The Indianapolis Colts' initial 53-man roster must be set by 6:00 PM ET on Sunday. While there will be some tough decisions for GM Chris Ballard to make, the roster is already largely set.
After putting together one final roster projection, here are the players at each position that we view as roster locks heading into cutdown day.
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones
- Riley Leonard
I fully expect Anthony Richardson to be on the Colts this year, but I suppose there's still a small chance a deal is made.
Running back
- Jonathan Taylor
- Seth McGowan
McGowan emerged as RB2, while DJ Giddens and Ulysses Bentley are competing for the RB3 role.
Wide receiver
- Alec Pierce
- Josh Downs
- Keenan Allen
- Ashton Dulin
- Laquon Treadwell
Treadwell played just six snaps in the preseason finale -- he's a roster lock. Deion Burks, Coleman Owen, and Anthony Gould are competing for one spot, while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine may be on the outside looking
in.
Tight end
- Tyler Warren
- Mo Alie-Cox
- Drew Ogletree
- Will Mallory
Mallory's impact in the passing game this summer secured his roster spot.
Offensive line
- LT Bernhard Raimann
- LG Quenton Nelson
- C Tanor Bortolini
- RG Matt Goncalves
- RT Jalen Travis
- OT Luke Tenuta
- G Jalen Farmer
Farmer will be the first guard off the bench and Tenuta the first tackle. Dalton Tucker probably makes the team, but his snapping was so shaky this summer that his spot on the team shouldn't be guaranteed.
Defensive end
- Laiatu Latu
- Arden Key
- Micheal Clemons
- Caden Curry
- George Gumbs Jr.
Jaylahn Tuimoloau is likely on the team, but he did play 35 snaps in the preseason finale -- the fifth-most on the team -- after having a rocky summer.
Defensive tackle
- DeForest Buckner
- Grover Stewart
- Colby Wooden
- Adetomiwa Adebawore
Neither Jerry Tillery nor Derrick Nnadi may end up on the team after quiet preseasons.
Linebacker
- CJ Allen
- Akeem Davis-Gaither
- Bryce Boettcher
- Austin Ajiake
- Jaylon Carlies
What playing time and the depth chart look like may not be known, but it feels safe to say that these five players will make up the Colts' linebacker room.
Cornerback
- Sauce Gardner
- Charvarius Ward
- Justin Walley
- Cam Taylor-Britt
I do think that Johnathan Edwards makes the team because of his special teams abilities, but the depth of this position group was exposed in the preseason.
Safety
- Cam Bynum
- Hunter Wohler
- AJ Haulcy
- Jonathan Owens
Jonathan Owens will be a core special teams contributor for the Colts.
Special teams
- Rigoberto Sanchez
- Luke Rhodes
I do think that Spencer Shrader secured the Colts' kicking job in the preseason finale, but we'll leave the door open for the Colts to name Blake Grupe the winner, as he did have the stronger overall performance this summer.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 44 Colts who are locks to make initial 53-man roster
