The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to make up for last season's disappointment in 2022. Indy was on the verge of clinching a playoff berth but infamously lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the final week of the season to miss the dance entirely. Indianapolis will be eager to erase that mistake in the new season but some Colts roster cuts will be in order first.

Despite the bitter ending, Indy still had many positives in 2021. Jonathan Taylor emerged as a true superstar, leading the league with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. The defense, led by Shaquille Leonard and DeForest Buckner, also molded into a stingy unit with 14 takeaways last season.

The Colts also made some key additions in the offseason. They sent off much-maligned quarterback Carson Wentz and brought in longtime Falcon Matt Ryan in his place. They also added to their strong defense by acquiring both Yannick Ngakoue and Stephon Gilmore.

Indy plays its final preseason game on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the Colts must trim down their roster from 80 to 53 players by Tuesday. As the cut deadline approaches, here are a few surprising Colts roster cuts that could be on the way.

3. Phillip Lindsay

Lindsay started out his NFL career with great promise for the Denver Broncos. The former Colorado Buffalo signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent, and immediately put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his pro career. However, the Broncos decided to move on from him after he put up just 502 yards and one touchdown in 2020.

Lindsay spent time with the Texans and Dolphins last season but struggled to perform with both. In 14 games across both teams, he ran for just 249 yards and averaged a paltry 2.8 yards per carry. The Colts signed him this offseason, but he's fighting an uphill battle to make the final roster.

Lindsay is the third running back on the depth chart, behind Taylor and Nyheim Hines. He makes just over $1 million, but only carries a dead cap hit of $25,000. Cap space is one of the most valuable commodities in the NFL, and the Colts would get some by cutting the veteran running back.

2. Ben Banogu

The next potential Colts roster cut could be for someone they drafted. Indy clearly saw something in Banogu when it drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The TCU product was a standout with the Horned Frogs, racking up 17 sacks and five forced fumbles in his two seasons with the team. His performance was strong enough to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors in both seasons at TCU.

Since then, Banogu has struggled to latch on at the NFL level. He played all 16 games in his rookie season but had just 11 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. In the following two seasons, he played just 18 games with eight total tackles and no sacks.

Banogu is entering the final season of his rookie deal and will earn just under $1.9 million this season. However, the Colts may opt to cut him to free up some cap space. Unless he shows something in the final preseason game, Banogu could be looking for a new home very soon.

1. Ryan Kelly

Indy cutting either of the other players on this list would be more of a mild surprise than anything. This move, however, would be a true stunner.

Many football fans view Kelly as one of the best centers in the NFL today. The Alabama product has earned a Pro-Bowl selection in each of the last three seasons, including a second-team All-Pro season in 2020. However, last season was a bit of a down year for him, as he finished with just a 56.4 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Obviously, the Colts won't cut a star lineman after one down year. Indy also wouldn't get that much cap space, as they'd save just $3.5 million by cutting Kelly. However, what may make them pull the trigger is that they already have a potential replacement waiting in the wings.

Indy selected Danny Pinter in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's been a backup on the team in his first two seasons, but he has performed well when given a chance. He earned a much higher Pro Football Focus grade of 74.7, albeit in a smaller sample size.

The biggest edge that Pinter has over Kelly is his health. Kelly has played every game in a season just twice in his career, while Pinter was available for every game last season and showed no injury concerns. Pinter's better availability could make the Colts consider giving their sturdy offensive line a shakeup.

A Colts roster cut involving their longtime center would be one of the most shocking cuts in recent memory. The chance of it happening is realistically low, but it definitely exists.