The Indianapolis Colts are hoping their 2022 season can be much more fruitful than the 2021 season. The Colts made some serious strides last season, but ended up crumbling towards the end of the season, and missed the playoffs entirely. The Colts roster cuts from yesterday afternoon have allowed them to craft a 53-man roster that they believe will help lead them to the postseason this upcoming campaign.

At the top of the roster, things are looking up for Indy. They are led by star players like Jonathan Taylor and Shaquille Leonard, but those guys aren't going to be able to win games on their own. They are going to need everyone on the roster to chip in at one point or another.

That's why roster cuts are so important. Indianapolis had a lot of talent on their roster, which made trimming their roster down to the 53-man limit so difficult. As a result, there were some cuts made that not many folks were expecting. Let's take a look at the three most shocking Colts roster cuts that were made yesterday afternoon.

3. Keke Coutee

Heading into the 2022 season, it's clear one of the thinner spots on the Colts depth chart was wide receiver. Michael Pittman Jr. is a top tier wide receiver, but the depth behind him is lacking. Unproven players such as Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce will be playing alongside Pittman, which could cause issues for the Colts passing game.

In that regard, it's somewhat surprising Keke Coutee couldn't find a spot on Indy's roster for himself. Coutee flashed in limited play time to open his career with the Houston Texans, but made virtually no impact with the Colts during the 2021 season. Coutee faced long odds to make the roster, despite the collective lack of NFL experience alongside Pittman on the Colts wide receiver depth chart.

It's not necessarily shocking that Coutee didn't make the roster, but it is surprising he couldn't beat out guys like Dezmon Patmon and Mike Strachan for a roster spot. Both are late round draft picks who haven't made any sort of impact in the NFL yet, whereas Coutee has at least proven he can have success in the NFL if he's on the field. In that sense, Coutee's release is a bit of a surprise.

2. Dennis Kelly

For most of his career, Dennis Kelly has been a quality backup offensive lineman. He spends most of his time at right tackle, and the one season where he played as a full-time starter (2020 with the Tennessee Titans) he was very effective. But Kelly returned back to his backup status last season with the Green Bay Packers, and didn't have much of a chance to build off of his effective 2020 season.

Heading into the 2022 season, Kelly seemed like a lock for a backup spot on the Colts o-line, considering he was signed in free agency to fill that role. But he didn't do much to stand out throughout training camp, and it was clear early on that his spot was not as secure as it was initially thought to be.

Kelly ended up losing the backup tackle job to Bernhard Raimann, which has to be a bit disappointing for Kelly. Raimann was probably a lock considering he was a 2022 third-round pick, but Kelly still should have been able to find his way onto the roster. Instead, Kelly will be looking to latch on with yet another team before the start of the 2022 season.

1. Phillip Lindsay

Phillip Lindsay has struggled to find a home in the NFL recently despite having proven to be a solid running back early in his career. Lindsay picked up over 1200 total yards in both of his first two seasons with the Denver Broncos, and seemed set to be their running back of the future. But then Lindsay struggled with injuries and poor play in the 2020 season, and before he knew it, he was off their roster.

Lindsay joined the Colts in free agency this offseason after spending the 2021 season with the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins. It seemed like a good spot for Lindsay to establish himself as a solid secondary option behind Indy's star running back in Taylor, especially considering Nyheim Hines is more of a pass-catching back behind Taylor.

Instead, the Colts decided to cut Lindsay and head into the season with just three running backs. Undrafted 2021 free agent Deon Jackson picked up the final spot over Lindsay, which is a bit surprising considering how the Colts have said on a couple of occasions they want to take some carries away from Taylor in 2022. Lindsay looked like the perfect fit for them, but instead, he ended up being among the most surprising Colts roster cuts.