HEADLINES

Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 13th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two different teams have held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive years since 2017. Amid a radical rebuild effort, the Browns carried the top pick into the 2017 and ’18 drafts. The Jaguars did the same in 2021 and ’22. It is possible the Bears will follow that up in back-to-back years. The big difference here would be the Bears traded the 2023 top choice and may unload the 2024 top pick for another windfall, depending on their evaluation of Justin Fields.

The Bears and Panthers’ March trade, giving Carolina access to Bryce Young, has become a seminal moment for both teams. As it stands now, Chicago holds two top-five picks. The Panthers are 1-12, giving the Bears a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the top slot with four games left. Chicago finishing with the first overall selection, providing access to the quarterback of its choice, would create a big-picture decision for a Bears team that already passed on the 2023 quarterback class to stick with Fields — a QB the Ryan Poles regime did not draft. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has declared for the draft, while USC’s Caleb Williams is widely expected to follow suit.

A new Cardinals regime is also evaluating its QB, though Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year contract (which runs through 2028) will be much harder to escape compared to Fields’. This creates an interesting scenario that will have teams who do not land two-two draft slots monitoring how Chicago and Arizona proceed. The Patriots are widely expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, and they are likely to do so without Bill Belichick.

With gridlock forming in the AFC and NFC wild-card races, considerable movement will take place over the next month. The winner of the NFC South will likely lose several spots in the ’24 draft, as the Buccaneers did this year by winning the ’22 division title at 8-9. Here is how the draft order looks going into Week 15:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. New England Patriots: 3-10
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-10
  4. Washington Commanders: 4-9
  5. Chicago Bears: 5-8
  6. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-8
  7. New York Jets: 5-8
  8. New York Giants: 5-8
  9. Tennessee Titans: 5-8
  10. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-8
  11. Atlanta Falcons: 6-7
  12. New Orleans Saints: 6-7
  13. Seattle Seahawks: 6-7
  14. Los Angeles Rams: 6-7
  15. Denver Broncos: 7-6
  16. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  17. Buffalo Bills: 7-6
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 7-6
  19. Green Bay Packers: 6-7
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-7
  21. Indianapolis Colts: 7-6
  22. Minnesota Vikings: 7-6
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-6
  24. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-5
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-5
  27. Detroit Lions: 9-4
  28. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-3
  29. Miami Dolphins: 9-4
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 10-3
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 10-3
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 10-3

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/23

December 11th, 2023 at 8:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

P.J. Walker has landed back on the Browns practice squad after getting cut from the active roster this past weekend. After spending the offseason with the Bears, Walker caught on with the Browns practice squad to begin the 2023 campaign. He ended up starting a pair of games for Cleveland, including a win over the 49ers. However, his one touchdown vs. five interceptions didn’t spark much optimism, and with Walker firmly behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco on the depth chart, the QB was demoted to the practice squad.

The former UDFA out of Temple spent the previous three seasons with the Panthers, starting seven of his 15 appearances. In 17 career games, Walker has completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 2,135 yards, six touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He’s gone 5-4 in his nine career starts.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/23

December 9th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves and callups heading into the Week 14 slate of Sunday games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There was some thought that Ammendola’s stint with the Texans had come to an end after four appearances. However, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes that regular starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn still isn’t ready to return from his strained quadriceps, requiring the practice squad kicker to step in for at least another week. Ammendola has connected on six of his nine field goal attempts and all 10 of his XP tries this season.

With Trevor Lawrence a game-time decision for Sunday’s game, the Jaguars are adding some QB depth to the active roster. Rourke is a former CFL standout, with the quarterback earning the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022. Following that breakout, 25-touchdown campaign, Rourke got a look from a number of NFL teams and ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars this past offseason. He was waived at the end of the preseason and has spent the majority of the season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, the rookie will be the emergency QB3 for Week 14.

Similarly, the Seahawks will call up Mannion and O’Connell as they deal with injuries to starting quarterback Geno Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Smith is questionable heading into tomorrow’s game with a groin injury.

Stewart is back on the Colts active roster after having served a six-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Through six games this season, the veteran has compiled 20 tackles, two stops for a loss, and five QB hits.

Crosby is set to make his 2023 debut and make an appearance for a team other than the Packers for the first time since the 39-year-old was drafted back in 2007.

Schweitzer head right back to injured reserve after being activated last week. The Jets signed a lineman to the active roster from the practice squad and elevated one for tomorrow’s game to add some depth at the position.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/23

December 7th, 2023 at 7:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

As expected, Tyrion Davis-Price has landed back with the 49ers after getting cut by the big-league club earlier this week. The 2022 third-round pick has seen time in just one game for San Francisco this season, collecting 21 yards from scrimmage on six touches. He appeared in six games as a rookie, collecting 99 rushing yards. He’ll join Jeremy McNichols as the 49ers’ practice-squad options at RB.

