There’s one preseason game left for many rookies and depth players to show that they belong on an NFL roster.
Two cut-down dates in the NFL have already passed, but the biggest one still lies ahead. On August 31, teams will have to trim their roster down from 80 to 53 players.
Colts Wire recently projected what the 53-man roster could look like in Indianapolis next week. Due to the injury concerns with starting quarterback Carson Wentz, Colts Wire believes that head coach Frank Reich will keep three signal-callers on the 53-man roster.
Due to the injury of Wentz, it isn’t clear how long the Colts will be without their QB1. He could be back for the Week 1 opener against the Seahawks or he could be out until closer to the second half of the season. We’ll take a middling approach here and say he comes back after a few weeks to start the season so the Colts keep him on the active roster.
It’s now seemingly more likely for Wentz to return for Week 1, but there are ongoing question marks on whether he can remain healthy throughout the season.
Ehlinger and Eason are continuing to battle it out for the primary backup role behind Wentz, and neither young quarterback separated from the other throughout the second preseason game. At this point, it’s unclear who will start the Colts’ final preseason game against Detroit on Aug. 27.
The former Texas star has made incredible strides this offseason and has to feel good about his future in Indianapolis. After being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, where he was widely viewed as a developmental quarterback at the professional level, Ehlinger has skyrocketed from a practice squad hopeful to potentially playing meaningful snaps as a rookie.