Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - ROSTER CUTS: Projecting the Initial 53-Man Roster Following Colts Loss to the Falcons

Episode Date: August 24, 2026

The Indianapolis Colts have now completed all of training camp and two of their three preseason games following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. All that's left before roster cutdowns is a f...inal showdown with the Detroit Lions this weekend.  Which players are in the mix to make the team and which ones need an extra boost? We project it all out today.   EVERYDAYER CLUB If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub TEXT WITH JAKE AND ZACH Join the Locked On Colts insider program to text with Jake and Zach, ask any questions you have, and get updates on news and rumors from the Colts' facility, locker rooms, stadium, and practice field! https://joinsubtext.com/c/lockedoncolts   Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms: 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/ 📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/   Follow Jake and Zach's written work on ColtsRoundtable.com, and give them a follow on Twitter: @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts!   Today's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10.   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. Square Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl! #squarepod Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:01 Roster cutdowns are less than a week away, so let's take our first crack at this 53-man roster. Let's get to it. You are Locked-on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked-on Colts. I'm Zach Hicks, and today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel. Join all the action at Fanduel.com to play daily dingers and make your first free pick. on who's hitting a home run this MLB season. On today's show, we are diving into our first and maybe last, like, 53-man roster prediction.
Starting point is 00:00:47 The roster cut-down day is 6 p.m. on Sunday of this week, so pretty much right after the last preseason game on Saturday, on Sunday the Colts will be making their roster cutdowns to get to the 53-man roster deadline. Now, the Colts do have one kind of weird exemption where Cam Taylor Britt will be placed on the commissioner's exempt list of... upon cutdowns because he is going to be suspended for the first game, so the Colts technically can have like 54 players on their opening roster, but it will cut down back to 53 after that first week's suspension is over for Cam Taylor Britt.
Starting point is 00:01:22 But with all that in mind, let's go through and predict out what I think could be the 53-man roster. We have all of training camp behind us, two of the three preseason games behind us. I think we have a lot of information at our disposal, and we can kind of see exactly where this Colts roster falls. So to start off today's show, I'm going to start with offense, the 25 players I have making it on that side of the football, 25 players on defense, and then the three specialists as well. I'm not going to play around with the Taylor Britt thing. I'm just going to count him as one of the players here just for sanity's sake here on this episode. So let's start with quarterback.
Starting point is 00:01:55 I had the Colts keeping three quarterbacks, which they typically do under Shane Steichen, but maybe a little bit of the surprise is Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and Riley Leonard. I have Richardson and Leonard both making the team. I know that we had a lot of speculation this offseason about the Richardson trade. He still technically has an open trade request for the team right now. But with how poorly Riley Leonard has played, with how Daniel Jones's injury history has gone throughout his career, I think you have to keep Anthony Richardson on this roster. And I actually have him as the backup quarterback to Jones.
Starting point is 00:02:30 And I expect there should be a decision made here later this week on who that backup quarterback is going to. be. I think it should be Richardson. We'll see if he ultimately gets it, but Richardson has been the better quarterback than Riley Leonard for the last week and a half or so, certainly through the two preseason games, even if it was a little bit more even in training camp. The preseason games have really skewed towards Anthony Richardson, in my opinion. So I have Richardson making the team no trade as of right now, but we'll see if that changes down the line. At running back, I have just three players making it as of right now. Jonathan Taylor, Seth McGowan, and then a little bit of a shocker, DJ Giddens as that third running back.
Starting point is 00:03:09 Now, if this were what I would do personally, I don't think I would have DJ Giddens as the third player, but I am projecting what the Colts are going to do, and I still think they don't want to give up on DJ Giddens just yet. You know, DJ Giddens is the guy that they've been very high on internally, and even though he's missed most of camp with an injury, and I think other players have probably played better than him when they have been healthy, I just don't see the Colts giving up on him completely as of, right now. So DJ Giddens, I do have as the RB3, although I think that is one of the major points of contention on this roster going into week one. Going to wide receiver, we have six
Starting point is 00:03:47 wide receivers making it here on this list. Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Ashton Doolin, Nick Westbrook Akeena, and Coleman Owen, a little bit of the shock there at the bottom of wide receiver six. So talking about the top of this, I mean, Alec Pierce's health is going to be the big question mark. The Colts have to decide by Sunday. at 6 p.m. when they make those cutdowns, if Alec Pierce is going to remain on the Puplist for the first six weeks of the regular season, or if they will activate him and he'll officially be back and able to do team activities. I fully expect them to activate him, but again, it's the Colts. We never fully know when it comes to them, so we shall see there. Josh Downs,
Starting point is 00:04:27 obviously, is your second receiver. Keenan Allen, who just was recently signed, will certainly make this team. Ashton Doolan is absolutely a lock to make this team. The only question with Ashton Doolin is if he's going to get back on some special teams or if he's going to remain working with the first team offense throughout all of training camp. He only worked with the offense. Didn't do any special teams work really at all. Maybe like the first day or two of practice, he did a little bit of special teams work. But after that, it was only wide receiver, like top wide receiver role with Alec Pierce out with no Keenan Allen in the building. So does he get back out there and do some gunner stuff? That will be the big question for him.
