Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart | Week 1 vs. Houston Texans
The Indianapolis Colts face off at home against the Houston Texans to kickoff their 2024 season. Here is a look at the projected depth chart heading into the Sunday matchup.
While the Colts do release an unofficial depth chart throughout the season, unofficial depth charts released by teams may not entirely reflect what plays out on gameday. This projected depth chart will also be released weekly and will provide a more accurate representation of how fans should expect the lineup to look when the game kicks off, adjusting for injuries, playing time in past weeks, and projected changes.
|
POS |
STARTER |
BACKUP |
3RD STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
|
QB |
Anthony Richardson |
Joe Flacco |
Sam Ehlinger |
|
HB |
Jonathan Taylor |
Trey Sermon |
Tyler Goodson |
|
WR (X) |
Alec Pierce |
||
|
WR (Z) |
Michael Pittman Jr. |
Ashton Dulin |
|
|
WR (SLOT) |
Adonai Mitchell |
Anthony Gould |
|
|
TE (Y) |
Mo Alie-Cox |
Drew Ogletree |
|
|
TE (H) |
Kylen Granson |
Will Mallory |
|
|
LT |
Bernhard Raimann |
Matt Goncalves |
|
|
LG |
Quenton Nelson |
Tanor Bortolini |
|
|
C |
Ryan Kelly |
Danny Pinter |
|
|
RG |
Will Fries |
Dalton Tucker |
|
|
RT |
Braden Smith |
Blake Freeland |
The offensive lineup should be similar to what the Colts have rolled out throughout training camp and the preseason. The most noticeable change here is Adonai Mitchell’s projection to start in the slot due to the absence of Josh Downs this week.
Downs was ruled out by Shane Steichen after practice on Friday and Mitchell has been getting some snaps from the slot since Downs went down with an ankle injury in early August. Anthony Gould could also fill this role, but look for some combination of Mitchell, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce as the Colts top three wide receivers in terms of snaps played.
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|
POS |
STARTER |
BACKUP |
3RD STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BIG END |
Kwity Paye |
Laiatu Latu |
|
|
1-TECH DT |
Grover Stewart |
Raekwon Davis |
|
|
3-TECH DT |
DeForest Buckner |
Taven Bryan |
Adetomiwa Adebawore |
|
LEO |
Tyquan Lewis |
Dayo Odeyingbo |
Isaiah Land |
|
WILL |
E.J. Speed |
||
|
MIKE |
Zaire Franklin |
Segun Olubi |
|
|
SAM |
Jaylon Carlies |
Grant Stuard |
|
|
LCB |
Jaylon Jones |
Samuel Womack III |
|
|
RCB |
JuJu Brents |
Dallis Flowers |
|
|
SCB |
Kenny Moore II |
||
|
FS |
Nick Cross |
Rodney Thomas II |
|
|
SS |
Julian Blackmon |
Trevor Denbow |
There are a couple of interesting positions to note on the defensive side of the ball. The rotation of the defensive ends will be a key thing to watch for as first-round pick, Laiatu Latu, is currently listed as the backup to Kwity Paye, but in reality, Latu should be expected to see a lot of snaps in his NFL debut.
Fifth-round rookie Jaylon Carlies gets the starting nod at SAM linebacker while Segun Olubi is listed as the backup MIKE behind Zaire Franklin. In the secondary, Nick Cross was named the starting safety to lineup alongside Julian Blackmon. The exact designation of free or strong safety is of little consequence as they will each likely spend time in both roles throughout the game.
|
POS |
STARTER |
BACKUP |
3RD STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
|
K |
Matt Gay |
||
|
P |
Rigoberto Sanchez |
||
|
LS |
Luke Rhodes |
||
|
H |
Rigoberto Sanchez |
||
|
KR |
Anthony Gould |
Dallis Flowers |
|
|
PR |
Anthony Gould |
Dallis Flowers |
This week’s injury report effects multiple positions on special teams. Kicker Matt Gay has not been ruled out for week one as of Friday afternoon, but his recovery from a hernia has his status for Sunday up in the air. Undrafted rookie Spencer Shrader will likely be activated from the practice squad if Gay is unable to play.
In addition to Downs’ role on offense, he is also listed as a reserve returner for both kick and punt returns. The Colts may not need to turn to anyone other than Gould and Dallis Flowers for these duties, but players like Ashton Dulin and Tyler Goodson are possible candidates if the need arises.
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Indianapolis, IN
Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.
Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.
Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62
“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.
Indianapolis, IN
New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.
It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.
Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.
The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.
Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”
People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.
Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”
Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”
The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”
Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.
Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”
Indianapolis, IN
Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades
What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?
The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.
In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.
So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?
Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.
- Treatment of Families: B
- Home Game Field: D
- Food/Dining Area: B
- Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
- Locker Room: C+
- Training Room: B
- Training Staff: B+
- Weight Room: B
- Strength Coaches: A
- Position Coaches: B
- Offensive Coordinator: B
- Defensive Coordinator: B+
- Special Teams Coordinator: B+
- Team Travel: B-
- Head Coach: A-
- General Manager: A
- Team Ownership: A
Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.
Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.
The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.
Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.
The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.
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