Chuck Pagano said it himself last week: every position on offense and defense — with, perhaps, one exception (hint: No. 12 in the blue jersey above) — is up for grabs this offseason for the Indianapolis Colts heading into training camp.
Over the next three-plus months, the entire 90-man roster will be battling it out to stake their claim to just 21 starting positions. Everything — from their work on the field during practices, training camp and the preseason, to the way they work off the field and in the meeting room — will be placed under the microscope as the coaches and front office personnel try to find their best 53 for the Week 1 roster.
That being said, it's still fun to take a look at the roster here in the last week of May and try to project who will be in those starting positions, which is exactly what NFL.com's Around The NFL did this week.
Check out NFL.com writer Kevin Patra's projected 2016 Colts starters:
| Offense | Defense |
| QB: Andrew Luck | DT: Arthur Jones |
|
RB: Frank Gore | NT: David Parry |
| WR1: T.Y. Hilton | DE: Kendall Langford |
| WR2: Donte Moncrief | OLB: Erik Walden |
| WR3: Jacoby Brissett | ILB: D'Qwell Jackson |
| TE: Dwayne Allen | ILB: Nate Irving |
| LT: Anthony Castonzo | OLB: Robert Mathis |
| LG: Jack Mewhort | CB1: Vontae Davis |
| C: Ryan Kelly | CB2: Patrick Robinson |
| RG: Hugh Thornton | S: Mike Adams |
| RT: Joe Reitz | S: Clayton Geathers |
Some notes:
• Offensively, there's no real surprises here. The core group of playmakers — quarterback, running back, wide receivers and tight end — is right on target. Dorsett needs to stay healthy, obviously, at the wide receiver position, but is a legit No. 3 option for Luck and the offense.
• The offensive line — particularly the right side — could see some changes from this projection come Week 1, but for now, this seems like the most logical choices at each position. For now, with Hugh Thornton out rehabbing an injury during OTAs, Jonotthan Harrison — who has played center for the Colts the past couple seasons — has been getting reps at right guard. Among others who hope to have their say along the offensive line for Indianapolis: Denzelle Good and Le'Raven Clark.
• Defensively is where you could really see some movement from this projection, particularly up front and in the middle. The outside guys — outside linebackers, cornerbacks and even the safeties — seem like the logical picks this early in the offseason, however.
• Now healthy from a knee injury, Nate Irving is certainly an extremely viable option next to D'Qwell Jackson at inside linebacker. Irving is more of a powerful option up front, while Sio Moore — the other viable candidate to start right now at the position — is more of a speedster; more of a sideline-to-sideline cover guy. This will be a terrific battle to watch in camp.
• The Colts would be thrilled if Arthur Jones could recover from his ankle injury and be the starter they hoped he would be when they signed him to a reported five-year, $33 million deal two years ago. Also recovering from injury is Henry Anderson, who is a viable option along the defensive line. But don't forget: the Colts added a stud in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft in Texas product Hassan Ridgeway — could the rookie push for immediate playing time? Stay tuned for more on that. Also, don't forget about T.Y. McGill, who had a late surge with three sacks at the end of last season.
