The Indianapolis Colts are listing five players as inactive for Sunday’s big divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
On game-days, teams are only permitted to have 48 players active. So with the Colts not elevating any players from the practice squad for this contest, that means five players have to be ruled out.
Below are the inactives this week for the Colts:
WR Anthony Gould
QB Anthony Richardson
DE Genard Avery
OL Danny Pinter
RB Jonathan Taylor
Some good news is that the Colts are healthier than what it looked like might be the case at the start of the week. Kwity Paye, and Kenny Moore are both back in the lineup, along with Josh Downs and Michael Pittman also being available.
As Taylor still works his way back from a high ankle sprain, he was ruled out of this game on Friday.
Richardson was listed as questionable on the injury report but is not yet 100 percent, said Ian Rapoport, so the team is opting to go with Joe Flacco at quarterback.
Richardson will serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback if needed.
“Anthony Richardson dressing as the No. 3 QB shows he’s close to returning to action,” said Pelissero. “But everyone erring on the side of caution. Another week of Joe Flacco.”
Over the last few games, the Colts have opted to have tight end Will Mallory available instead of wide receiver Anthony Gould. Ultimately, this likely comes down to Mallory having a more defined role than Gould in a crowded receiver room.
For a Colts team that rarely utilizes four wide receiver sets, having a sixth receiver active isn’t a must. On kick returns, Tyler Goodson has taken Gould’s duties there, with Downs taking the punt return responsibilities.
A bit of a shakeup on the offensive line, the Colts are making Danny Pinter inactive which means Blake Freeland will be available for the first time this season.
Perhaps of note–or perhaps these two things have nothing to do with each other–but Braden Smith was questionable for the third week in a row with a knee injury. He is active and will play, but Freeland does provide added tackle depth.
Hopefully, more than anything, this is a sign of the progress that Freeland has made over the last six weeks.
Lastly, as mentioned, with Paye back at defensive end, Avery is the odd man out at that position, with the Colts opting to go with Isaiah Land, who’s shown good upside as a pass rusher, and Adam Gotsis, who can play both inside and out.