Starting point is 00:05:05 Nick Westbrook Aquina, I do think, is close to a roster lock at this point. He's been running more with the first team lately. His blocking and just his reliability as a wide receiver 5 makes a lot of sense for this team. So ultimately, I did have him making it, although I think it's still kind of up in the air between him and Lequon Treadwell for that fifth spot. They do like what Treadwell can bring as like a bottom of the roster wide receiver that just brings a little bit more reliability to the team. And then Coleman Owen is the shocker I have making it here as wide receiver 6.
Starting point is 00:05:34 and I did go back and forth on this one. I do think that this could be a position that is primed for some roster manipulation where you have like, say someone like Dionne Burks actually make the roster, but then come week one of the regular season, Dionne Burks is a healthy scratch and you call up Coleman Owen off the practice squad because here's the thing. Coleman Owen is really their only punt returner that they trust right now. Coleman Owen has taken every single punt return in the preseason so far.
Starting point is 00:05:59 He's taken most of the pump returns in practice. He's done a lot of the kick return stuff in practice in the games as well. I don't really think they view anybody else as a pump returner besides Coleman Owen. So in some capacity, Coleman Owen will be part of the week one roster, whether it's part of roster manipulation or him outright making the team like I have him projected here. But yeah, Coleman Owen, if anyone's here freaking out being like, oh, he's not a good enough wide receiver. I don't have him really making it as a receiver. It's more of a specialist, more of that pump returner and kick returner for the team. Tight end, we have four guys making in.
Starting point is 00:06:32 It's pretty obvious who those four are going to be. Tyler Warren, Moeilly Cox, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory, really just nothing to talk about there at tight end because we know who those four guys are and they're absolutely going to make the team. Now, the big question mark, though, is offensive line. The Colts like to keep 9 to 10 offensive linemen, typically like 9 offensive linemen. And we know who 6 of those guys are going to be. Berenhart Ryman, Quentin Nelson, Tanner Bordellini, Matt Gonsalvis, Jalen Travis, and Jalen Farmer. Those guys are absolutely going to be on this team.
Starting point is 00:07:04 after that, I think you can just put a bunch of names in a hat and you can even include like free agents. You can include Wafer Wire guys, all the other names that could possibly make this team. You could put him in a hat, shake them up and just draw some random names because your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the bottom of this offensive line depth chart. I would say Luke Tunuto certainly would have been the seventh guy and he has been the best tackle throughout training camp. He's been the best tackle in the preseason game that he played, but he's injured right? now. He's dealing with a knee injury. Who knows how long that's going to keep him out. If it's going to lead into the regular season, he might be an IR candidate on cutdowns, and then you have to find another swing tackle for this team. Dalton Tucker is a guy. They've worked at center throughout most of
Starting point is 00:07:48 training camp, and they were really excited about that transition for him. But in this last preseason game, he didn't take any snaps at center, played most of the game, but played at guard. And they had other guys snapping at center, and they were pretty awful at snapping in that game, too. So I think they are kind of giving up on the Dalton Tucker Center experiment, but I do kind of have him still penciled in as making the roster. So where I ultimately fell with this projection, and again, maybe it's cheating because I don't have an actual name for the bottom here. But I have the last three guys at offensive line being Luke Tanuta, Dalton Tucker, and then insert center here. The last one is basically any free agent center, any maybe they trade for a center, a waiver
Starting point is 00:08:31 Wire Center. I guess Jimmy Morrissey could be a guy that they consider there, but I don't know. Like a name I threw on here because the Colts just played against him in Atlanta, and he's their third string center. But like rookie James Brockermeyer out of Miami looked pretty good in that game against the Colts, so maybe they could just go out and claim him if he gets cut. But yeah, the center depth is a disaster right now. And honestly, just the offensive line depth outside of Jaylen Farmer is a major question mark for this team. So technically on this projection, I had nine guys for offensive line, but one of them is literally just a placeholder name because they don't have that backup center on the roster right now. So that just speaks of the depth that the Colts
Starting point is 00:09:10 have on the offensive line that my projection that I have here for the team doesn't even have a name for one of the picks at the bottom there. So the ninth offensive linemen in the backup center is TBD at the moment. Coming up, we're going to talk about the defensive projection and the special team's projection, and then we're going to close out the show talking about main contenders on the roster who just missed my 53, but I think are still on the doorstep of maybe kicking their way into the roster with a good week of practice or whatever they could be doing here. But first, running a small business means wearing a lot of hats in payroll, HR, and benefits can quickly become some of the most time-consuming task on the list.
