AFC South Notes: Colts, Davis, Titans, Texans

Three teams discussed trading for former Colts cornerback Vontae Davis in advance of last week’s deadline, but it’s unclear if Indianapolis ever received a formal offer, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Davis, of course, was released earlier today following reports that he’s likely to undergo season-ending groin surgery. Any team interested in acquiring Davis would have had to not only factor in Davis’ injury, but the fact that he’s played extremely poorly when on the field (No. 94 CB among 117 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus). Plus, a club that picked up Davis would have been responsible for his remaining $4.5MM in base salary, a hefty total for a player who is no longer a star.

Here’s more from the AFC South:

• The release of Davis removed a potential distraction for the Colts for the rest of the season, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. Indianapolis had no plans to re-sign Davis after the season, and given that he was entering the final year of his contract, Davis won’t affect the club’s cap space going forward. The Colts likely would have had to continue answering questions about Davis as the year progressed, but the team’s defensive back room is now a clean state.
• The Titans will next week discuss whether to activate wide Harry Douglas and/or linebacker Aaron Wallace from injured reserve, tweets Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com. NFL clubs are now allowed to bring two players off IR, so Tennessee will be able to see both players return to the field in 2017 if it so chooses. Douglas would become the Titans’ fourth or fifth wideout if activated, but Wallace could potentially play a role down the stretch, as Tennessee currently ranks as a bottom-five team in adjusted sack rate.
• Speaking of returning from injured reserve, Colts tight end Erik Swoope hopes to do just that in the near future, reports Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), who reports Swoope returned to practice on Wednesday. Swoope, a collegiate basketball player, has managed only 15 receptions since entering the NFL in 2014, but the Colts don’t have much at tight end behind starter Jack Doyle. Swoope could hypothetically carve out a role at the expense of backups Brandon Williams or Darrell Daniels.
• Given that head coach Bill O’Brien has claimed that wins — and not off-field events — are the primary driver for the Texans, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick makes “football sense” for the Texans, opines Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. While O’Brien noted that Kaepernick “hasn’t played football in awhile,” recent signee Josh Johnson has attempted a pass since 2011, which would seem to render O’Brien’s argument moot.