The Indianapolis Colts underwent some pretty massive changes this offseason in hopes that it would lead to significant improvements come the 2022 season. We got a first look at those changes when they took the field for their preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills.
While the Colts would end up losing to the Bills by a score of 27-24, it was great to get a first look at what the team will look like once the regular season gets underway. There were some good things that happened in the game, and some bad things as well. But at the end of the day, that’s what preseason football is all about.
The preseason and training camp is all about roster battles, and there are some prominent roster battles on Indy’s roster. Let’s take a look at three players whose struggles during their preseason opener against Buffalo could jeopardize their roster spot moving forward.
3 Colts players who struggled in preseason opener
3. Brandon King
Brandon King made a name for himself with the New England Patriots as a special teams ace. He almost never played on defense, but it didn’t matter; King was effective enough on special teams to earn himself a roster spot on a yearly basis. King made a return to the field after missing the entire 2019 and 2020 campaigns for New England last season, and ended up signing with the Colts in free agency this past offseason.
King shouldn’t be a part of the Colts defensive gameplan moving forward, and he showed why against the Bills. King played some snaps at linebacker on defense, but he made a limited impact, registering just two tackles, and also missed a pair of point blank tackles that should have been made. He certainly didn’t make a case for more defensive snaps in this one.
King is looking to do whatever he can to earn a spot on the roster, but right now his contributions are limited solely to special teams. If another player can make an impact on defense as well as special teams at the linebacker position, King’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.
2. Jordan Murray
Jordan Murray was handed a great opportunity in the Colts preseason opener that he let go to waste. Murray is an undrafted player from the 2019 NFL Draft, and is looking to find his way into the NFL after spending the 2021 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. But he certainly didn’t make a great impression in Week 1 of the preseason.
Murray got an opportunity to play on the Colts second-unit offensive line, and he could not seem to hold up. Whether it was in pass protection or run blocking, Murray looked overmatched, even though he was typically going up against the Bills reserve defensive line.
This certainly isn’t a good look for Murray, who already had an uphill battle to earn a roster spot. Murray could have made a big statement in his case to earn one of Indy’s backup lineman positions, but he faltered against Buffalo. It will be interesting to see whether or not he will be able to recover from this poor performance, as his hopes of earning a roster spot may depend on it.
1. Nick Foles
The odd career of Nick Foles continues. Foles is set to backup Matt Ryan at quarterback this upcoming season, despite the fact that he has done something that Ryan hasn’t done; beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Foles time with the Colts didn’t get off to a great start, though, and maybe his spot as Indy’s backup quarterback isn’t as secure as we all thought.
Foles completed 7 of his 11 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw an interception and lost a fumble along the way. The fumble ended up getting returned for a touchdown, and probably cost the Colts the game. On the other hand, Colts’ third-stringer Sam Ehlinger completed 10 of his 11 passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns, while also picking up 24 yards on the ground as well. Foles clearly got outplayed by Ehlinger here.
It will probably take a couple more performances like this from both sides for Foles’ status as Ryan’s backup to truly be in jeopardy, but this certainly isn’t a hot start for Foles’ tenure with the Colts. He lacked control of the offense for stretches of the game, and the Colts obviously aren’t going to be looking for Foles to turn the ball over as much as he did in this one. No one is expecting Foles to play like the guy that led the Philadelphia Eagles to a surprise Super Bowl win, but he’s going to have be better if he wants to hold onto his roster spot.
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