The Colts on Tuesday made a flurry of roster moves and unveiled their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season.
Here's how the roster breaks down (players listed in alphabetical order):
Quarterbacks (3): Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles, Matt Ryan
- Snap reaction: Ehlinger's fantastic preseason – in which he went 24 of 29 for 289 yards with five total touchdowns and a passer rating of 147.8 – helped earn him a spot on the 53-man roster. "It's hard to imagine having a better preseason than he's had," head coach Frank Reich said. "Really excited about him and his continued development."
Running backs (3): Nyheim Hines, Deon Jackson, Jonathan Taylor
- Snap reaction: Jackson's contributions on special teams – he played 81 snaps on it in 2021 and played on the Colts' punt return, punt coverage, kick return and kick coverage units – are notable here. The Colts also got an extended look at him with the first-team offense in Saturday's preseason finale, in which he rushed for a touchdown and picked up 26 yards on a screen pass from Matt Ryan.
Wide receivers (6): Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin, Alec Pierce, Dezmon Patmon, Michael Pittman Jr., Mike Strachan
- Snap reaction: The question of if Patmon or Strachan would make the roster turned out this answer: Both Patmon and Strachan made the cut.
Tight ends (3): Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods
- Snap reaction: Granson and Woods both stepped up after sixth-round pick Drew Ogletree suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp. "A guy like (Granson), you want to get the ball in his hands because he's deadly after the catch," offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said.
Offensive linemen (8): Wesley French, Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Quenton Nelson, Danny Pinter, Matt Pryor, Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith
- Snap reaction: Raimann is the backup tackle here, although Fries has experience playing tackle in college. And let's not gloss over the French Fries combo here.
Defensive linemen (10): Ben Banogu, DeForest Buckner, Byron Cowart, Eric Johnson II, Tyquan Lewis, Yannick Ngakoue, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Dayo Odeyingbo, Kwity Paye, Grover Stewart
- Snap reaction: The Colts are carrying five defensive ends (Banogu, Ngakoue, Odenigbo, Odeyingbo and Paye), four defensive tackles (Buckner, Cowart, Johnson, Stewart) and one Swiss Army knife (Lewis). Lewis' versatility is key here, as the Colts believe the 2018 second-round pick has the ability to play well at every position on the defensive line.
Linebackers (6): JoJo Domann, Zaire Franklin, Shaquille Leonard, Bobby Okereke, E.J. Speed, Grant Stuard
- Snap reaction: Leonard, the three-time first-team AP All-Pro, was removed from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday. The Colts acquired Stuard in a pick swap with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.
Cornerbacks (6): Tony Brown, Brandon Facyson, Dallis Flowers, Stephon Gilmore, Kenny Moore II, Isaiah Rodgers Sr.
- Snap reaction: Brown was the Colts' highest-graded special teamer during the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus, and he notched an interception and tackle for a loss while playing both in the slot (47 snaps) and out wide (50 snaps) at cornerback. The speedy Flowers had a 53-yard kickoff return against the Buccaneers and flashed his athletic upside during training camp.
Safeties (5): Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Trevor Denbow, Rodney McLeod, Rodney Thomas II
- Snap reaction: Denbow led the NFL with five special teams tackles during the 2022 preseason, and led the Colts with 53 special teams snaps, too. The athletic Thomas made a couple of strong open-field tackles in the Colts' final preseason game and played the third-most special teams snaps on the team in August, too.
Specialists (3): Rodrigo Blankenship (K), Matt Haack (P), Luke Rhodes (LS)
- Snap reaction: Blankenship earned the Colts' kicking job with a strong showing during training camp and preseason games. "Rod has been really consistent throughout the preseason and in games and in training camp," special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said. "He's done a good job. He really has. He's done a good job. There hasn't been a lot of variation on his kicks. He's been consistent." Haack, too, had four of his five punts downed inside the 20-yard line in his Colts preseason debut on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