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Starting point is 00:11:20 following the final preseason game on Saturday against the Detroit Lions. And because we have all of training camp behind us, because we have two of the three preseason games behind us, we have a lot of information at our disposal. So we talked about offense in the first segment. Let's get into the 25 players I have making it. for defense on this initial 53-man projection. But before we get into it, don't forget to check out the Everdayer Club
Starting point is 00:11:42 for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with other listeners of this show, me and Jake, as well. Tap the link in the show notes or go to lockdowncults. com. You guys can also see some of my commentary during the games in there,
Starting point is 00:11:56 which isn't as... I'm not going to say it's not PG in there. It's always PG, but it's not as bright, I guess, as I am maybe on other social platforms. form. So definitely check out the Everyday Air Club. Let's go to defensive tackle here. And this was a tough one for me because I don't have a backup one tech on here. The four defensive tackles I have are DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Colby Wooden, and Atatomua, Adaboria. I do think those four guys are going to make the team regardless. Those are your four defensive tackles. The real question is,
Starting point is 00:12:27 do you keep a fifth one, right? And I don't really think anyone on this team has really earned that fifth defensive tackle or that backup one tech job for the team. There hasn't really been anyone good enough, and I'm not just going to force it just because, you know, on this roster. So I don't have a backup one tech. I think that could be one where the Colts keep, you know, two to three players on the practice squad and just rotate who they're calling up each and every week. And then if an injury happens, then they can sign that guy to the roster.
Starting point is 00:12:54 But, yeah, no Grover-Stewart backup on this initial 53-man projection. And we'll see how that goes. I mean, look, they typically don't give them a good backup anyway, so might as well not force it on this 53-man projection. At defensive end, I have six players, Layatu-Latu, Arden Key, Michael Clemens, George Gums Jr., Jalen Toomaloow and Kate and Curry. I don't think we have any surprises here with these six players.
Starting point is 00:13:19 Maybe the order of the rotation might be a surprise this year because we kind of thought coming into training camp that maybe like Jalen Toomelowowl could really push for a starting role over Arden Key. and from everything we've seen in training camp where he's not really running with the ones at all, and then seeing it in the preseason where we see the reason why he's not running with the ones at all has kind of lessened my excitement on Jalen Toomaloow. And I'm kind of at the point where I'd rather see more George Gumbs Jr. out there than Toomelow, I think, because weirdly enough, I think Gumbs might be the better run defender than Tumalo at this point,
Starting point is 00:13:55 which is, again, really weird to say, considering their size. and where they are, but Tumalo has had a really, really rough preseason. Hasn't really shown much in training camp either. I just, I don't know what the Colts are going to do with that. I mean, he's probably going to make the team because he's a second round pick from last year, but yikes. That's certainly a conversation for another day, and Jake and I will probably have that. On tomorrow's show, we talk about stock up and stock down with this Colts roster.
Starting point is 00:14:23 Going to linebacker, we have five guys making it. No surprise with the five guys here. C.J. Allen, Akeem Davis Gather, Jalen Carlis, Bryce Becher, and Austin Ajay, and Ajay is where I'm going with that. Now, we'll see if there's another pronunciation later that I have to correct myself on, but Ajikai is the new pronunciation that I've heard for his last name. No surprise with the five players here. The only question mark will be what the rotation looks like in week one for the Colts. Akeem Davis Gaither, I assume, will be one of the starters. What I, I would personally want to see C.J. Allen as one of the other starters. just because I thought his preseason game was pretty solid the other day. I think that he brings this level of stability for a young player that you just rarely see. And I think that he would be the best guy to pair with a player like Davis Gaither, who is more of a leaner player that's run and chase and let Davis Gaither play more of that weak
Starting point is 00:15:15 sidelinebacker and let C.J. Allen be more of the mic. But I think the Colts might go Davis Gaither and Jalen Carlis, which I think would be good for past defense, for run defense. They might get run over a couple times. you really need Grover Stewart to be Pete Grover Stewart if you want to run that out there, linebacker. Bryce Betcher, I think we'll get some snaps as well. He's really good at shooting those gaps and making those big plays in the backfield.