Colts DE Al-Quadin Muhammad Receives PED Suspension

December 6th, 2023 at 6:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The Colts will not have practice squad defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad available for the remainder of the regular season after the veteran defender received a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The suspension will be without pay for Muhammad, according to Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports, and, with only five games remaining in the regular season, his absence will either bleed over into the team’s first playoff game or the first game of the 2024 NFL season if the team misses the postseason and Muhammad finds himself under contract next year.

This is the second time a Colts defensive lineman has been subject to a six-game PED suspension after defensive tackle Grover Stewart served the same punishment back in October. Stewart claimed at the time that he had unknowingly taken the banned substance but took responsibility for the mistake, nonetheless.

Muhammad is a seven-year veteran dating back to his rookie days in New Orleans. He was waived after his first year with the Saints and signed the next day by the Colts. In Indianapolis, Muhammad first found his role in the NFL. Over his four years with the team, Muhammad started 25 games, including every contest of the 2021 season. During that campaign two years ago, Muhammad set career-highs in sacks (6.0), total tackles (48), and quarterback hits (13).

Following his full year as a starter, Muhammad signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the Bears. After starting the first nine games of his tenure in Chicago, Muhammad took a backseat to then-rookie fifth-round pick Dominique Robinson. Despite losing the starting job, Muhammad still played a large role in the rotation, often playing more defensive snaps than Robinson. After the season ended, the Bears made the cost-cutting move to release Muhammad and free up a bit more cap space. Since then, Muhammad has returned to Indianapolis, signing to the team’s practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster.

Though he’s never been forced to miss time as a pro, this is not Muhammad’s first suspension. As a sophomore at the University of Miami, Muhammad was given a season-long suspension after his participation in an altercation with his former roommate at the team’s Spring Game. After coming back for an impressive 2014 season that saw him record five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, Muhammad received his second suspension for his role in a luxury rental car scandal that violated the NCAA rules at that time in college football history. He was eventually dismissed from the program and, despite having only played in 17 games as a Hurricane, was selected by the Saints in the sixth-round of the NFL Draft.

As a member of the Colts’ practice squad this year, Muhammad has failed to see any in-season game action. Set to turn 29 years old in the offseason, Muhammad is not doing himself any favors in his efforts to return to the field. He’ll miss the first full regular season in his career, and unless he finds himself getting called up as a practice squad elevation in the Colts’ hypothetical second playoff game, he’ll go a calendar year and a half without appearing in an NFL game. Muhammad faces an uphill battle when it comes to continuing his NFL career post-suspension.

Latest On Colts RB Jonathan Taylor

December 6th, 2023 at 2:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Just as Jonathan Taylor had ramped up to a level reminding of his pre-injury version, the recently extended running back needed another shutdown period. Taylor underwent thumb surgery last week, and the Colts do not appear to be expecting him back too soon.

Although Taylor played through the injury to close out the Colts’ Week 12 game, the former rushing champion’s issue was serious enough it required an immediate procedure. Taylor suffered a torn UCL in his thumb, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who details the nature of the setback. The fourth-year back tore the ligament off the thumb’s base. The damage also affected a tendon in Taylor’s hand, with surgery the only way to correct this issue.

Had Taylor gone in for a standard surgery to address the UCL tear, he would have faced a months-long recovery. Instead, Rapoport adds an internal brace procedure — one that stands to allow a late-season comeback — became the plan of attack. The internal brace procedure, which Drew Brees underwent in 2019, presents Taylor with a three- to five-week recovery timetable. The Colts do not plan to place Taylor on IR while he recovers, which allows him to avoid a mandatory four-game absence.

When Taylor went under the knife in Los Angeles, the Colts hoped to have him back in two or three weeks. The three- to five-week timetable would stand to sideline Taylor in Week 15 as well. While a minimum three-week hiatus may be more damaging to fantasy GMs than the Colts, given Zack Moss‘ production in extended relief this season, Indianapolis does have two games against fellow AFC playoff contenders — being set to play the Bengals — over the next two weeks.

Taylor, 24, did well to secure guaranteed money when he could, having now experienced ankle and thumb ailments that required surgeries. While the journey to reach that extension led the Colts and their starting running back to a strange place from which an escape once seemed difficult to envision, Taylor signed a three-year, $42MM deal in October — before coming off the reserve/PUP list. The 2021 All-Pro received $19.3MM fully guaranteed, while an additional $7.2MM will come his way in 2024. That additional $7.2MM — part of Taylor’s 2025 salary — shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2024 league year.

