included some notable surprises.

Here are the Colts cuts:

David Arkin, guard

Vincent Brown, wide receiver

Daniel Adongo, outside linebacker

Bryan Bennett, quarterback

Quan Bray, wide receiver

Duron Carter, wide receiver

Chance Casey, cornerback

Josh Chapman, nose tackle

Carlos Fields, outside linebacker

Montori Hughes, defensive lineman

Ulrick John, tackle

Cam Johnson, outside linebacker

Dewey McDonald, safety

Sean McGrath, tight end

Henoc Muamba, inside linebacker

Kitt O'Brien, offensive lineman

Eric Patterson, cornerback

Kelcy Quarles, defensive lineman

Erik Swoope, tight end

Raymon Taylor, cornerback

Zurlon Tipton, running back

The Colts also placed defensive tackle Arthur Jones and inside linebacker Junior Sylvestre on season-ending injured reserve, as expected.

Some of the big surprises from this group include Josh Chapman and Duron Carter, both of whom were considered likely to make the team.  Chapman started all but one game at nose tackle for the Colts last year and entered this season as the starter as well, though rookie David Parry made a strong push for the spot.  When Parry was playing early and Chapman late in the fourth preseason game many wondered whether Parry would take over as the starter, but Chapman being released was unexpected nonetheless.

Carter was one of the stars of training camp and has a lot of talent, but he was inconsistent in the preseason.  He had a strong fourth game, but other than that he didn't do a ton.  The Colts likely wanted a more reliable possession receiver (Griff Whalen) over Carter, which makes sense right now.  Speaking in terms of right now, that's the right move - but it's a surprise to see Whalen make it over Carter simply because of the ceiling that Carter could reach if he continues to work.  He's a prime practice squad candidate, but I'd be pretty surprised if he clears waivers to get there.

Also note that Montori Hughes was cut, as was reported earlier.  The Colts don't have much defensive line depth right now.  Here's what I think that means: be looking for another move coming soon.  It looks like the starting line might currently be Kendall Langford, David Parry, and Henry Anderson for the Colts right now, but while Zach Kerr and Earl Okine also made it as depth, I'd expect another signing there.

Also of note is that the Colts are keeping five running backs - for the time being: Frank Gore, Boom Herron, Josh Robinson, Tyler Varga, and Vick Ballard.  That is a bit of a surprise as well, and I wonder if that means Herron might miss some time with his shoulder injury?  He didn't seem to indicate that was the case yesterday, but keeping five running backs doesn't make much sense either, so we'll see.  Of course, one of them could also be cut to make room for someone else, so keep in mind that this is not the final roster.