Indy faces a March 4-cut deadline and a tight 53-man roster puzzle. With Blake Freeland sidelined, tackle depth is unsettled and Luke Tenuta looms as a waiver-wire candidate to backfill. Linebacker spots hinge on Jaylon Carlies’ health, while the cornerback and safety rooms remain fiercely competitive between Samuel Womack III, Johnathan Edwards, Chris Lammons and Daniel Scott. At running back and nose tackle, Tyler Goodson’s injury and a Nos. 1-2 war up front push the Colts to chase late additions via waivers. The outcome will shape early-season depth charts and fantasy upside across multiple Colts positions.

Week 2 of the Colts’ preseason vs. Green Bay will center on the Anthony Richardson–Daniel Jones duel, but several hidden battles could shape the 53-man roster. Austin Ajiake is pushing for a linebacker role alongside Zaire Franklin, with coach Lou Anarumo pointing to a revolving door at the position and Ajiake’s prior camp work on special teams hinting at a possible path to snaps beyond routine reserve duties.

In the passing game, Will Mallory has emerged as a reliable receiving alternative at tight end, potentially teaming with two-TE sets in pass-heavy looks as Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree anchor blocking duties. On the perimeter, Alex Johnson and Johnathan Edwards highlight the CB competition opposite Charvarius Ward’s likely foil, with Sam Womack and injuries to JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones opening up opportunities. The defense and special-teams units will be watching these battles closely as Indianapolis builds depth this preseason.

Meanwhile, veterans like Jelani Woods and Jelani Woods’ peers show the Colts’ long-term planning: Woods as a dynamic receiving option, Mallory as a complementary pass-catcher, and Ajiake as a special-teams contributor who could carve a niche if linebacking depth settles in his favor. The quarterback-receiver mix remains the marquee story, but the steps of Ajiake, Mallory, and the CB options will influence early-season rotations and depth-chart decisions.

Kenny Moore II’s knee injury during Colts camp is not described as a major setback, ESPN notes, but a firm timeline remains unclear. With Moore out of practice and a string of cornerback injuries (Justin Walley ACL, Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents hamstrings), Indianapolis faces a reshaped depth chart. Charvarius Ward anchors outside, while Samuel Womack III, Alex Johnson and Johnathan Edwards are in the mix to start opposite Ward. Moore has been a steady presence, logging over 1,000 defensive snaps in four of the last five seasons and posting three interceptions in 2024 while limiting yards per target. In fantasy terms, a Moore absence could push Womack or Edwards into more prominent roles, elevate Ward’s workload if he’s healthy, and test the Colts’ depth with early-season matchups against high-powered passing offenses.

Depth at CB could swing Week 1 projections for Indy, especially given the surrounding injuries. The trio of potential nickel/dime players—Womack, Johnson and Edwards—offer speculative upside in dynasty leagues or as aone-off stream if Moore’s return lags. As the Colts navigate murky timelines, fantasy managers should monitor practice reps and injury reports closely, because even a short spell without Moore could tilt fantasy value toward the next-man-in at nickel and opposite Ward.

In Indianapolis, the injury cycle hit the Colts front and back lines, but the cornerback room took the blunt end first. Justin Walley’s season-ending torn ACL leaves a vacancy opposite Charvarius Ward, with JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones nursing hamstring issues. Samuel Womack III looms as the likely Week 1 starter if Brents and Jones aren’t ready, turning a once-deep depth chart into a tighter, high-stakes rotational assignment just weeks before the regular season.

Walley, a third-round rookie, had drawn strong coaching praise, amplifying the concern over the group’s ceiling should depth evaporate. Womack’s 2024 tape—17 games, eight starts, and a solid PFF 71.4—suggests a capable stopgap, but the drop-off if he’s asked to handle heavy workloads is real. The club is expected to explore veteran reinforcement, with Stephon Gilmore floated as a familiar option who previously spent 2022 in this system.

Compounding the challenge, Anthony Richardson’s finger issue adds a layer of unpredictability to a unit already dealing with multiple injury fronts. The Colts must chart a path to resilience, whether through a veteran signing, a reshuffled depth chart, or a combination of both. For fantasy owners and bettors, the early-week risk to Colts pass defense means opponents’ aerial games could be more exploitable until depth stabilizes.

Bottom line: the Colts face a month of roster churn at cornerback, with the potential addition of a veteran like Gilmore looming large for how the defense might step forward and how fantasy outputs might shift in Weeks 1 and 2.