When the Indianapolis Colts hit the field on Saturday they will be less than a month away from the season opener.
Head coach Frank Reich will be looking to utilize the three preseason games to help determine roles within the team and who will make the final 53-man roster.
The Colts will be heading to Buffalo for their first matchup of the preseason. While there is no expectation that the Bills will be playing a lot of their starters, Indianapolis can still get a good gage on the depth of the team against one of the better rosters in the NFL.
Here are five things to keep an eye on during Saturday afternoon:
1
Matt Ryan's "debut" as a Colt
We’ve seen the photos and clips of Matt Ryan in a Colts uniform but for the first time, we will see him in a gameday uniform during live snaps since his arrival to Indianapolis. Despite most thinking that Ryan would be one of the veterans that wouldn’t see the field on Saturday, Frank Reich confirmed that he will be playing his quarterback against the Bills.
On Wednesday he mentioned this about Ryan’s playing time: “Play maybe a quarter, maybe a little less,” Reich said. “We’ll just take it as the flow of the game.”
The new franchise quarterback for Indianapolis will get a chance to give a glimpse into what the Colts’ passing attack might look like in 2022. The coaching staff’s ideal scenario is Ryan leading a touchdown drive on the first drive while working on a few passing plays. Then yank him and make sure their quarterback is leaving Buffalo healthy.
It’s just the first preseason game so there shouldn’t be high expectations but one or two drives that are positive and put points on the board would be something to build upon.
2
Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo's development
If the Colts are going to improve their pass rush this season, then they will need other players outside of Yannick Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner to be larger contributors.
Kwity Paye is expected to be that guy that can help elevate the pass rush this year. The second-year edge rusher will be able to line up against Dion Dawkins (assuming he plays) on Saturday and it will be a nice test to see where is at in his development. But it can’t be only Paye that helps out the older veterans get after the quarterback.
Dayo Odeyingbo is coming off a full offseason after missing the first part of his rookie season due to a torn Achilles. He will be a key contributor in the rotation so it would be good to see him healthy and more explosive in his second season. He’s a versatile piece that allows his defensive coordinator to get creative. We might not get to see much but it will be interesting to see how Gus Bradley deploys him.
3
The Wide Receiver Rotation
When the Colts’ offense hits the field there be a lot of eyes on Matt Ryan but there will be just as much on the rest of the passing attack. This will be a chance to see which receivers outside of Michael Pittman Jr. that Frank Reich and Ryan prefer to be on the field. With the expectation of Ryan playing around a quarter of football then this will showcase which receivers the quarterback wants to build some on-field chemistry with.
Reich has mentioned that he’s letting his quarterback have more of a say in the offense.
“I mean as a play-caller you want to put the players in the best position. But quarterback, he’s the field general out there so when you’ve got a guy with Matt’s experience, and you can kind of say, ‘Hey, here is what we want but trust your instincts. When you see it, call it. Don’t hesitate, don’t flinch. Do what you have done your whole career. Let us help give the toolbox that you can go to. Let’s talk about what toolbox we are going to go into when we want to make those calls.”
Alec Pierce, Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, Keke Coutee, and Dezmon Patmon are all competing for a spot in the passing attack and a look at the snap count with Ryan at the quarterback spot can give us some insight on who could potentially have a larger role this season.
4
Competitions on Defense
One of the best things to watch throughout the preseason is the position battles and which player emerges when the pressure is on. The Colts currently have a couple of spots on the starting defensive unit that are up for grabs.
Brandon Facyson and Isaiah Rodgers are in a fierce competition for the starting cornerback spot opposite of Stephon Gilmore. Facyson is the trusty veteran that Gus Bradley has a history with and can show he can be a steady presence on the field. Rodgers has been making splash plays throughout training camp and if he continues to show off his ball skills on Saturday then he will continue to push for more playing time.
While I try not to put too much weight into the first depth chart released to the media, it was very intriguing to see Nick Cross listed as the starting safety with Julian Blackmon. The rookie defensive back has impressed people throughout the organization a lot since his arrival in Indianapolis. He will have a chance to continue to turn heads with his debut on Saturday.
But don’t expect him to be handed the starting gig. Rodney McLeod will be looking to push the rookie and use his experience to earn more playing time in a rotation. I am keeping an eye on how Gus Bradley uses the two against Buffalo.
5
The Tight End Rotation
As I alluded to earlier about the receiving corps, it is a similar situation in the tight end room. Mo Alie-Cox has his top spot on the depth chart locked in but the playing time for the three behind him is up in the air.
Frank Reich is known for his use of multiple tight ends within his offense and Matt Ryan has been friendly with the position throughout his career. Kylen Granson is expected to have the upper hand because of his experience as a rookie in 2021.
Jelani Woods was selected on Day 2 of the past NFL draft but there have been reports of his struggles in camp he still has time to flash his talent and have a role in the offense.
His fellow rookie Andrew Ogletree has been the one out of the three that has impressed the coaching staff. His offensive coordinator certainly thinks so.
Marcus Brady has this to say about Ogletree: “It’s just kind of the rotation but he is moving up. I mean you can see he’s making play after play,” Brady said. “Part of it is monitoring Mo Alie-Cox’s reps a little bit as you saw he got banged up on that first day. He’s fine. So, just kind of rotating the guys, seeing what they can do.”
The three young tight ends have a long way to go but the coaching staff will be tipping their hand on who they prefer this early in the process.
