INDIANAPOLIS — Time is starting to run short for the Colts.

One critical week remains in the battle for spots on the 53-man roster, a week filled with a joint practice against the Bengals and then the final preseason game in Cincinnati on Thursday, a game where the Indianapolis starters are expected to play a significant amount of time.

With that in mind, the picture should crystallize after Cincinnati, but there were a few missed opportunities by players on the bubble in a week spent squaring off against the Cardinals.

Colts news: Position battles on display as Colts beat Cardinals in preseason game

Quarterbacks (2)

Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco

Indianapolis is counting on Richardson to take this team to the next level by providing the explosiveness the offense lacked once the young quarterback went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. The Colts believe deeply in coach Shane Steichen's ability to maximize Richardson's strengths and take this offense to the next level. If Richardson is forced to miss time, Flacco will be more likely to push the ball downfield than last year's backup, Gardner Minshew, although the trade-off will likely be a few more interceptions. Ehlinger should have a place as the team's emergency quarterback, but the NFL's rules now allow the emergency quarterback to come from the practice squad, and injury issues at other offensive positions could force the Colts to try to sneak him through to the practice squad.

Running backs (4)

Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, Evan Hull

The fact that the Colts did not add a running back to replace Zack Moss as the backup to Taylor is somewhat surprising, but a healthy Taylor would get the lion's share of the carries. Sermon suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason opener that could shake up the mix, and it might convince the Colts to keep both Goodson and Hull, who have each built momentum since the training camp schedule turned to preseason games and joint practices, on the 53-man roster.

Wide receivers (6)

Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould

Indianapolis is counting on Pittman and Downs to reliably provide the volume every offense needs, and although Downs will likely miss the rest of training camp with a high ankle sprain, the injury shouldn't linger too long into the regular season. The Colts want to get more explosive in the passing game, and that burden falls on the legs and shoulders of Pierce and Mitchell, a pair of raw second-round picks who have the speed and length to make plays down the field. Dulin makes the roster because of his do-it-all versatility as a special teamer and blocker, and Gould has shown potential as a return man in the preseason.

Tight ends (4)

Kylen Granson, Will Mallory, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree

Former third-round pick Jelani Woods remains a surprising potential cut, but a toe injury suffered in Saturday's preseason game against the Cardinals cost Woods another chance to make the kind of plays Indianapolis expected when the Colts drafted him. Granson and Mallory will share the chief receiving duties, while Alie-Cox and Ogletree carry the blocking load.

Offensive linemen (9)

Center: Ryan Kelly, Tanor Bortolini; Guards: Quenton Nelson, Will Fries, Dalton Tucker; Tackles: Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith, Blake Freeland, Matt Goncalves

All five starters return from a group that deserves the lion's share of the credit for the way the offense played in Shane Steichen's first season, but general manager Chris Ballard used the 2024 draft to upgrade the unit's depth and set it up for the future. Kelly and Fries will be free agents after the season; taking Goncalves and Bortolini in the middle rounds gave the Colts players who might be able to take over for those two down the line, and the selection of Bortolini proved prescient when returning backup Wesley French was lost to season-ending ankle surgery. Freeland has struggled in the preseason, but he has history as the team's swing tackle, and the Colts would probably like to keep four tackles on the roster.

Defensive linemen (9)

Defensive ends: Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Isaiah Land; Defensive tackles: DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan

Indianapolis is betting big that the addition of Latu is the finishing piece for this unit, a group that piled up 51 sacks in 2023, but the front four have been hit hard by injury and illness early in training camp. Defensive end Samson Ebukam, the team's leader in sacks last year, will miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon, and free-agent prize Raekwon Davis has not practiced in training camp yet due to a blood pressure issue. With those two players out of the mix, Land and Adebawore have turned in impressive preseasons, both players establishing an ability to get to the quarterback.

Linebackers (5)

Middle: Zaire Franklin, Segun Olubi, Grant Stuard; Weak: E.J. Speed, Jaylon Carlies

The Colts did not draft a linebacker until the fifth round, putting a premium on Franklin and Speed to stay healthy. Carlies looks like the team's No. 3 linebacker, capable of playing the weak side when offenses go to heavy personnel, and he's back on the field after missing a couple of weeks due to a hip injury. Olubi has played that role the past week, and Stuard is a key special teamer.

Cornerbacks (6)

Kenny Moore II, JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones, Dallis Flowers, Jaylin Simpson, Darrell Baker Jr.

Indianapolis is betting heavily on the development of its trio of young outside cornerbacks, counting on Jones to take the next step, Brents to shake off the injury bug that plagued him last season and Flowers to recover fully from the Achilles tear that ended a season that was supposed to be his breakout. Brents and Jones appear to be the starters; Flowers hasn't regained his form yet. The picture beyond the front four is muddled; Indianapolis has seen promise in its two draft picks, Jaylin Simpson and Micah Abraham, but the Colts aren't giving the rookies front-line snaps on special teams yet.

Safeties (5)

Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas II, Ronnie Harrison, Trevor Denbow

Blackmon is coming off a career year, a season where he was the secondary's best playmaker. Indianapolis needs Blackmon to stay healthy and replicate that kind of production. Cross appears to be taking the lead in the race for the starting free safety job, putting together two strong performances in a row to beat out Thomas. Harrison fought his way onto the roster as a linebacker last season, but Indianapolis is playing him at strong safety this season due to lack of experienced depth.

Special teams (3)

Kicker: Matt Gay; Punter: Rigoberto Sanchez; Long snapper: Luke Rhodes

The Colts remain confident in Gay despite three misses in the first two preseason games; Sanchez's Saturday night absence to be with his infant daughter left Indianapolis with a less-than-perfect operation. The Colts are paying Gay, Sanchez and Rhodes to be consistent.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Projecting the Colts' 53-man roster with critical Cincy week looming