Indianapolis, IN
Colts Release First Unofficial Depth Chart of Preseason
The Indianapolis Colts are halfway through training camp and will begin their preseason slate against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium will offer the Colts their first live-game action of the 2024 season.
With the Colts only five days away from the preseason opener, the team released their first unofficial depth chart. Let’s examine each side of the ball and note what stands out. Remember, preseason depth charts are very fluid, as many of the position battles are still ongoing.
Note: Starters are in italics. * goes to Active/NFI/Injured players.
QB: Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger, Kedon Slovis, Jason Bean
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, Evan Hull, Trent Pennix, Zavier Scott
Z WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin, D.J. Montgomery, Laquon Treadwell
X WR: Alec Pierce OR Adonai Mitchell, Juwann Winfree, Tyrie Cleveland, Derek Slywka
Slot WR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould, Ethan Fernea
Y TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Eric Tomlinson
F TE: Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Will Mallory, Jordan Murray
LT: Bernhard Raimann, Blake Freeland, Jake Witt
LG: Quenton Nelson, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini OR Wesley French
C: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter OR Tanor Bortolini OR Wesley French
RG: Will Fries, Josh Sills OR Dalton Tucker
RT: Braden Smith, Matt Goncalves, Arlington Hambright
There are not many surprises on the Colts offense if you have been paying attention to what is happening in training camp. Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell are listed as co-starters at the X wide receiver spot, as they have split reps with the first-team offense pretty evenly. Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox hold the top spots at tight end, as Drew Ogletree and Jelani Woods have had disappointing camps.
The lone surprise may be Tyler Goodson holding the RB3 spot over Evan Hull. Hull has regularly out-snapped Goodson in 11-on-11 sessions and has looked explosive. The battle for RB3 is tighter than originally thought.
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Big End: Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Genard Avery, Titus Leo
LEO: Tyquan Lewis, Dayo Odeyingbo, Isaiah Land, Levi Bell, Samson Ebukam*
DT: DeForest Buckner, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Jonah Laulu
NT: Grover Stewart, Taven Bryan, Eric Johnson II, Raekwon Davis*
WILL: E.J. Speed, Jaylon Carlies, Craig Young
MIKE: Zaire Franklin, Cameraon McGrone, Liam Anderson
SAM: Segun Olubi, Grant Stuard, Austin Ajiake
LCB: Jaylon Jones, Darrell Baker Jr., Jaylin Simpson
RCB: JuJu Brents, Dallis Flowers, Ameer Speed, Clay Fields III
NCB: Kenny Moore II, Chris Lammons, Micah Abraham, Michael Tutsie
FS: Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Trevor Denbow, Marcel Dabo
SS: Julian Blackmon, Ronnie Harrison Jr., Kendell Brooks
While Laiatu Latu and Tyquan Lewis have been splitting first-team reps at LEO since Samson Ebukam went down with a torn Achilles, Lewis is listed as the starter early on. Latu has been the more productive of the two in practice, notching a would-be sack nearly every practice. It seems only a matter of time before Latu is listed as a starter.
Jaylon Jones has not relinquished the starting cornerback spot to Dallis Flowers this summer, with Jones taking almost all the first-team reps. Nick Cross has slowly taken more and more of the first-team reps at safety in camp and is the leader in the clubhouse for a starting role if the Colts do not make a move. Jones and Cross must continue to improve and make plays so the Colts feel comfortable at those spots heading into the season.
While Segun Olubi is listed as the starter at SAM, E.J. Speed has been the SAM when the Colts are in their base 4-3 defense. Jaylon Carlies (when healthy) has been playing the WILL in base defense and coming out when the Colts go to nickel or dime. Speed returns to WILL in the Colts’ sub-packages.
K: Matt Gay
P: Rigoberto Sanchez
LS: Luke Rhodes
H: Rigoberto Sanchez
KR: Dallis Flowers, Anthony Gould, Josh Downs
PR: Josh Downs, Anthony Gould, Dallis Flowers
There are no real surprises on special teams. While Flowers and Josh Downs hold the return positions, Anthony Gould has been explosive and is a former All-American punt returner. Gould could be the starter at punt returner before the end of the preseason.