Starting point is 00:15:37 Austin Ajikah will be a core special teams player. So those have been the five linebackers throughout all of training camp. Would be shocked if any of them didn't make the team. And I think the Colts are very high on a couple of those guys in particular. Cornerback, six guys making it here. This has been a roller coaster pre-season. for the cornerback room. So let's start with the four guys who are absolutely going to make the team and we hope that they never get hurt ever again because these four guys are very vital
Starting point is 00:16:05 to the roster. We have Sauce Gardner, Mooney Ward, Justin Wally, and Cam Taylor Britt. Those are your top four. If anything were to happen with the top three guys, Taylor Britt would slide in in some capacity. He's that next man up no matter what. Then you have Jonathan Edwards. I have making the team here and it has been a rough, rough preseason for him on defense. And even in training camp, it's been a bit up and down. But I do still think he's the best gunner on the team. If you watch a lot of the preseason like punt coverage snaps he's had, he's consistently the first guy making contact with the punt returners. It's been a little hit or miss. He's making those tackles, but at least slowing up those punt returners and allowing other people to gang tackle. I think
Starting point is 00:16:46 Jonathan Edwards is probably a better gunner than like some of these other guys could be on defense. So I still have been making it, even though he's kind of on thin ice with the preseason defense he's been showing. And then Jalen Jones is who I have closing it out here. And I went so many different directions with this final cornerback spot. I mean, Jalen Jones has played the best of all the corners, but he's still not getting out there in the preseason games until like the third quarter, which is typically when you get like the guys who are not going to make the team playing out there with those guys,
Starting point is 00:17:18 where Mackay Blackman, who has been dreadful this preseason, is playing in the first and second quarter. He's been running with the twos and sometimes the ones throughout all of training camp, where Jalen Jones, I don't think, has gotten a snap with the first team defense at all this training camp, where even like Edwards and Blackman at times have gotten some when injuries have piled up at that position. So I'm leaning Jones because, like, the production has just been so much better from him than Mackay Blackbin. Like Blackman has been unplayable against backups in the preseason. And I just, I want to believe the Colts won't keep Blackman when he's playing like this.
Starting point is 00:17:55 Maybe they're seeing something different on practice film. Maybe they're blaming other people and when they're reviewing the preseason film. But from everything I've seen, you just can't keep Mackay Blackman with how he's played. So I went Jalen Jones here, but I don't think the Colts are still enamored with Jalen Jones. I think that could be a waiver claim spot or even a spot they leave vacant on. have five corners and they go out and get another safety on the roster, get another position on the roster. Now they could keep Jalen Jones just for week one with Cam Taylor Britt suspended, and then it could be up in the air after that. So yeah, I went Jalen Jones here. I don't feel
Starting point is 00:18:29 great about it. Certainly my 53rd guy on the roster, but I think you just have to weigh the performance here, and I think Jones has just been better than Mackay Blackman at this point. Going to safety, these four are just certainly locked in place. Cam Bynum, A. J. Halsey, Hunter Woller and Jonathan Owens. And then as special teams, we have a little bit of controversy here too. Rigabarto Sanchez and Luke Rhodes are certainly two of the three. And I feel like you can just, again, go either way with the kicker battle right now. Blake Groupie has been exponentially better in practice, where Spencer Schrader has been better in the games.
Starting point is 00:19:03 I'm still worried about Spencer Schrader hooking a lot of kicks left in practice. Even one of the makes he had in the game, it actually was hooked right in the game. he went over the crossbar on what like over the the upper right bar or whatever so he was like half a centimeter away from missing in the game so i'm leaning blake groupie still here but ultimately whichever way the colts went with the kicker battle i'm fine with uh i think if groupie comes out on saturday and makes a kick or two in a game i think that he probably wins it but your guess is good as mine when it comes to kicker it's been such a weird battle where one guy's been great in the game but terrible in practice.
Starting point is 00:19:41 One guy's been great in practice but bad in the games. Which way do you go with that? We shall see. We have more sample size in practice, but the games matter a little bit more. So, again, it's a kicker. I struggle with it. You guys know how I am with the kicker position.
