TO CLOSE

Insider Zak Keefer and host Nat Newell discuss Colts' weaknesses and what to look for before the first week.
Clark Wade / IndyStar

Andrew Luck's arm is finally pain free.(Photo: Elaine Thompson / AP)

Colts Insider Zak Keefer breaks down the depth map of the team:

quarterfinals

Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett

Both QB raved about Working closely with new coach Frank Reich, and the Colts must feel really good in this room. Luck's arm is finally painless, and at Brissett, the team believes it has one of the best backups in the league.

Run

Jordan Wilkins (30) says he's ready to "gang up and play games". (Photo: Matt Kryger / IndyStar)

Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins, Nyheim Hines, Christine Michael

Robert Turbin will return to active training after Week 4, when his suspension will be over, which will likely mean a pink card for one of these four players. But with Mack's thigh injury not looking good for the opening game of Sunday's season, the Colts must be really concerned about the group of halfbacks. Michael is not going to scare, and Wilkins and Hines are recruits. However, Wilkins, the brightest rookie, believes he is ready if he wants to play his first game in the NFL. "It's time to wrap up and play games," he said this week.

Wide receivers

T.Y. Hilton, Ryan Grant, Rogers Chester, Zach Pascal, Marcus Johnson

The problems here begin after Hilton, who had a great camp and found her relationship with Andrew Luck almost instantly. Grant looks like nothing more than a possession catcher, and Rogers plans to do most of his work in the slot machine. Pascal and Johnson, here after the Philadelphia weekend, will fight for clichés. Most likely the weakest group of the team and one of the NFL's finest reception halls.

Tight ends

Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Erik Swoope and Ryan Hewitt

The Colts must love this group. Look for Doyle and Ebron to catch a ton of balls this year, and have Swoope pick up where he left off at the end of the 2016 season.

Offensive line

Anthony Castonzo, Nelson Quenton, Ryan Kelly, Matt Slauson, Marcus Webb, Joe Haeg, Braden Smith, LeRaven Clark, Denzelle Good, Mark Glowinski

A unit that needed to be significantly strengthened during the off season enters the first week with major question marks, especially at the attack points. Anthony Castonzo had not practiced in a month before this week, and there are worries about the good striker, no matter who he starts there. The good news for Andrew Luck? The middle of the pocket must be cleaner than it has been in years. Thank you Ryan Kelly and Quenton Nelson.

Defensive line

Jabaal Sheard, Denico Autry, Al Woods, Kemoko Turay, Tarell Basham, Hassan Ridgeway, Grover Delegate, Margus Hunt, Al-Quadin Muhammad

This group is not as good as a week ago, while John Simon was still on the list. But the Colts take their plan into account and respect the physical prototypes they want at each position. Turay, Rutgers' raw rookie, will have his shot. He has worked long hours in recent weeks, sometimes watching the film with passionate guru Robert Mathis at dawn. We expect so much from this group in the new defensive scheme; the race for the passage will be vital.

linebackers

Darius Leonard, Skai Moore, Najee Goode, Anthony Walker, Franklin Zaire, Matthew Adams

The youngest group of the team and perhaps the most disturbing. There are advantages, of course – see: Darius Leonard's band – but it is certain that this band will take its pieces. "We are going to be extremely young inside the line," said general manager Chris Ballard over the weekend. "But I love their talent. They need to play. They need to play and they need to act live and that's how they will improve. "

The turns

Cornerback Quincy Wilson played in the pre-season games. (Photo: Matt Kryger / IndyStar)

Kenny Moore, Pierre Désir, Quincy Wilson, Nate Hairston, Chris Milton

A young, unproven group that, just like the linebackers, Ballard wants to see grow in the system. Wilson is perhaps the most confusing: after a rough training camp, he participated in pre-season games. Like the others, he will have to deliver his races in a consistent way, because the opposing quarters will not be afraid to throw them. A stronger pressure falls on them if the race for the pass does not take place.

Security

Clayton Geathers, Malik Hooker, Matthias Farley, George Odum, Corey Moore

Look for Geathers to do great things in 2018, and return to the punitive form that made him such an attractive talent earlier in his career. Then there is Hooker, the game changer who has already returned from ripping an ACL 10 months ago, looking to start his career with flying colors.

specialists

Adam Vinatieri, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes

Vinatieri, 45, shows no signs of slipping, and Sanchez was a bright hope in a difficult season in 2017.

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