Hey there Colts’ fans! With very little of consequence expected to be learned in the final preseason game, here are my last preseason thoughts on the Colts as they broke camp yesterday:

Quarterback: Obviously the big news of the week was the surprisingly early return to practice for QB Carson Wentz. While he has not participated in 11-on-11 drills yet, he has been there for all of the individual drills and 7-on-7 passing work. And by all estimates, he has looked fantastic in this limited work, showing mobility and aggressive cuts while claiming no ill-effects after three straight days of practice. Amazingly, he may be on track to start the opener, which is better than anyone expected. It was also clear that the offense moved better and that he has significantly better skill than many might have thought (and clearly better than the other young guys on the roster). The second issue which appears to have bene resolved is a clear indication that QB Jacob Eason will be the primary backup, at least as of now. He has looked more physically talented and has been more consistent in camp and preseason action so far. He surely will be the guy to step in if Wentz goes down or is held out of action in the regular season opener.

Offensive line: Similar to Wentz’ early return, OG Quentin Nelson returned from the same surgery and has also participated in individual and some team drills. While nothing has been said for sure, he is also trending towards a possible return in week 1, and I wouldn’t doubt this hard-nosed battler. OC Ryan Kelly has not only returned to practice from his injured elbow, but he has fully returned to all drills and work so is definitely set for the opener. The question still lingers as free agent signee OT Eric Fisher has not yet been cleared to fully practice, but he is also doing individual work and they have not yet made any indication as to whether or not to put him on PUP or active roster. I think the worst case is shirt-term IR and he is out weeks 1-3, but he might possibly be straight-up active if they expect him to start before that time. Either would be good as all of his possible replacements have struggled, with OT Julien Davenport the likely starter in week 1 if Fisher isn’t ready.

Running back: Lost in all the concern about Wentz and the banged-up O-line was the tremendous camp that RB Jonathan Taylor has had. He has looked powerful and fast, and is playing without thinking like he was at the end of last season. While I have been a little down on him (for fantasy) as compared to most pundits, I am starting to warm up to the fact that he might yet be a low-end #1 for your fantasy team. Obviously the explosiveness and pass catching potential of RB Nyheim Hines will still be a part of this offense and vulture touches from JT, but that might not keep him from getting the touches required to be considered a workhorse nonetheless. RB Marlon Mack has looked okay in his recovery from a torn Achilles, but is clearly the #3 back and maybe even the #4 as RB Jordan Wilkins has continued to impress. I expect the team to keep all four guys, with only a small chance of the team waiving Mack in the last cuts.

Wide receiver: This is going to be very interesting come cut-down day. They have some good young talent which they will try to sneak back onto the practice squad, but they have 7 clearly NFL-caliber WRs and likely only 6 slots for them on the roster. Guaranteed spots are there for WR TY Hilton, WR Michael Pittman, WR Parris Campbell and versatile WR Zach Pascal. Then they have two slots for three guys. Rookie WR Michael Strachan has been a beast and one of the league-wide preseason head-turners, and second year man WR Dez Patmon has also played some great ball. In addition, WR Ashton Dulin is a great bench guy and a tremendous special teams contributor. None are likely to get back onto the practice squad, so who gets let go? Honestly, Patmon might be the best bet to get past the waiver wire and could be the casualty…but they are likely to lose one of these as well as some other youngsters I have not mentioned. This is a deep room, even if lacking in front line star power.

Tight end: Similarly to the receiver corps, the team will have a trio of guys with very different skill sets. The veteran TE Jack Doyle is a steadying option with dependable hands and a good route runner as a possession guy. TE Mo Alie-Cox is a physical mismatch who could break out and make big plays, especially in the red zone. And rookie TE Kylen Granson is a bit flashier and faster with some real energy to his game. All of them will make the team tight end position a factor all season, but likely all will be rendered fantasy-irrelevant due to the splitting of the targets and snaps.

Defense: The defense has looked great so far in practice and preseason games. Now some of that has to be taken with a grain of salt as they were playing vanilla schemes against backups and castoffs, as well as beating up on the depleted O-line in practice. But they have only allowed one late TD in two preseason games and have been active. The team appears to be healthy on defense, and several players have had standout camps. 3^rd year LB Bobby Okereke has been everywhere and seems to have taken a step forward, and veteran CB Kenny Moore has been great in the secondary along with backup CB Isaiah Rodgers. Top pick DE Kwity Paye has returned from an early-camp injury and has been abusing linemen in practice, and got a sack in the last preseason game. They will have some tough calls on the roster spots at the back end of each defensive unit/group, but the frontline guys and starters are pretty well set. They will be releasing some decent defensive players next Tuesday, which is a sign that the team depth is really good.

Special teams: PK Rodrigo Blankenship won the kicking battle by being perfect in preseason, edging out PK Eddy Piniero who was also perfect in the preseason. Surely Piniero will be snapped up by some contending team that has a non-name kicker after his camp performance – like AFC South rival Tennessee, I think. Blankenship has not only been clutch, but he has also shown a longer leg this year in practice and games. Select him as a fantasy starter without concern. P Rigoberto Sanchez is also solid if your fantasy league uses punters, although one might wonder if a more efficient Colts offense minimizes his usage in 2021. It looks like Rodgers will again return kicks as he did so well in 2020 as a rookie, and Hines will handle the primary punt return roles.

This week: With the Colts needing to cut 27 players on Tuesday and no real value in playing starters against Detroit’s backups, Coach Reich said yesterday that starters will barely see the field if at all this week. The entire game for both teams will be about determining those last spots on the back end of the roster. Special teams play may be a key, so those are the only plays I am going to watch closely as our bench guys are surely better than Detroit’s bench guys. This game is gonna be a snooze fest and even less worthwhile than most preseason tilts.

That is all for this week from the Crossroads of America. I will be back before week 1 when I will preview the season opener as the Colts host the Seahawks. Good luck in your drafts, enjoy the rest of your summer and….LET’S GET READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!

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