Each week, the Indianapolis Colts release their unofficial depth chart. So, what notes and observations can be made from the Week 17 edition?
Of course, the keyword in all of this is unofficial, so what we see listed below may not exactly align with the playing time that we see on the field. In addition to that, now 15 games into the NFL season, it’s not as if there are a lot of surprises or changes to the unofficial depth chart on a week-to-week basis.
However, having said that, there are a few observations worth pointing out.
Colts Offense
- WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin
- LT: Bernhard Raimann, Blake Freeland
- LG: Quenton Nelson, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini
- C: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini
- RG: Mark Glowinski, Tanor Bortolini OR Dalton Tucker
- RT: Matt Goncalves
- TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree
- TE: Kylen Granson, Will Mallory
- WR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould
- WR: Alec Pierce OR Adonai Mitchell
- QB: Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger
- RB: Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson
Quick Takeaways
– There are a few changes to the offensive depth chart this week. One, with Ryan Kelly officially back from injured reserve, he is back at the starting center spot. In addition to that, Mark Glowinski, who was out of practice squad elevations, has been added to the 53-man roster and–not surprisingly–is listed as the starting right guard.
– For what it’s worth, while Tanor Bortolini is listed as the back right and left guard with either Danny Pinter or Dalton Tucker, when Quenton Nelson briefly exited the team’s Week 16 game, it was Bortolini that stepped in at left guard.
– With Braden Smith out for the season, you can see how thing the Colts are at tackle, with Blake Freeland as the only backup option.
Colts Defense
- DE: Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu
- DT: DeForest Buckner, Taven Bryan, Adetomiwa Adebawore
- NT: Grover Stewart, Raekwon Davis
- DE: Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Isaiah Land
- WLB: E.J. Speed, Grant Stuard
- MLB: Zaire Franklin, Segun Olubi
- SAM: Jaylon Carlies, Cameron McGrone
- CB: Samuel Womack III, David Long Jr.
- FS: Julian Blackmon, Rodney Thomas II
- SS: Nick Cross, Ronnie Harrison Jr.
- N: Kenny Moore II, Chris Lammons
- CB: Jaylon Jones
Quick Takeaways
– Similarly to Kelly, with Jaylon Carlies now off injured reserve, he is back on this week’s depth chart, and listed as the starting strong-side linebacker when the Colts line up in their base 4-3 defense.
– Each week here, I mention how thin the Colts’ cornerback position is and against Tennessee, when Jaylon Jones had to exit the game, it was David Long Jr. who stepped into the starting role opposite of Sam Womack. Perhaps the Colts could get JuJu Brents back this week.
– The playing time for Tyquan Lewis has reflected this, but since returning from IR, he’s been a rotational member of the defensive end group rather than a starter, which was the case early on in the season.
Special Teams
- P: Rigoberto Sanchez
- PK: Matt Gay
- H: Rigoberto Sanchez
- LS: Luke Rhodes
- KR: Tyler Goodson, Anthony Gould, Ashton Dulin
- PR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould
Quick Takeaways
– As Anthony Gould gets more reps, you can see his confidence and decisiveness growing, and it’s resulted in some big returns.
