Getty Head coach Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts trimmed their roster to 86 players on August 16.
The Indianapolis Colts began training camp with 13 wide receivers on their depth chart. On Tuesday, August 16, the team narrowed its receiving corps to 11.
As part of the first round of roster cuts, the Colts announced they have released wideout Isaiah Ford and waived fellow receiver Michael Young Jr. Indianapolis also waived tackle Brandon Kemp and cornerback Alexander Myres.
The Colts released offensive lineman Jason Spriggs on August 12 as well.
Indianapolis’ roster now sits at 86 players. All teams are supposed to be at 85 players by August 16, but safety Marcel Dabo does not count towards the total. Dabo has an exemption as part of the NFL International Pathway Program.
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Colts’ New Wide Receiver Depth Chart
Ford was a late addition to the Indianapolis roster this summer. The Colts signed him on the first day of training camp for additional receiver depth.
Despite the late arrival, Ford came into camp as one of the most experienced and oldest receivers for the Colts. He played four seasons for the Miami Dolphins from 2018-21, posting 63 catches for 681 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ford also brought a deep ball element to camp. Two of his 12 catches last season were for more than 25 yards, and he averaged 14.1 yards per reception in three seasons at Virginia Tech.
But Mike Strachan returned from the PUP list on August 15, and he figures to challenge for a roster spot because of his speed and deep-ball skills.
As for Young, the Colts signed him as an undrafted free agent. At Cincinnati, where he was college teammates with Alec Pierce for two seasons, Young posted 57 catches for 685 yards and 5 touchdowns in 21 games.
The 11 remaining wide receivers on Indianapolis’ roster are Strachan, Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Ashton, Dulin, Keke Coutee, Dezmon Patmon, Ethan Fernea, DeMichael Harris, Samson Nacua and D.J. Montgomery.
Colts Trim Offensive Line, Cornerback Spots
Including the release of Spriggs on August 12, the Colts also cut two offensive linemen. That leaves them with 13 offensive linemen remaining on the roster, including six tackles.
Parting ways with Kemp wasn’t all that surprising. Braden Smith and Matt Pryor are expected to start at right and left tackle, respectively, this season. Rookie tackle Bernhard Raimann and veteran Dennis Kelly are just about guaranteed to be on the roster too.
Tackle Ryan Van Demark is an undrafted rookie, but the Colts signed him to a contract that included $175,000, which NFL reporter Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reported was the third-largest guaranteed deal for an undrafted free agent this offseason. He will still have to earn his roster spot, but the contract was a sign that Indianapolis had confidence he would.
In summary, the competition was stiff for Kemp at Colts training camp. Indianapolis elected to keep second-year tackle Jordan Murray through the first round of roster cuts instead.
Kemp has never appeared in an NFL regular season game.
The Colts have 10 cornerbacks remaining on the roster after cutting Myres. Stephon Gilmore, Kenny Moore II and Brandon Facyson are expected to start with Isaiah Rodgers playing major snaps as well. Tony Brown, Anthony Chesley, Dallis Flowers, Will Redmond, Marvell Tell III and Chris Wilcox are competing for the final 1-2 roster spots at the position.
Myres has appeared in one NFL regular season game for the Detroit Lions in 2020.
The Colts will have to cut five more players from the active roster by August 23. The final roster cuts are due by 4 pm ET on August 30.