INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts open the 2021 NFL regular season versus the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 12 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts finished 2020 with a 12-5 record, tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South, before losing a wild-card game to the Buffalo Bills.
Injuries were the theme of the Colts' training camp. Carson Wentz, Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard all missed time during with lower leg injuries. But they're all back and heading in the right direction to be on the field for their Week 1 game against the Seattle in Week 1.
Coming off just their second playoff appearance since 2014, the Colts hope Wentz will stop the revolving door at quarterback. He is replacing the retired Philip Rivers, who replaced the ineffective Jacoby Brissett, who replaced the retired Andrew Luck, who returned after missing the 2017 season.
The Colts didn't have a hectic offseason signing outside players. Instead, they re-signed many of their own players, like running back Marlon Mack, receiver T.Y. Hilton and cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie while letting starters Anthony Walker, Denico Autry and Justin Houston depart.
Here is a 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Carson Wentz, Jacob Eason
Wentz will be the Colts fifth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons for the Colts. He caused some uneasiness when he suffered a foot injury on the second day of training camp that was supposed to keep him out anywhere from five to 12 weeks. Wentz missed only three weeks before returning to practice, and he is on pace to be the starter in Week 1.
Wentz is coming off a season in Philadelphia where he was sacked 50 times, threw 16 interceptions and was benched after 12 games. He's reunited with Colts coach Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator for two seasons with the Eagles. What also can't go unnoticed is that the Colts are giving the second-year Eason the opportunity to be the primary backup over Sam Ehlinger this season. Eason didn't play a snap during his rookie season.
RUNNING BACK (4): Jonathan Taylor, Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins, Nyheim Hines
This is the Colts' deepest position. Taylor was thrust into the starting lineup earlier than expected during his rookie season after Mack suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1. Taylor handled the role just fine by rushing for 1,169 yards and will enter this season as the starter. The Colts could have arguably one of the NFL's top running back groups if Mack, who rushed for 1,091 yards in 2019, is able to regain his explosiveness to go with Taylor and Hines' ability to be used a number of different ways.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal, Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin, Mike Strachan
Hilton turned down more money from Baltimore to re-sign with the Colts. Hilton will likely have more big-play opportunities down the field because Wentz has a stronger arm than 2020 starter Rivers. Even with Hilton back, Pittman Jr., who had 503 yards as a rookie, could transition into the role as the team's No. 1 receiver. Campbell has plenty of potential, but he has to prove he can stay healthy, as he has played in only nine games in two seasons in the league. Keep an eye on Strachan. The seventh-round pick turned a lot of eyes in training camp with his size and ability to go up and get the ball.
TIGHT END (4): Jack Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Farrod Green
Granson, who finished his college career at SMU, will have a chance to be used as a hybrid receiver, the same way Eric Ebron and Trey Burton were used in the offense the past couple of seasons. Doyle has never been a flashy player, he's simply a player who always gets the job done with his blocking and steady hands in the passing game.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Eric Fisher, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, Braden Smith, Sam Tevi, Joey Hunt, Danny Pinter, Julie'n Davenport, Will Holden
Colts general manager Chris Ballard acknowledged that he made a mistake by not having a lot of depth on the offensive line last season. Ballard won't make the same mistake again. Fisher was signed to replace the retired Anthony Castonzo at left tackle. But Fisher isn't expected to be ready for the start of the season after tearing his Achilles in January. Expect Tevi to begin the season at left tackle. A healthy -- and effective Fisher -- means the Colts should continue to have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.
DEFENSIVE LINE (8): DeForest Buckner, Kemoko Turay, Tyquan Lewis, Kwity Paye, Grover Stewart, Ben Banogu, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Taylor Stallworth
Buckner is the anchor of the defensive line, but a lot of attention will be on Paye. The team's first-round pick will be counted on to make up for the loss of 15.5 sacks with the departures of Autry and Houston. The clock is ticking on Turay and Banogu. The two have shown flashes but haven't been able to string together consistent play because of injuries or simply poor play.
LINEBACKER (6): Darius Leonard, Bobby Okereke, Matthew Adams, Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Jordan Glasgow
Leonard has been one of the top linebackers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018. Okereke will transition to middle linebacker after the Colts decided against re-signing Anthony Walker in the offseason. Franklin has the inside track to be the third starting linebacker in the group, with Speed likely being his biggest competition for the spot.
CORNERBACK (6): Rock Ya-Sin, Kenny Moore II, Xavier Rhodes, Isaiah Rodgers, T.J. Carrie, Andre Chachere
The Colts re-signed Rhodes and Carrie in the offseason after both players had effective 2020 seasons with the team. Like Turay and Banogu, Ya-Sin has to show more because he's not locked in as one of the starting cornerbacks. Rhodes and the always-reliable Moore are the top two cornerbacks on the roster.
SAFETY (4): Julian Blackmon, George Odom, Khari Willis, Sean Davis
Willis and Blackmon will be the starters. Blackmon, who tore his ACL while in college less than two years ago, became the starter after Malik Hooker tore his Achilles early last season. He had 42 tackles, six passes defended and two interceptions during his rookie season.
SPECIALIST (3): Luke Rhodes, Rigoberto Sanchez, Rodrigo Blankenship
Blankenship's inconsistent rookie season caused the Colts to sign Eddy Pineiro to give him some competition during training camp. Blankenship, who replaced veteran Adam Vinatieri, was 32-of-37 on field goals and 43-of-45 on extra points in 2020. It didn't turn out to be much of a competition because Blankenship easily beat Pineiro by not missing a kick during camp.