Prior to last year’s ankle injury, Taylor rolled through his Wisconsin tenure and first two Indianapolis seasons without a notable injury. The Colts acquired Moss in the Nyheim Hines trade last year, and the ex-Bills second-rounder has played exceedingly well in his contract year. While lacking Taylor’s top-end skillset, Moss boasts a better yards-per-carry number (4.5) to the Colts’ preferred starter (4.1) this season. Moss’ 723 rushing yards rank 11th this season.

Taylor’s deal will allow him to avoid a 2024 franchise tag or a trip to what could be a crowded free agent market. Moss joins Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler and D’Andre Swift as notable backs in contract years.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/23

December 4th, 2023 at 8:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Designated to return from IR: LB Malik Hamm

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): DB David Long

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Promoted: TE Josh Pederson

New York Giants

While the Giants haven’t activated Tyrod Taylor, the veteran QB is expected to be back on the active roster next Monday. In preparation, the team has moved on from Matt Barkley, who has been serving as the backup to Tommy DeVito since Daniel Jones went down with an injury. Barkley hasn’t seen the field for a regular season game since 2020, when he got into five games with the Bills.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/23

December 2nd, 2023 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s gameday callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Chiefs have ruled out running back Jerick McKinnon for tomorrow’s game against the Packers, necessitating some extra depth at the position. The team will turn to Prince, an undrafted free agent who has spent the entire season on Kansas City’s practice squad. Prince had a breakout season at Tulsa in 2022, finishing with 813 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.

Winfrey, a 2022 fourth-round pick, was cut by the Browns last July after being investigated for pulling a gun on a woman. He joined the Jets practice squad in early November and will finally earn his first promotion of the season. Winfrey got into 13 games for Cleveland last year, collecting 22 tackles and 0.5 sacks.

At age 36, Irvin will be making his debut for a sixth NFL team. The veteran pass rusher signed with Detroit midway through November and will finally have a chance to extend his streak of regular season appearances to 12 straight years. The only absence on the Lions’ front-seven will be linebacker Alex Anzalone, so Detroit may be looking to stand Irvin up to help the team’s depth at linebacker.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/1/23

December 1st, 2023 at 6:57pm CST by Ely Allen

December’s first practice squad adjustments:

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Hamler reportedly had joined the Colts’ practice squad at full health after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle and taking time away from football to deal with pericarditis, a heart condition that didn’t require surgery but did necessitate medication. Despite being seemingly healthy at the time of his signing, Hamler has yet to be elevated for an in-game appearance in 2023 and is now headed to the practice squad’s injured reserve. It’s unclear if this newest transaction has anything to do with the 24-year-old’s previous health issues.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 1st, 2023 at 1:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Week 13 underway, the picture at the top of the NFL draft board continues to become clearer. Plenty is yet to be determined with respect to the top of the order, however.

The Panthers’ ongoing struggles led to Frank Reich‘s firing, but the Bears own Carolina’s top pick this year due to the 2023 swap which landed Bryce Young via the No. 1 selection. Chicago being able to have the top pick once again – coupled with their own selection landing in the top-10 – would make the Bears a team to watch closely come April. The race for the top two or three slots (and, as such, the ability to draft QBs Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, along with wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.) will also be a key late-season storyline for the Cardinals and Patriots.

The Commanders have lost three straight games, overshadowing a promising season from first-year starter Sam Howell. After deciding to move on from defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat at the trade deadline, the team’s defense has continued to struggle. DC Jack Del Rio is out as a result, and head coach Ron Rivera‘s position is not believed to be on strong footing. A top-five pick could make the job in Washington more attractive presuming a opening arises this offseason.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Arizona Cardinals: 2-10
  3. New England Patriots: 2-9
  4. Chicago Bears: 4-8
  5. Washington Commanders: 4-8
  6. New York Giants: 4-8
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-7
  8. New York Jets: 4-7
  9. Los Angeles Chargers: 4-7
  10. Tennessee Titans: 4-7
  11. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7
  12. New Orleans Saints: 5-6
  13. Green Bay Packers: 5-6
  14. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  15. Cincinnati Bengals: 5-6
  16. Buffalo Bills: 6-6
  17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  18. Denver Broncos: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 5-6
  20. Minnesota Vikings: 6-6
  21. Seattle Seahawks: 6-6
  22. Indianapolis Colts: 6-5
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-4
  24. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  25. Miami Dolphins: 8-3
  26. Detroit Lions: 8-3
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-3
  28. Dallas Cowboys: 9-3
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-3
  30. San Francisco 49ers: 8-3
  31. Baltimore Ravens: 9-3
  32. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-1
Load More Posts