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See the truck in the White River where officials performed a water rescue
The Indianapolis Fire Department was called to the river when a man swam out to the pickup, prompting an emergency water rescue.
Karen Rutledge was walking her dogs along the shore of the White River just before 3 p.m. on June 24 when she saw a man standing in the bed of a pickup stranded in the middle of the river.
She had received word of a potential drowning on the river from a public safety app and went to check it out, she said.
“I saw a guy standing on the truck, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird,’” she said. “And then I saw all the fire engines and everything.”
The Indianapolis Fire Department was called to the river when a man swam out to the pickup, prompting an emergency water rescue. Divers went out to the vehicle in a rescue boat, IFD Battalion Chief Candace Ashby said, and brought the man back to shore.
IFD Special Operations Command Capt. Chris Van Roo said the man told Department of Natural Resources officers he swam out to check whether anyone was in the vehicle. He is not believed to be the pickup’s owner and left the scene shortly after being brought safely to shore, both IFD and Rutledge said.
The pickup, a dark-colored Chevrolet, has been sitting in the river near West 16th Street and Waterway Boulevard — just off the bank of Belmont Beach — since Monday evening or Tuesday morning, first responders told IndyStar.
With potential incoming rain sweeping through Indianapolis this week, Ashby said, the DNR may not be able to remove the pickup from the river for several days.
“We just hope that no other [people go] to that truck,” she said.
Low-head dams along river pose dangers to those in the water
The pickup is stuck near the Emrichsville Dam on the White River at Belmont Beach. More than two years ago, the city received a $750,000 federal grant to remove the low-head dam as part of a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service effort to improve fish passage and safe recreational use of the river.
The Department of Public Works did not immediately respond to IndyStar’s inquiry about the status of the project.
Low-head dams can be extremely unsafe to those out on the water. In April 2024, two kayakers – Marcus Robinson, 30, and Solomon Shirley, 22 – drowned after their boats went over the Emrichsville Dam and were found capsized. In 2021, 17-year-old Kevin Rodriguez drowned near the same dam.
“Any low-head dam is dangerous,” Van Roo said, encouraging those on the river to be aware of their surroundings.
Mia Thurow is the breaking news and criminal justice reporting intern for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at mthurow@gannett.com. Reporter Ryan Murphy contributed to this article.
The Indianapolis Colts features some of the best players in the NFL, and those key names will be leaned on to achieve success and finally take a step over the hump of mediocrity.
In a recent article from Zachary Pereles at CBS Sports, he highlights the 100 most important players in the NFL ahead of the 2026 campaign.
For the Colts, three players land firmly on the list, and with good reason: this trio will be critical for Indianapolis to make the playoffs to keep jobs intact and the current setup in line.
Let’s begin.
No. 27: Daniel Jones | Quarterback
“Jones was outplaying even the highest expectations early in the year before fracturing his leg and then tearing his Achilles tendon a few weeks later. Can he get back to his 2025 form?”
Daniel Jones had a completely unforeseen career resurgence with the Colts in 2025. After beating out Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting gig, he never looked back.
Jones was tearing defenses apart for the first 10 weeks of the season, leading Indy to an 8-2 record that put the Colts at the top of the NFL and a frontrunner for a Super Bowl push.
However, his production started to dip before a fractured fibula and subsequent season-ending Achilles tear. Regardless, this was the best Jones had ever looked in seven years as an NFL QB.
Now, the pressure is on, and many critics are stacked against him. Indy’s entire season rests on his health and efficiency under center.
If Jones can get back to square one, then this offense could resume its dominant ways. However, if he gets injured or defenses catch up to him in Shane Steichen’s offense, it could spell doom for this franchise.
