Colts unveil unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener

The Colts officially released their first unofficial depth chart, so what are the major takeaways?

The Indianapolis Colts unveiled their first unofficial depth chart ahead of the team’s Week 1 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills this weekend (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder):

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Biggest Takeaways Offensively

• Both rookie Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew are listed as starting quarterbacks with the first-team Colts offense for now.
• Jonathan Taylor, despite being on the Active/PUP list and a potential ongoing hold-out candidate, is still listed as the starting running back.
• 2nd-year tight end Jelani Woods, who many pegged as poised for a breakout campaign and has been limited by a hamstring injury during camp, is listed with the second-team offense.
• Rookie slot wide receiver Josh Downs is listed as with the second-team offense behind veteran starter Isaiah McKenzie.
• Wesley French is listed as the backup right guard behind incumbent Will Fries, not popular UDFA priority signing Emil Ekiyor—although it’s possible Danny Pinter would be the primary replacement there regardless (*despite also being listed as the backup center).

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Biggest Takeaways Defensively

• 2nd-year defensive tackle Eric Johnson II, not rookie Adetomiwa Adebawore, is listed as the primary backup nose tackle behind starter Grover Stewart.
• Samson Ebukam is the starting defensive end, replacing departed veteran Yannick Ngakoue. Behind him is 3rd-year defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo.
• Darrell ‘DJ’ Baker Jr. and Dallis Flowers are currently listed as the starting outside cornerbacks in what’s expected to be a very young Colts secondary collectively. The primary backups behind them are a pair of rookies, JuJu Brents and Darius Rush (both of whom were initially limited in camp by injuries).

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Biggest Takeaways Special Teams

• While there’s no surprise that Matt Gay (kicker), Rigoberto Sanchez (punter), and Luke Rhodes (longsnapper) are the starting specialists, both Dallis Flowers (kickoff) and Isaiah McKenzie (punt) are currently the primary returnmen respectively.