What to Watch in Colts' Week 2 Preseason Matchup

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped their 2026 training camp this week with a pair of joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Colts appear to have put in a good bit of work, closing out the session with a pair of game-winning field goals on offense and a pair of stops on defense in two-minute simulations.

With camp practices officially over, the chances for bottom-of-the-roster players to stand out get slimmer and slimmer. These players must show out in the final two preseason games to have a chance at cracking the 53-man roster, or at least a chance at landing on the practice squad this season.

My current roster projection has the Colts with 44 spots completely locked in place, with another five all but wrapped up as well. That leaves just four potential spots up for grabs among the remaining 41 players vying for a role on the team.

So, let’s dive into a few of those roster battles and key storylines to watch in the Colts’ preseason game against the Falcons on Saturday.

Rookie linebacker CJ Allen had a pretty up-and-down training camp overall. He missed time due to two different injuries, which limited his ability to fully secure a starting job. He’s still in the mix to start Week 1 alongside Akeem Davis-Gaither, but time is running out for the young player to show out. 

Luckily, he should get his first run in a preseason game this weekend against the Falcons. After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, he should be in uniform for the first time for the Colts. 

He’s obviously going to make the roster, but seeing how the Colts’ top pick from the 2026 draft looks in his debut will be big for fans and the organization on Saturday. 

Getting to actual roster bubble players, though, this preseason game is a major test for offensive tackle Blake Freeland. I was ready to write his roster eulogy after a bad showing against the New England Patriots (where he allowed two bad pressures), but Luke Tenuta’s injury may have opened the door yet again for the former fourth-round selection. 

Freeland hasn’t shown much up to this point, but the Colts are razor-thin at offensive tackle at the moment. Tenuta and rookie Nolan Rucci have both missed the last week of practice, and the team recently waived Bayron Matos. 

It’s starting to look like the Colts’ swing tackle job could come down to Freeland or an outside addition after cutdowns. Can Freeland do enough in this game to win a spot? We shall see.

Speaking of injuries, the Colts’ running back depth is in a weird place heading into this preseason game. Jonathan Taylor is unlikely to play, Ulysses Bentley IV left practice early on Thursday, Roydell Williams was recently waived, and DJ Giddens is still recovering from a hamstring injury. That leaves just Seth McGowan and Anderson Castle as the only two available running backs for this game if Bentley can’t go. 

Many others who cover the Colts and I firmly believe that McGowan is in the driver's seat for the RB2 job, but the RB3 position could still be up in the air. Bentley appeared to be gaining some ground, but if his injury is serious, where do the Colts go from there? Has Bentley done enough to earn that job even with his injury, or can Castle swoop in to steal it?

The final running back job is a pretty notable question mark for this team that could be decided in these final two preseason games. 

The most interesting roster spot up for grabs is the sixth and final receiver job. The arrival of Keenan Allen makes the roster crunch a bit tighter, leaving one final spot for a special teams player to hold down that job. The three prime contenders for the job appear to be rookie Deion Burks, Coleman Owen, and Anthony Gould. 

Gould has been a roster regular for the last three seasons, but he has struggled to impress in his time with the team. Burks is an exciting rookie with unreal physical traits, but he is the least proven on special teams at the moment. That leaves Owen, the best punt returner of the bunch, but the player with the least amount of time and capital invested in him. 

I’d slightly lean toward Owen at the moment for that spot, but it truly feels up for grabs among these three players. 

The final note for this game comes down to the Colts’ two rookie edge rushers. Both Caden Curry and George Gumbs Jr. were outstanding in their debuts last week, but a good chunk of their production came against the Patriots’ third- and fourth-team offense. That is also where both players have been working in practice for most of the offseason. 

Could we see either player get some early run time against backups? In my opinion, that would be a good test to see if these rookies are ready for some semblance of a role in 2026. 

They both look intriguing at the moment, but if they can show out against better competition, they may emerge as true pieces for this upcoming season.