Starting point is 00:19:55 So, yeah, you guys can let me know in the comment section I'm crazy wrong for that. At the end of the day, I won't fight back too much on which kicker you want having, making the roster here. Coming up, though, we're going to talk about the main contenders on the roster, which guys who I don't have on my 53 that have a chance to push for a spot here, maybe not in practice or anymore, but maybe it could be dark horses that I'm sleeping on a little
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Starting point is 00:22:10 my first and maybe final 53-man roster prediction here before the cut down. on Sunday at 6 p.m. We'll see some cutdowns really trickling in on Saturday after the game, but it'll be official on Sunday at 6 p.m. We'll get the official list and we'll be able to go on projecting from there. So I have my 53. We went through it in the first two segments, the 25 players on offense, 25 on defense,
Starting point is 00:22:34 and the three on special teams. But now I want to go through some players that missed out on my projected roster and talk about why they missed it or how close they were or if they still have a case to potentially making the team. And in my opinion, the number 54, number 55 guys, the two guys that I really was circling and trying to find a way to get them on, but I just couldn't make it work, are Trey Washington at safety and Dionne Burks at wide receiver.
Starting point is 00:22:58 So Trey Washington, I think, is a core special teams guy for them. I think they really like his tackling ability. He doesn't really miss tackles. I think he's shown some growth as a defender as well. I just couldn't find a way to keep a fifth safety on the roster when you're getting Ojicay there at linebacker, when you're keeping Jalen Jones at corner. And I think they probably need to keep a six corner with some of the injury concerns in front of those guys. So Washington, I have as the 54th guy and would be my first guy to call to get on the practice squad.
Starting point is 00:23:26 And then Dionne Berks I talked about earlier as well, where Dionne Burks is a guy that I think you could do some roster manipulation with, get him as the six-wide receiver because you just value the upside. You value what he could be in this league. You wave Coleman Owen because you just don't think anyone's going to claim. them get them on the practice squad and then week one comes along you bring up coleman o'an off the practice squad or even keep both them just while can't taylor britts on his suspension and then you make your decision the week later when you can pass guys through waivers a little bit easier so dion burks i would think that the colts are going to try to find some way to get him on the roster
Starting point is 00:24:00 or some way to keep him around because he did show some promise in this last preseason game he just hasn't shown enough promise on special teams to where i think he's more valuable for week one and then Coleman Owen is where Coleman Owen's going to give you that punt return. He's going to give you that kick return, although Berth gave you a little bit of kick return as well. But Owen has just been doing it more consistently and a little bit better this preseason as well. Some other guys I had missing the roster who I think are in contention and could be in one of those final couple of spots. As much as it pains me to say this, Blake Freeland is probably still in there because of the Luke Tanuda knee injury. Like if Tanuda is going to be out for a couple weeks, then dare I say, Blake Freehland is.
Starting point is 00:24:40 might be the swing tackle, which, you know, we're going to do a prayer circle for Jalen Travis and Berenhardt Ryman's health all year because if we see Blake Freeland out there, we might be dealing with a Riley Leonard starting quarterback after like three plays, you know, because it could be pretty ugly out there. But Blake Freeland, you know, former fourth round pick, big athletic player, teams still just salivate over players like that. So I would rather just go get anybody else. But, you know, it's the Colts here. We're talking about. talking about. They have some loyalty to their former draft picks. Speaking of offensive line, though, Jimmy Morrissey, if they've seen enough of him snapping in practice, maybe he could
Starting point is 00:25:18 be the backup center. They've mostly played him at Guard this offseason, so I don't think he's in the running there for center. But, I mean, with how bad croutes has looked and in Dalton Tucker experiment certainly hasn't worked out, maybe Morrissey could be the option there. But I, I don't think it's going to be him. He could be a practice squad guy, though. I think he's shown some things in the preseason as a run blocker. Not really enough as a pass blocker, but, you know, there's some things to work with there when it comes to him. Ulysses Bentley the fourth at running back was probably my status cut.
Starting point is 00:25:50 I think, again, if it were up to me, I would certainly have him over DJ Giddens. I think he's outperformed him. And I think if Bentley would have been healthy in this preseason game, too, and like shown a little bit more, I do think he could have passed DJ Giddens. But now that he's also out with an injury alongside Giddens, it does make it. get a little bit tougher for the Colts. So hopefully he can get back out there this week. Maybe he can get some run in the Saturday preseason game and just that can be enough that pushes him past DJ Giddens. But I think when you already have an uphill battle, any minor setback just hurts the chances so much more.
