INDIANAPOLIS – The complexities of trying to construct a 53-man roster is never an easy task.
What the Colts have experienced from an injury standpoint over the last month has only added to the madness in 2016.
Consider this…
The following Colts have not practiced in the past week (and in many cases, longer than that) or in Jack Mewhort's case is expected to miss some time.
- CB-Vontae Davis (ankle)
- S-Clayton Geathers (foot)
- OT/OG-Joe Haeg (ankle)
- DE-Kendall Langford (knee)
- OG-Jack Mewhort (knee)
- ILB-Sio Moore (hamstring)
- OT-Joe Reitz (back)
- CB-Patrick Robinson (groin)
- OG-Hugh Thornton (ankle)
The names above, which includes seven or eight expected starters this season, are why this year's cuts have made things about as difficult as they come for an NFL team.
"It certainly muddies the water," Chuck Pagano says, "because you would love to have everybody healthy and everybody participating and getting a true evaluation on everybody, but that's not the case."
When the Colts cut to 53 on Saturday afternoon (from the 75 number they are currently at), they will have one eye looking ahead to Week One of the regular season.
On game days, only 46 guys are allowed to dress, with teams then having seven inactives.
With the eight names mentioned above in question, that obviously doesn't add up for the Colts.
So answers to some of these questions must come in the next few days:
-Atguard, is Hugh Thornton close to practicing after missing the past month? Is Joe Haeg healthy enough to be a backup at possibly four different spots in September?
-At safety, does Clayton Geathers have to stay on the non-football injury list for the first six weeks of the season, as he's already missed all of Training Camp and the preseason?
-At cornerback, do the Colts expect to have Vontae Davis in September? And is Patrick Robinson going to be full go for Week One?
-Along the defensive line, is an extra body needed early on with Henry Anderson and Kendall Langford in question for the start of the regular season?
When roster cuts are due Saturday afternoon, there's no denying that the Colts' training room will significantly impact who makes up the 53-man roster.
"You have to look at all the injured players," Pagano says, "and know that it's going to affect roster mechanics in one way or another."
