INDIANAPOLIS – Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason meeting with the Arizona Cardinals Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Broadcast: CBS4
Spread: Colts by 3.
Rare meeting: OK, we’re just getting ready for the regular season, when tidbits and trivial matters are more, well, pertinent. The Colts and Cardinals are meeting for the 13th time during the preseason, but the first time since 1967. The Colts called Baltimore home and the Cardinals were based in St. Louis. The Cardinals won a snooze-fest at Busch Memorial Stadium, 9-5.
The pairing undoubtedly was made possible by the familiarity shared by Shane Steichen, Jonathan Gannon and Chris Ballard. Steichen and Gannon were together in Philadelphia while Gannon was a defensive backs coach with the Colts from 2018-20.
OK. That’s all we’ve got.
Backup plan, Part I: The next time we see Anthony Richardson and the starters in action will be next week in Cincinnati. First in a joint practice Tuesday, then Thursday at Paycor Stadium. Steichen announced his starters will not play against Arizona, and he also will hold out backup quarterback Joe Flacco.
Look for Sam Ehlinger to start with undrafted rookies Jason Bean and Kedon Slovis getting plenty of work. Since being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, Ehlinger has been a busy man in the preseason. He’s completed 73-of-97 passes (75.3%) for 939 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. That’s a 97.4 rating.
Ehlinger also has rushed/scrambled 30 times for 210 yards and two TDs. He’s led the Colts in rushing in each of the past two preseasons.
It will be interesting to see how Steichen handles the roster. Ehlinger was on the active roster last season, but the Colts are likely to only carry Richardson and Flacco on the 53. The practice squad is a probable destination.
Backup plan, Part II: So much remains undecided regarding depth at various spots, which magnifies the importance of Saturday night. Who’s the swing offensive tackle? Who’s the primary backup on the interior of the offensive line? Is there a viable backup for defensive tackle Grover Stewart? Will the tight ends room ever align itself? Can Evan Hull overtake Trey Sermon as Jonathan Taylor’s backup?
It was believed Blake Freeland would emerge as the backup tackle. The 2023 fourth-round draft pick appeared in 16 games as a rookie with two starts at left tackle and seven at right tackle. But he endured an inconsistent training camp. Has that opened the door for third-round draft pick Matt Goncalves? Fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini has been viewed as the eventual successor to center Ryan Kelly, but perhaps he steps up as a legitimate backup at multiple positions. And don’t rule out Danny Pinter, who missed last season with an ankle injury but has gotten significant reps behind Kelly.
Backup plan, Part III: As we mentioned, what was viewed as a deep tight end room has turned out to be more quantity than quality. By all appearances, Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson sit firmly atop the depth chart. After that? Good luck. Saturday represents another opportunity for Jelani Woods to make an impression. Ditto Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory. The latter missed a portion of camp with a hamstring injury.
As for Stewart’s understudy at tackle, that was expected to be free-agent acquisition Raekwon Davis, but he missed all of camp with high blood pressure. Steichen has offered no details on Davis’ situation other than to insist he’s “progressing.’’ Veteran Taven Bryan occasionally has worked at Stewart’s spot, but stopping the run isn’t one of his strengths.
Stewart and DeForest Buckner form one of the NFL’s premier tackle tandems, but the Colts’ run defense has been vulnerable whenever Stewart is out of the lineup. With the 6-4, 314-pounder anchoring the middle for the first six games last season, Indy’s run defense allowed averages of 113.5 yards per game and 3.7 per attempt. When he was suspended for the next six for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy, the averages mushroomed to 153 and 4.7.
Secondary concerns: Even though Steichen said his starters won’t play against the Cardinals, does that include safety Nick Cross and perhaps cornerback JuJu Brents? If Cross is held out, that would be a strong indication the team has decided to stick with him at free safety and deal with the consequences. If he’s on the field, well, everything still is undecided at the position.
Normally, Brents wouldn’t play, since he’s a projected starter. But the Warren Central H.S. product missed last week’s preseason opener with a shoulder injury. Beyond Brents, the depth makes us very anxious. That group includes Dallis Flowers, Darrell Baker Jr. and rookie Jaylin Simpson.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.