Colts mailbag: Who makes it out of the TE room? How much will Anthony Richardson play in preseason?

WESTFIELD − We're officially nine practices into Colts training camp, which means we've pushed past the midway point. But it feels like it's gone on far longer than that.

Two competing storylines have dominated this camp, with Jonathan Taylor's contract standoff and injury status and Anthony Richardson's progress.

It's made up most of my writing so far, and I encourage you to check out this deep dive into the Taylor situation and whether a perfect marriage can avoid a messy divorce.

But the Colts have a new coach and almost a hundred other players trying to make progress this summer, and you have questions on some of them. So let's get to them:

Question: "Who looks like they will make it out of the tight end group?" -- Jared G. via Twitter

Answer: This has been the most interesting position group to track because of how many similar options they have -- and we know they'll factor into the pass and run games, though how exactly is the mystery.

I see two roster locks at the position at this moment: Jelani Woods and Drew Ogletree. Woods is the one real investment here as a second-round pick, and he really flashed last season with 12.5 yards per catch and 16 first downs. Ogletree is a player the Colts front office has loved since they found him in the sixth round last year, and the player we've seen in practice looks like perhaps the best option to be a two-way tight end this year.

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I think the Colts will keep one of Mo Alie-Cox or Pharaoh Brown as the blocking-specific option. Alie-Cox has the edge due to his leadership in the room, but we need the physicality of joint practices and preseason games to bring real separation.

If the Colts carry four tight ends like they did last year, that likely means one of Kylen Granson or fifth-round Miami product Will Mallory will earn the final spot. Mallory is the newer investment, but he's missed most of training camp with various injuries. Granson is more trustworthy as a "move" tight end option for this season. I think if they like both, they'll keep both since this year is becoming all about giving tryout opportunities to earn roles for 2024 and beyond.

Question: "Thoughts on (Kareem) Hunt coming to Indy?" -- Charles Henline via Twitter

Answer: So, Kareem Hunt is set to visit with the Colts on Wednesday, as a source confirmed to my IndyStar colleague, Joel Erickson. It's just an idea at this point, as Hunt also just visited the Saints. It's possible he has a deal with one of them by the time you're reading this.

The Colts have to keep kicking the tires on running backs right now given that, as of Tuesday's practice, they were without their top three options. Jonathan Taylor's future status is hard to read, and that's true for us as well as the Colts. Zack Moss will be out for at least the rest of the preseason with a broken arm. We still need an update on Deon Jackson, who was seeing steady work before missing Tuesday.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Jonathan Taylor and the Colts were a perfect marriage. Can they avoid a messy divorce?

There's a reason the Colts signed Kenyan Drake and are now looking at Hunt. These are two experienced options who have proven abilities on third downs. Indianapolis was counting on Moss to be its top pass protector, which obviously matters plenty with a rookie quarterback. Expecting a rookie like Evan Hull to do it could be dangerous, and Jackson is best used on third downs as a receiver.

Hunt is 28 and coming off his least efficient season with 3.8 yards per carry in a Browns offense where Nick Chubb averaged 5.0 yards. Hunt did play 17 games last season, but he also averaged a career-worst 4.8 yards per target last season, playing mostly with Jacoby Brissett.

The Colts would love to lead the league in rushing attempts this season in order to put Richardson and their offensive line in the best positions to succeed. They simply need bodies to be able to do it, and it helps to have ones with a track record of some degree. But I wouldn't look at Hunt or Drake as high-upside, long-term answers. At best, if Taylor isn't here, they could split carries with Moss in a committee backfield.

Question: "How has the safety group looked? Extremely young but we need them to be ready now." -- Tyler Johnson via Twitter

Answer: They are very young. That's true when Julian Blackmon is healthy and starting at strong safety, and it's been especially true as he's missed all of training camp with a lingering hamstring injury.

It's hard to speak on the potential of the group until Blackmon is out there, because Rodney McLeod filled that strong safety position so well last year and his voice was key to making the coverage cohesive once he took the job. That will be Blackmon's strength, but he needs practice time in that role and with these younger players around him in order to reach the same bar.

But his absence has given Nick Cross a chance to shine. Cross has been fast and physical, just like his scouting report suggested as a third-round pick out of Maryland last year. He's broken up passes and laid the wood on run stops. He's also cross-training at free safety and seeing some nickel reps with Kenny Moore II hurt. Cross needs to prove he can carry this into the games this year, but he's been one of the bright spots so far.

Rodney Thomas II is dealing with a toe injury at the moment, but I don't worry too much about him. For being a seventh-round pick last year, he just fit like a shoe into the single-high role as a steady tackler and patient defender off the ball. The next steps for him are to add the versatility to rotate spots with Blackmon and Cross at times and to be a little more aggressive as a hitter.

The injuries have opened the door for Marcel Dabo and Trevor Denbow to see some more action. Dabo looks a little more natural in his second year in the international pathway program, but I think the Colts will be best developing these two players behind the scenes some more. That's where Blackmon's health and Cross' ascension are key. The Colts will be very young at outside cornerback, so they need the back end as diverse and secure as possible.

Question: "How much do you think Anthony Richardson will/should play in the preseason games?" -- Rob Fleming via Twitter

Answer: This is hard to pin down because Shane Steichen has been evasive on the topic, and he's also continued to rotate first-team reps between Richardson and Gardner Minshew. But we know that Richardson needs live reps, and to see it in a game environment against a different opponent is a step in that growth process.

The Colts have joint practices against the Eagles and Bears heading into the other two preseason games, and those practices tend to be physical enough that they limit the starters' availability for the games. So, I think there's a chance that Saturday against Buffalo is the most single-game action we see out of Richardson. Given that the Colts coaching staff knows what Minshew is already, I would think it's enough action to let Richardson build off one drive to the next without playing so much that he risks injury without the stable of running backs to keep his life easy at the moment.

"You don’t want to take their natural playmaking ability away," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "You don’t want to invite caution into their head but you also want them to have an understating of the situation and the stakes and what we’re all looking at here when we’re talking about a preseason game."

Question: "What's your workout plan?" -- Kyle Neddenriep via Twitter

Answer: So, the mailbag is usually reserved for readers and not coworkers here at the IndyStar. But training camp can get long and dry, and this ongoing joke with colleagues has made this year's feel just a tad lighter.

If you need the context, general manager Chris Ballard took notice of the shape I arrived in at training camp. I told him he there's no chance he'll be saying that about me when we talk in January, after a season of eating lots, sleeping less and road trips, including one to Germany. We will not be taking before and after photos of this season.

It was a funny moment, and it's one of the examples of what makes Ballard fun to cover. He's not afraid to rib us and break that fourth wall sometimes. And if he's reading this and is looking for another cornerback to sign, I did play a little at Ashland High School back in the day. Just please forget that I'm 5-9 and turning 32.

(If anyone's looking to chase the best shape of their lives, this plan is a good place to start.)

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts mailbag: Who makes the roster out of the tight end room?