INDIANAPOLIS — It's time to start the climb.

The Indianapolis Colts today announced they have waived 22 players, released two veterans and placed another on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to shrink from their 80-man offseason roster to their initial 53-man roster for the 2020 regular season.

So while lots can change on every NFL team's roster between now and their Week 1 matchups — the waiver claim period for those released today expires at noon ET tomorrow, while the 16-man practice squads can be formed an hour later — let's take a look at who initially made the cut at each position for the Colts heading into the 2020 regular season (UPDATED to reflect moves made Monday, Sept. 7):

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (3)

» Jacoby Brissett

» Jacob Eason

» Philip Rivers

— Of note: The Colts elect to go with the rookie, 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason, as their third quarterback over the veteran Chad Kelly, who was waived. Head coach Frank Reich usually tends to be a traditionalist when it comes to having just two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but the COVID-19 pandemic is leading many teams to go with three QBs this year.

Running Backs (4)

» Nyheim Hines

» Marlon Mack

» Jonathan Taylor

» Jordan Wilkins

— Of note: No surprises here. The Colts have one of the deeper running back rooms in the NFL; after finishing seventh in the league in rushing last year, the addition of Taylor in the second round of this year's NFL Draft makes the group even stronger.

Wide Receivers (6)

» Parris Campbell

» Ashton Dulin

» T.Y. Hilton

» Zach Pascal

» Dezmon Patmon

» Michael Pittman Jr.

— Of note: While the first four receivers — T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal, Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr. — are no surprise, the big battle in camp was for the final one or two spots. Because of the special teams prowess of Ashton Dulin and the 2020 sixth-round pick Dezmon Patmon, who really came on strong the final week or so of training camp, the Colts initially elect to go with six wide receivers for a second straight season.

Tight Ends (3)

» Mo Alie-Cox

» Jack Doyle

» Noah Togiai

— Of note: Trey Burton (calf) was placed on injured reserve on Monday, meaning he'll be out at least the first three games of the season. To help add depth to the position, the Colts on Sunday claimed tight end Noah Togiai off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles, giving the team three tight ends to work with until Burton is able to get back to game action.

Offensive Linemen (8)

» Anthony Castonzo

» Le'Raven Clark

» Mark Glowinski

» Chaz Green

» Ryan Kelly

» Quenton Nelson

» Danny Pinter

» Braden Smith

— The Colts return their starting five offensive linemen — left tackle Anthony Castonzo, left guard Quenton Nelson, center Ryan Kelly, right guard Mark Glowinski and right tackle Braden Smith — for a third straight season; that group is considered among the best in the league. The question in training camp was who would form the depth up front. Danny Pinter, the 2020 fifth-round pick out of Ball State, seems to be the top interior backup at both guard and center, while Le'Raven Clark and Chaz Green are the backup tackles.

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DEFENSE

Defensive Linemen (9)

» Eli Ankou

» Denico Autry

» Ben Banogu

» DeForest Buckner

» Justin Houston

» Tyquan Lewis

» Al-Quadin Muhammad

» Taylor Stallworth

» Grover Stewart

— Of note: The Colts are talented and deep along the defensive line, which was boosted, of course, this offseason by the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Two injury notes: defensive tackle Sheldon Day (knee) was placed on IR on Sunday, so he'll miss at least the first three games of the season, while defensive end Kemoko Turay (ankle) was placed on the Reserve/PUP list, which means he has to sit out at least the first six games of the season. One recent addition: fourth-year defensive tackle Eli Ankou was claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Browns on Monday.

Linebackers (7)

» Matthew Adams

» Zaire Franklin

» Jordan Glasgow

» Darius Leonard

» Bobby Okereke

» E.J. Speed

» Anthony Walker

— Of note: The Colts loved all the linebackers on their offseason roster, so they just decided to go ahead and keep every single one of them for now. Leonard, Walker and Okereke form one of the better starting linebacker trios in the league, while Adams, Franklin, Glasgow and Speed are all expected to be major contributors on special teams.

Cornerbacks (5)

» T.J. Carrie

» Kenny Moore II

» Xavier Rhodes

» Isaiah Rodgers

» Rock Ya-Sin

— Of note: No real surprises here. There are two key returners in starters Kenny Moore II and Rock Ya-Sin, but three newcomers — veterans T.J. Carrie and Xavier Rhodes and 2020 sixth-round pick Isaiah Rodgers — also boost the group heading into the 2020 season.

Safeties (5)

» Julian Blackmon

» Malik Hooker

» George Odum

» Khari Willis

» Tavon Wilson

— Of note: Julian Blackmon, the Colts' 2020 third-round pick out of Utah, just this week was removed from the Active/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list and onto the practice field for the first time — a very promising sign after he underwent knee surgery after his final college game last December. The Colts return three key pieces at safety in Malik Hooker, George Odum and Khari Willis, while Blackmon and another newcomer, veteran Tavon Wilson, are also expected to be part of the rotation.

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SPECIAL TEAMERS (3)

» Rodrigo Blankenship (kicker)

» Luke Rhodes (long snapper)

» Rigoberto Sanchez (punter)

— Of note: In the end, the Colts elect to go with the rookie Rodrigo Blankenship in the kicker battle over Chase McLaughlin, who was the team's kicker the final four games of the season last year, replacing an injured Adam Vinatieri. With Blankenship, the Colts extend their active NFL record to 22 straight seasons they have kept an undrafted rookie on their Week 1 roster.