INDIANAPOLIS — The halfway point of the preseason tends to look a little different for the Colts.

Indianapolis has spent the past two days battling the Arizona Cardinals in joint practices, sessions designed for the starters from both teams to play in specific situations that might not arise in an abbreviated preseason appearance.

For that reason, Saturday night’s 7 p.m. kickoff between the two teams at Lucas Oil Stadium (WTTV-4) will mostly be a chance for the backups to shine, a key chance to compete for roster spots.

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Who plays? Who sits?

Indianapolis will likely sit starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and most of the starting lineup against Arizona, but a handful of players battling for starting spots might end up in the lineup as the coaching staff looks for somebody to take the reins.

In other words, the coaching staff’s decisions on playing time might offer the best clues so far on the way the winds are blowing for the 53-man roster. The NFL-mandated roster cutdown from 90 to 53 looms in a week and a half, ramping up the pressure on the players fighting for both starting jobs and spots at the end of the roster.

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Cornerback

By the time the dust settled on the preseason opener against the Broncos, the cornerback position felt the least certain spot on the roster, and the position’s performance in practices at times this week against the Cardinals didn’t do anything to assuage those concerns.

Second-year cornerback JuJu Brents missed the preseason opener against Denver due to a nagging shoulder issue, and Indianapolis could decide to give the presumptive starter a handful of snaps on Saturday night to make up for lost time.

But even if Brents plays, the battle beyond him remains a concern. Dallis Flowers struggled last week in his first game action since tearing his Achilles tendon, Darrell Baker Jr. fell out of favor last season and rookie Jaylin Simpson remains raw. Indianapolis is likely going to need more than three cornerbacks this season, and the Colts need to see a depth piece take a step forward the way rookie Micah Abraham shined last Saturday.

Free safety

Nick Cross has taken the lead in the race for the starting spot opposite strong safety Julian Blackmon.

How big a lead he’s taken might be revealed on Saturday night. If Cross sits with the other starters and Rodney Thomas II plays, or if Cross plays strong safety in a pairing with Thomas, the Colts will be sending a message that the role is Cross’ job to lose.

If they both play, it can be taken as a signal that there is still work to be done, putting pressure on Cross to back up a solid performance against the Broncos with another one against Arizona. The former third-round pick was much better at free safety than strong safety against Denver; Indianapolis needs clarity on the starting lineup soon.

Evan Hull vs. Tyler Goodson

Trey Sermon’s hamstring injury has opened a door for the two young backs competing for the No. 3 role behind him.

Hull had eight carries for 16 yards rushing and a catch for 15 yards against Denver; Goodson had seven carries for 15 yards and two catches for one yard.

When they returned to the field for joint practices on Wednesday, Hull appeared to have the edge, and he backed it up with a handful of nice runs against the Cardinals. Goodson has a little more burst.

Indianapolis could end up keeping two running backs, and special teams will likely play a role, but Sermon’s absence and the likelihood that Jonathan Taylor will sit out this game puts the focus squarely on Hull and Goodson.

Slingin’ Sam Ehlinger

Ehlinger has been around Indianapolis a long time now.

Drafted in the sixth round in 2021, Ehlinger spent the first season developing, started three games amid the turmoil of the 2022 season and won a spot on the roster again in 2023.

But the rules have changed. The NFL passed an emergency quarterback rule this offseason, allowing teams to designate a quarterback from the practice squad as the team’s emergency quarterback.

Which means Ehlinger is battling for a 53-man roster spot all over again. Indianapolis has injury concerns and potential roster considerations at a handful of offensive skill positions, potentially creating a numbers crunch. Ehlinger completed 5 of 6 throws for 80 yards and an interception against Denver, adding four yards on his lone carry, but he will likely get his longest look of the preseason on Saturday night to make his case to stay on the Colts’ 53-man roster.

Matt Goncalves vs. Blake Freeland

When the Colts opened training camp, general manager Chris Ballard pointed out swing tackle as one of the position battles he’d be watching closely.

Second-year tackle Blake Freeland is the incumbent after playing more than 700 offensive snaps last season, but Ballard drafted Pittsburgh tackle Matt Goncalves in the third round of April’s draft and highlighted the rookie as a challenger to Freeland’s role.

Playing mostly right tackle, Goncalves appeared to get off to a better start than Freeland in the preseason opener, and with little reason to play starters Bernhard Raimann or Braden Smith, the spotlight falls on the battle to be the next man behind them during the regular season.

Isaiah Land and Adetomiwa Adebawore vs. the veterans

A Colts defensive line depth chart that looked impossible to crack at the beginning of training camp has loosened a little bit due to Samson Ebukam’s season-ending Achilles injury and Raekwon Davis’s lingering battle with high blood pressure.

A pair of second-year players, Land and Adebawore, seem poised to take advantage. Both of the young players are getting a chance to play special teams — a good sign for their chances of making the roster — while flashing an ability to penetrate.

Indianapolis has veterans at both spots — Genard Avery and Derek Rivers at defensive end, Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson at defensive tackle. But Land and Adebawore’s arrows seem to be pointing in the right direction, and they should get plenty of chances to cement those impressions Saturday night.

Anthony Gould on the hoof

Gould was as explosive as advertised in the preseason opener, averaging more than 27 yards per kickoff return and ripping off a 49-yard return, one of the longest under the new dynamic kickoff rules.

The thing is, the Colts think he could have been even better with a couple of technical adjustments, and Gould’s had a week of work to get better. If Gould can develop into the exciting returner he was drafted to be, Indianapolis will have a unique weapon.

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The Jason Bean show

Bean, the undrafted free agent from Kansas who has stuck at quarterback longer than the Colts expected, was one of the highlights of the second half of Sunday’s game, leading Indianapolis with 24 rushing yards and firing a 16-yard strike to Laquon Treadwell for a touchdown.

In a game where the starters might not play much, Bean’s explosive abilities as both a runner and passer offer the potential for highlights late, and another chance for Bean to prove he should stick around as a developmental option at his preferred position.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Cardinals: 8 things to watch in Colts' second preseason game