The initial 53-man roster for the Indianapolis Colts has been completed. This season showed a different tone from the past rosters under the Chris Ballard regime. There is no question that we see the Ballard imprint on this roster.
The number of players we see make the initial roster on both the defensive and offensive lines is evident. They kept nine on the offensive line and eleven on the defensive line, respectively. This is always the meat of the roster, but no one loves their trench depth like Chris Ballard. The franchise only kept four at both linebacker and safety, which always seemed a bit light, especially with the linebackers. The practice squad should have some depth at running back, both lines of scrimmage, and at safety.
One thing that was rather prevalent for this year’s cutdown day was that past injuries have caused this front office staff to run out of patience. We saw it first with Anthony Richardson being bumped to the second string, and this roster showed they are fed up with waiting for players to emerge.
A Different Tone This Season
We have seen Ballard preach patience with all players to let them develop and really learn the scheme. This was not just singled out with Anthony Richardson, but with a handful of other players. These included Alec Pierce, Jelani Woods, and JuJu Brents, to name a few. Now, the latter half of those four players are no longer on the active roster, with the first name being the biggest miss of the bunch overall.
I am not saying that either Woods or Brents are talentless; in fact, they have plenty of it. They have been unable to show it on the field. Woods has missed two consecutive seasons, and Brents missed the majority of last season and most of camp. He has only played 11 games in two seasons. Both have an opportunity to return to the practice squad, but it seems unlikely, especially for Brents.
Brents did not seem like a fit on this new scheme that will be a heavy dime package and will move around corners and safeties all over the field. Even with the addition of Mekhi Blackmon, this team will use a variety of coverages and player personnel to bring a new look to this defense. As for Woods, along with his injury history, he just got jumbled in a crowded room.
One Major Voice This Time
Not only have we seen past injuries play a part in this season’s decisions, but we also have one major voice taking charge. That voice is Lou Anarumo, and it appears to be a loud and impactful one. It has brought Chris Ballard out of his comfort zone by really putting focus on the secondary. Not only with the level of talent, but the number of new names so quickly.
We saw the Colts make unusual splashes in free agency with Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum signing big-money contracts. Later in the cycle, they signed veteran Joe Bachie. He has not only made the roster but could be a day-one starter. Finally, we have seen them add two potentially impact players in the secondary this week with Xavien Howard and trading for Mekhi Blackmon. Don’t rule out the staff making more moves before Week 1. They are scheduled to work out veteran secondary player Mike Hilton on Wednesday. Who, you guessed it, has a history with Lou Anarumo as well in Cincinnati.
Sources: The #Colts will workout veteran CB Mike Hilton on Wednesday and there’s mutual interest in doing a deal.
Hilton played for Lou Anarumo during his tenure with the #Bengals, and has amassed 13 career INTs. pic.twitter.com/XmRRt7m5Wa
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2025
Even with all the injuries to the secondary, this team continues to strive for wins this season. We all know the reported hot seat that not only Chris Ballard is on, but this entire staff is on. We all know Ballard has been given a longer leash than most GMs, especially with the results that have been put out on the field. Have they messed up the quarterback position this season? It’s very possible, but that is yet to be seen. One thing is for certain: this staff (on paper) has improved the team on the field.
Maybe Lou Anarumo’s voice is becoming the loudest in the room, given the failure of both Ballard and Steichen so far. I have said this team is closer than most believe, and they changed their voice under center. Anarumo might be the final piece to turn this franchise around sooner rather than later. That or he could be the one the nail the coffin shut.
