The Colts are down to the kind of roster math that gets ruthless fast. After 11 camp practices and the preseason opener, Bowen projected a 53-man Colts Depth Chart and still kept four quarterbacks in the list even though he said he would carry only three when the cuts are made on August 30th.
That matters because the team is less than two weeks from trimming the roster from 90 to 53, with two more training camp practices and two more preseason games left to sort out the final spots. For readers looking for the shape of the roster now, the projection gives the clearest read yet on which names are being carried deep into August and which position groups are still open to change.
Anthony Richardson Sr. is the player at the center of it. Bowen included Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Richardson and Easton Stick among the quarterbacks, but also said the trade return for Richardson “isn’t worth it at this point in the offseason.” That is the practical reason Richardson remains on the projected roster: the cost of moving him now does not line up with the value coming back.
The rest of the projection shows how much room is still being left for competition. Bowen projected Jonathan Taylor at running back, 12 wide receivers, six tight ends, 15 offensive linemen and 16 defensive linemen. Among the tight ends, he noted that “that 6th spot is very uncertain for me,” even while projecting Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, Sean McKeon, Drew Ogletree, Carson Towt and Tyler Warren. He also said the Colts have carried four tight ends before and that “it’s been how Ballard typically operates.”
That is the friction inside the projection. The quarterback room is listed with four names, but the final roster is expected to keep three. The tight end group is projected at six, yet the sixth spot is still described as unsettled. Those are not contradictions so much as signs that the final call is still live, with the August 30th deadline forcing the issue after one more round of camp work and preseason evaluation.
For the Colts, the next move is simple and unavoidable: turn a projection into a final roster. For Richardson, the question is more specific. He is still in the plan for now, but the roster cut date will show whether the Colts are building around him, backing away from him or merely keeping their options open until the last possible moment.