No. 28: Sauce Gardner | Cornerback
“The Colts, looking like real contenders, sent two first-round picks to the Jets for Gardner. Then Daniel Jones and Gardner were both injured in the same game. Gardner’s injury was only a calf strain, luckily, but the quickest path for the Colts to get back to contention has him at the top of his game as Jones recovers.”
As Pereles puts in Sauce Gardner’s entry, the Colts went all-in on pushing for a Super Bowl by sending their 2026 and 2027 first-rounders to the New York Jets to obtain the top-level cornerback.
Pairing him with Charvarius Ward, this cornerback duo looked like a lethal combination. However, not only did Ward get sidelined with continued concussions, but Gardner succumbed to a calf strain that kept him to just four games with the Colts last year.
We didn’t get to see much of Gardner in Lou Anarumo’s scheme last year, but until proven otherwise, he’s still one of the hardest cornerbacks for any pass-catcher to shake.
As long as Ward and Gardner remain healthy and play well in Anarumo’s scheme, it will help Indy’s pass-rush and give quarterbacks and receivers a difficult time operating.
Even in his four games with Indianapolis, he still locked down receivers and took away areas of the field, limiting the options for opposing quarterbacks.
Given how much the Colts had to invest to get Gardner, he needs have a big 2026 season for that massive trade with the Jets to pay off. Even if it’s just been one season, it already looks like the Jets won the trade.
It will be up to Gardner to smash that narrative, and outside of DeForest Buckner, he’s arguably the most important defensive player on Indy’s roster.
No. 69: Jonathan Taylor | Running Back
“Taylor led the NFL in rushes (323) and rushing touchdowns (18) and was fueling one of the NFL’s very best offenses before Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. He’ll be the focal point again, and perhaps even more so early on as Jones finishes off his recovery.”
A player who needs no introduction, Jonathan Taylor is the gas, engine, wheels, and vehicle of Steichen’s offense.
Taylor put on another insane performance, rivaling his incredible 2021 season, where he led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,811. To reference last year, Taylor stacked up 1,585 rushing yards, 20 all-purpose TDs, and 99 total first downs.
While Gardner might be the most important defensive player on the roster, Taylor is the most important player on the entire team, regardless of whatever side of the ball is in question.
Running backs have a short shelf life in the NFL, but so far, Taylor looks like a player who is an exception to the rule.
This is no knock on the rest of Indy’s offensive talent, but without Taylor in the backfield, it makes things far easier to predict for opposing defenses.
As long as he doesn’t hit any dropoff in production, he’ll continue to be fed the pigskin to propel this offense and set up Jones and the receiving corps for efficiency in 2026.
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July 13, 1931 – June 22, 2026
Karl E. Muszar, Jr., 94, Indianapolis, was called to his heavenly home June 22, 2026. He was born July 13, 1931, in Indianapolis to Karl E. Muszar, Sr. and Golda Lucille (Martin) Jones.
Karl was a 1949 graduate of Howe High School. He then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served until 1955. Following his military service, he attended Purdue University and in 1958 earned a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. Karl worked for Allison Aircraft until 1975 at which time he started his own consulting business, Metallurgical Engineering of Indiana, Inc. Karl enjoyed photography and hiking in the mountains of Colorado. He served as a board member of Heritage Christian School from1971 to 2001.
In addition to his parents, Karl was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Barbara J. (Foulk) Muszar; sister, Boni Kennelly, and stepbrother, Wesley Jones.
Survivors include his daughter, Michelle (Mark) Anderson; son, Jeffrey Muszar; granddaughter, Brittany (Alex) Winfield; great-grandchildren, Krystiyan Hall, Czarina Green, Mikhail, and Odessa Winfield; and many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends will gather at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Colonial Hills Baptist Church, of which he was an active member, and where the funeral service will begin at noon.
Burial will follow in Union Chapel Cemetery. In memory of Karl, contributions may be directed to Colonial Hills Baptist Church-Missions, 8140 Union Chapel Road, Indianapolis, IN 46240. Envelopes will be available at the church.
Bussell Family Funerals is privileged to assist the family in arrangements. Condolences: bussellfamilyfunerals.com.
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