The Indianapolis Colts have announced their moves to cut their roster from 90 players to 53 by the 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday deadline.

There were some surprises involved, as well as some veteran moves that reflect accountability.

Here is who was waived, released, or placed on Injured Reserve.

Waived: RB Ulysses Bentley IV, RB Anderson Castle, WR Anthony Gould, WR Eli Pancol, WR Ben Nikkel, WR Sahmir Hagans, WR Raylen Sharpe, TE Tyler Moore, TE JJ Galbreath, OT Blake Freeland, OT Nolan Rucci, OT Trey Wedig, OT Roy Mbaeteka, IOL Jimmy Morrissey, IOL Geno VanDeMark, IOL Josh Kreutz, DE Durell Nchami, DE Mitchel Melton, DT Colby Wooden, DT Cam Ball, LB West Weeks, LB Devin Veresuk, CB Kenneth Harris, CB Rob Carter Jr., CB Mekhi Rodgers, S Trey Washington, S Daniel Scott, S Austin Brown, K Blake Grupe

Released: QB Easton Stick, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, TE Pharaoh Brown, OL Josh Sills, DT Derrick Nnadi, S Juanyeh Thomas

Injured Reserve: TE Will Mallory (designated for return), WR Coleman Owen, WR D.J. Montgomery

RB: DJ Giddens Over Ulysses Bentley IV: Giddens missed six practices during camp with a hamstring injury, and his first two back, he only did position work. While he was out, rookie Seth McGowan outshone him, as did Bentley. However, despite Bentley making numerous big plays in the passing game, the Colts are giving Giddens a bit of grace due to the injury.

WR: Laquon Treadwell and Deion Burks Over Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Anthony Gould: Treadwell had a solid camp while matched up consistently against cornerback Sauce Gardner. In Alec Pierce's absence, Treadwell ran exclusively with the first-team offense throughout the offseason. Wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne also said that Burks had made the biggest jump among players at the position from the spring through the summer. Gould had been the Colts' primary return specialist for the last two years, but now, others will get a shot.

IOL: Dalton Tucker Over Josh Sills and Jimmy Morrissey: This was a battle of "someone's gotta make it, I guess." None of the three stood out as blockers during the preseason. In fact, the second-team offensive line was consistently shredded by opponents. However, despite Sills being used at all five positions in camp, Tucker has played quality reps for the Colts before at guard. The Colts traded for a backup center on Sunday to address the issue, acquiring Sedrick Van Pran-Granger from the Buffalo Bills.

DT: Jerry Tillery Over Colby Wooden and Derrick Nnadi: The Colts traded starting linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers for Wooden this offseason, so the assumption was that Wooden would at least make the team. The Colts always sounded optimistic and excited about him when discussing him. Instead, the decision-makers went with Tillery over Wooden and Nnadi. Last year, while with the Kansas City Chiefs, both Tillery and Nnadi were among the team's worst-graded defensive players, according to Pro Football Focus.

LB: Tahj Chambers Over West Weeks: The Colts saw a special teams ace when they signed Weeks as an undrafted free agent, and instead, it's what they got out of Chambers. Chambers flashed big-play potential about as often as any other linebacker on the roster throughout the summer.

K: Spencer Shrader Over Blake Grupe: What a comeback for Shrader. His 2025 season ended in Week 5 when a defender dove into his knee, tearing his ACL. Grupe kicked the final five games of the season for the Colts and was spotless on all kick attempts. Shrader got back in time to kick this offseason, although he was still working his way back to being 100% the whole time. Grupe had a dominating lead over Shrader on kick attempts during spring and summer practices, about 90% for Grupe to sub-70% for Shrader. However, Shrader went 5-of-5 in the preseason, including two from 60-plus and another from 50-plus, while Grupe went 2-of-4, including a miss from 36 yards.

QB Anthony Richardson Is Here to Stay (For Now): There wasn't really a consideration for the Colts to cut Richardson, but rather whether he'd still be on the roster due to trade. He requested a move in February, but nothing has ever materialized. He's had a good summer and has potentially defeated Riley Leonard for the backup quarterback job, but that's still to be announced by Shane Steichen.

The 2026 Draft Class All Make It: The Colts' entire eight-man draft class made the roster, which is no surprise considering the contributions they made throughout the offseason. A.J. Haulcy is set to be the starting strong safety, while linebacker CJ Allen will join him as a starter before too long. Bryce Boettcher, George Gumbs Jr., and Caden Curry will be special-teamers who have limited roles on defense, while McGowan has likely won the backup running back spot, and Burks competes in the return game.

Merit (Mostly) Wins Out: For the most part, if you outperformed those around you, you won the roster spot. That gave ouster to some veterans such as offensive tackle Blake Freeland and wide receiver Anthony Gould, who underperformed versus their counterparts. The main pushback I give to this is Giddens and Tillery making the roster, who did not pass the eye test this summer.

The Colts Need Waiver Pickups: With every team going down from 90 to 53 players, the free agent market and waiver wire is loaded with useful players, and the Colts need them. Their depth at offensive tackle, defensive tackle, and cornerback could use some attention.