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Indianapolis Colts' 53-man roster projection: Who will be Carson Wentz's top backup?

Who will the Indianapolis Colts turn to if Carson Wentz (2) has yet to fully recover from foot surgery by Week 1? AP Photo/Michael Conroy

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts open the 2021 NFL regular season versus the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 12 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts finished 2020 with a 12-5 record, tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South, before losing a wild-card game to the Buffalo Bills.

Injuries were the theme of the Colts' training camp. Carson Wentz, Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard all missed time during with lower leg injuries. But they're all back and heading in the right direction to be on the field for their Week 1 game against the Seattle in Week 1.

Coming off just their second playoff appearance since 2014, the Colts hope Wentz will stop the revolving door at quarterback. He is replacing the retired Philip Rivers, who replaced the ineffective Jacoby Brissett, who replaced the retired Andrew Luck, who returned after missing the 2017 season.

The Colts didn't have a hectic offseason signing outside players. Instead, they re-signed many of their own players, like running back Marlon Mack, receiver T.Y. Hilton and cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie while letting starters Anthony Walker, Denico Autry and Justin Houston depart.

Here is a 53-man roster projection:


QUARTERBACK (2): Carson Wentz, Jacob Eason

Wentz will be the Colts fifth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons for the Colts. He caused some uneasiness when he suffered a foot injury on the second day of training camp that was supposed to keep him out anywhere from five to 12 weeks. Wentz missed only three weeks before returning to practice, and he is on pace to be the starter in Week 1.