Starting point is 00:26:23 So I kind of went 50-50 with it. I leaned Giddens. If the Colts went Bentley, though, I'd be happily surprised because I think that he is the third best running back on this roster right now. Anthony Gould and LeQuon Treadwell, two veteran players who have been with this team for a while. Treadwell always is one of like the first or one of the last few guys cut on the team and makes it back to the practice squad. I just think once Keenan Allen got the call that was kind of the end of the Laquan Treadwell potentially making the roster portion of the offseason. He'll be back on the practice squad. He'll be a call-up if there's any injury and the Colts always have that respect and that love for him. Anthony Gould, I think the injury really derailed his chances.
Starting point is 00:27:02 Now I still would have leaned Coleman Owen over him because I think Owen is just a better punt returner than him. but Gould at least adds a little bit more explosive upside. He was a former draft pick. There's more capital invested in him. So maybe he could have pushed a Coleman Owen off the roster yet again like he had last year. But with his latest injury for Gould and he just hasn't been out there practicing, while Coleman Owen's been returning more punts and looking good doing so, I do think that kind of hurts his chances in making the team.
Starting point is 00:27:30 He didn't get any run in either preseason game because he's been hurt. So I don't think he's going to make this team, but we will see there because, again, And if you were drafted by the Colts, you always have a chance when it comes to this team. A couple other players as well. Mackay Blackman, we already talked about, where Blackman, I would not be shocked if he made the team over Jalen Jones just because he's been getting so much run with the first and second team this offseason. But if we're at the point where you should be benched in a preseason game, like what are we doing here? Like, I know they traded a six-round pick for him last year. I know that he didn't look all all the time awful in the games last year.
Starting point is 00:28:07 I mean, if it's about, like, may the best guy win, he's going out there and being, like, unplayable against Cooper Rush at quarterback. And, like, some of these other receivers who I get, like, Matt Collins was probably the best receiver he played against in these two games. And he couldn't even hang with those guys. Like, what's going to happen if there's an injury on the outside and he has to go out there and cover Nico Collins? Like, it's going to be 10 times worse at the current state that he's playing.
Starting point is 00:28:32 So I just couldn't, I couldn't put him on this roster. maybe the Colts will, but I just couldn't do it. And Jerry Tiller is another one too, where I think the Colts are flirting with the idea of having him on there. He's been getting a lot of run with the first and second team this offseason, but, man, these two preseason games have been dreadful. I just cannot stand seeing him out there with the Colts. He's one of the worst players on the field for them through these two preseason games, and they just, please do not put him on this roster.
Starting point is 00:29:00 I will apologize to Taven Brian right now because I think Tavened Brian has been so much better than what Tilly has been. And when Tavenman Bryan played for the Colts, I never thought I'd be in this situation. But yeah, do not put Jerry Tiller on this team. And then Tim Smith, you know, in a more positive way to end this. I think Smith has shown some good growth this offseason, especially as a pass rusher, which I never thought was going to be possible for him. But it's just not been enough to push for a roster spot.
Starting point is 00:29:26 He's just been missing a lot of tackles. He's been a little bit reckless once he gets in the backfield. And I just don't think that that's enough for a guy who was on the outside looking in. and to push his way onto the roster. But certainly shown some good growth. I would like to get him back on the practice squad, but I don't think it's been enough to get on the roster. But you guys can let me know in the comment section below,
Starting point is 00:29:46 what you agree with, what you disagree with. If you think I'm being too harsh on some players, I know I kind of tow the line a little bit on some of these guys. But we've seen, what, 14 training camp practices, we've seen two preseason games. We have a lot of information on these guys. So I have enough information to say, I don't want to see Jerry Tiller on this team.
Starting point is 00:30:04 I'm sorry if that's too much. But let me know in the comment section what you think and what you think of the overall team, like where they need to add some guys on waivers. I'm thinking like corner offensive line depth, maybe the third running back too. Like there could be a room for like three to five guys that they could claim,
Starting point is 00:30:21 which says a lot about the depth of this roster. Thank you all for making Lockdown Culture first listen today and every day. Now on video, we send you over to the first ever 24-7 YouTube channel on the NFL on an audio. check out Locked-on Fantasy Football with Fabs and Marcus for your second listen. If you don't already, make sure you're following out Locked on Colts at Jake Arthur NFL and at Zach Hicks 2 all on socials. If you never miss an episode, the everyday or club is billed for you.
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