The Indianapolis Colts, like the rest of the NFL, are gearing up for the new season. They haven’t had a particularly active offseason but did add to their roster through the NFL Draft. Those additions will have a major impact on their roster heading into training camp and the 2024 campaign. Players who were once locks to make the roster may now have to sweat between now and Week 1. Some Colts on the roster who look like training camp cut candidates include Mo Alie-Cox, DJ Montgomery, and Sam Ehlinger.
A crowded tight end room
The Colts have a ton of tight ends on their roster. Some would argue that they have too many after investing a lot of draft picks at that position. The Colts have drafted a tight end in three of the last four drafts. Indianapolis used a third and sixth-round pick pick on Virginia’s Jelani Woods and Youngstown State’s Drew Ogletree in 2022, a fourth-rounder on Kylen Granson in 2021, and a fifth on Miami’s Will Mallory in 2023.
That puts a spotlight on the veteran Mo Alie-Cox. The former basketball player at VCU has been a solid blocker and red zone target for his career, but not much else. He’s never exceeded 40 receptions or 400 yards in any season of his career. Last year, he hauled in just 13 receptions for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
Not only is Alie-Cox not producing big numbers, but he is also the most expensive tight end on the Colts’ roster. He is set to earn just under $6 million next season. But, Indianapolis could waive Cox this offseason without him affecting their cap sheet.
Woods is set to return from the nagging hamstring strain he dealt with last year. The Colts also have a plethora of options at the Colts’ disposal. Playing time is not guaranteed for Alie-Cox in 2024. If Indianapolis can save money by moving on from him, a roster spot doesn’t seem like a sure thing for him either.
No DJ Montgomery?
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver D.J. Montgomery (2) runs into the end zone for a touchdown Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Colts made some big additions to their wide receiver room during the 2024 NFL Draft. They used a second-round pick on Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and a sixth-rounder on Oregon State’s Anthony Gould. Indianapolis has dreams of Mitchell becoming a dynamic aerial threat downfield. He’ll be on the roster. Gould’s prowess as a return man should net him a spot on the roster too.
Add those two with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce, and the Colts are already at five receivers. Ashton Dulin has been a special teams ace for them for years. With him healthy again, he should be able to find a spot on the roster too. That’s six, the typical number of receivers an NFL team carries on their 53-man roster. Someone is going to be the odd man out.
That might end up being DJ Montgomery. Montgomery had some moments last season with Indianapolis. He caught his first-ever NFL touchdown last season in a Colts 30-13 win over the Steelers.
Montgomery is a fine player who can also help on special teams, but he might end up getting caught in a roster crunch. He’s another cut candidate between now and training camp for the Colts.
Who will be QB3?
The battle to be the third-string quarterback in Indianapolis is not insignificant. Anthony Richardson essentially played only two full games last season before suffering a shoulder injury that ended his season. Joe Flacco replaced Gardner Minshew as the backup this offseason, but if Richardson gets hurt again, the Colts will need a solid backup for the backup.
Sam Ehlinger is the incumbent taking on the rookie Kedon Slovis. Slovis looked like a potential coveted quarterback prospect at one point in his college career. He threw for 31 touchdowns as a freshman at USC while completing over 71% of his passes. Slovis wasn’t able to sustain that over five college seasons but there is something to work with there.
Ehlinger too was a college star at Texas but he hasn’t been able to replicate that in the NFL. He made three starts in 2022 but threw for just 513 yards in those appearances. Ehlinger threw more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) and averaged under six yards per attempt.
Slovis can win the competition for that third quarterback spot. If he does, he may earn a spot on Indianapolis’ 53-man roster. Ehlinger needs to bring his A-game to training camp for the Colts this year.
