The Indianapolis Colts have put 10 training camp practices under their belt this summer, including a joint practice this week on the road against the New England Patriots.

This Thursday night, the Colts begin their three-game preseason slate at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots, then host the Atlanta Falcons next week for two days of joint practices before concluding the preseason over the next two Saturdays against the Falcons and the Detroit Lions.

Here is a prediction of what the Colts' 53-man roster may look like heading into the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Baltimore Ravens.

I think Colts general manager Chris Ballard would like to roll with three quarterbacks between Jones, Leonard, and Anthony Richardson Sr., but Richardson remains on the trade block, and it may be easier for him to become a victim of the numbers game when it comes to roster cuts. If the Colts loosen their asking price, another team may throw them late-round draft compensation so they don't have to outright cut him.

The Colts haven't been able to make a full evaluation of the backup running back position, as Giddens (hamstring) has missed the last four practices, but McGowan has shown positive traits for what they want in a backup to Taylor. McGowan has run the ball with authority and decisiveness, and caught the ball with ease. We'll just need to see what he looks like in pass protection. The Colts may not be officially ready to move on from Giddens and hand the reins to McGowan as RB2 and proceed with him and Bentley behind Taylor, but Bentley should be considered a shoo-in for the practice squad if he clears waivers.

This receiver group may not be deep enough to afford the patience of young up-and-comers like Burks or Owen, so they move forward with a veteran-laden corps. Burks is the most notable cut. I would've felt forced to keep him on here, but when I think of what the Colts want to do on offense and special teams, Burks just isn't quite ready yet. He would obviously make the practice squad if he clears waivers so he can continue developing. Despite Burks being the most notable move, it's really Owen who's the best player being cut.

Mallory almost felt like a luxury here because we know the Colts struggle to make him active on game days. However, they love the guy, and he does his part every summer to make plays in the passing game. He's just still not much of a blocker. You can essentially copy and paste what the Colts did last year onto this year, with the caveat of developing former basketball player Towt on the practice squad.

Aside from some occasional reps with the second-team offense, we haven't seen enough to indicate that the Colts won't move forward with Tenuta and Freeland as the backup tackles. Tucker's flexibility between center and guard helps him stick, and while Farmer has practiced exclusively at guard this summer, the Colts do believe he'd be capable of playing tackle in a pinch. Rucci, Morrissey, and VanDeMark are wild cards to keep an eye on who would likely make the roster if there were a few more spots to spare.

This is a tough group to sort out. They have enough young talent on the edges that you can't cut too far, and no one inspiring enough behind Stewart to keep a direct backup nose tackle. What the Colts may do is keep veteran tackles Tillery and/or Derrick Nnadi on the practice squad and call them up for game days as necessary.

What's clear after watching what coordinator Lou Anarumo has done with his linebackers this summer is that several of them will play, and they'll almost all have some sort of situational role. Guys like Allen and Davis-Gaither may play more on early/run downs, where Ajiake, Boettcher, and safety Hunter Wohler will be seen on late/passing downs.

On paper, when healthy, this is the most talented cornerback room we've seen in years for the Colts. Gardner has had a great camp, and Ward and Walley join him to form what appears to be a staunch starting cornerback trio. Edwards enters his second season after being an undrafted rookie last year, and Blackmon is another year removed from a 2024 ACL tear and is another year further into Anarumo's system. Taylor-Britt has been up and down, but has shown flexibility to play inside and out, and is now perhaps better than his rocky performance last year in his final season in Cincinnati.

You could make an argument for the Colts to keep Washington as the fifth safety, but the roster numbers make it difficult. All four safeties have the ability to play beyond their designated positions, which is exactly what Anarumo and DB coaches Jerome Henderson and Chris Hewitt want.

The only battle here is between Grupe and Spencer Shrader for the kicking role, but it hasn't been close. Since the spring practices that the media were able to watch to now, Grupe has gone 35-of-39 (89.7%) on fields goals, and Shrader 26-of-39 (66.7%).