Erik Swoope‘s tenure with the Colts has come to an end. Adam Caplan tweets that Indy has waived the tight end. Defensive tackle Jihad Ward has been promoted from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
The Colts were hoping they landed the next Jimmy Graham or Antonio Gates when they signed the undrafted free agent back in 2014. Up to that point, Swoope had never played organized football, but the six-foot-five forward did play 110 games for the Miami Hurricanes basketball team over four seasons.
After appearing in only a single game as a rookie, Swoope proceeded to play in 16 games (four starts) in 2015, hauling in 15 catches for 297 yards and one touchdown. However, he sat out all of the 2017 campaign after undergoing minor knee surgery, and he found himself behind Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron on the depth chart heading into 2018. With Ryan Hewitt on the roster and Ross Travis sitting on IR, the Colts decided it was time to move on from the 26-year-old.
Ward, a second-round pick by the Raiders back in 2016, was traded to the Cowboys back in April. However, he failed to make the roster, and he caught on with the Colts practice squad earlier this month. The 24-year-old showed promise as a rookie, compiling 30 tackles in 16 games (13 starts). Unfortunately, a foot injury limited him to only five games last season.