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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/23

August 17th, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OT Trevor Reid

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: WR Tyler Adams

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Released from IR: WR D.J. Turner

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Players placed on injured reserve during training camp or the preseason can’t be activated during the 2023 campaign. However, if they’re released from IR (often via an injury settlement), they’re free to sign and play elsewhere. For instance, Anthony Averett will surely be a player who can catch on with a new squad. The cornerback has seen time in 51 games (27 starts), collecting 114 tackles, three interceptions, and 23 passes defended. He had a career season in 2021 with the Ravens, starting all 14 of his appearances while chipping in 54 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three picks. He spent the 2022 season with the Raiders, starting six of his seven appearances while dealing with a pair of IR stints. He caught on with the 49ers earlier this month.

Among today’s signings, Davion Taylor is an intriguing addition to the Bears linebackers room. The former third-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Eagles, including a 2021 campaign where he started six of his nine appearances while compiling 41 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles. A knee injury ended that breakout campaign early, and he spent most of the 2022 season on the Eagles’ practice squad.

AFC South Notes: Clowney, Titans, Colts

August 17th, 2023 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jadeveon Clowney has made two visits but remains a free agent. Following his Ravens meeting, the former No. 1 overall pick visited the Jaguars. Not only did the Jags let Clowney leave, Doug Pederson indicated (via NFL.com’s James Palmer) the well-traveled pass rusher left Jacksonville without a contract offer. Clowney, 30, did not exactly part ways with the Browns on good terms, clashing with the team’s coaching staff during his second season as Myles Garrett‘s top sidekick. Clowney has now played for four teams, and while a return to the AFC South would strengthen the Jags’ pass rush, no deal is imminent.

The Jags lost Arden Key, who signed with the Titans, but reunited with Dawuane Smoot, who is coming off a December Achilles tear. Key’s exit will place more pressure on last year’s No. 1 pick, Travon Walker, who finished with 3.5 sacks and 10 QB hits as a rookie. Josh Allen remains Jacksonville’s pass-rushing anchor, but more will be expected of Walker. Clowney played for $8MM in 2021 and $10MM last year. The Jaguars hold a $10MM cap-space lead on the Ravens, carrying $18.4MM to Baltimore’s $8.8MM.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Although the Titans made a promotion to fill their offensive coordinator job for the third straight occasion, Tim Kelly has made some changes. The team has pivoted to the type of offense Kelly and Bill O’Brien ran in Houston, rather than the version of the Sean McVay attack Matt LaFleur brought with him back in 2018, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. “There’s a touch more freedom in his offense,” Ryan Tannehill said of the Patriots-style attack. “Being able to make adjustments on the fly, make changes at the line of scrimmage, a little more freedom within the route trees.” The Titans dropped from 17th to 30th in total offense from 2021 to 2022, helping lead to Todd Downing‘s ouster.
  • Tennessee is once again dealing with issues staffing its right tackle position, with Nicholas Petit-Frere incurring a six-game gambling suspension. The Titans also released Jamarco Jones, who was competing for the temporary fill-in gig, early in training camp. July pickup Chris Hubbard has taken over as the frontrunner to replace Petit-Frere to start the season, The Athletic’s John Rexrode notes (subscription required). Hubbard, who spent the past five years in Cleveland, has not worked as a regular starter since 2019 and has only started one game over the past two seasons. The Titans will have four new O-line starters in Week 1, and with Aaron Brewer sliding from guard to center, the team will not have any 2022 O-line starter playing the same position to open the season.
  • As the Colts transition to another coaching staff, Mo Alie-Cox‘s Colts roster spot might not be secure. The veteran tight end is vying for a blocking role against offseason signing Pharaoh Brown, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins. The Colts have Jelani Woods as a roster lock and used a fifth-round pick on Will Mallory. While Atkins notes Alie-Cox should have the upper hand on Brown, the team has some decisions to make. Kylen Granson, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is also not assured of a job in Shane Steichen‘s offense. It would cost the Colts $2.4MM in dead money to release Alie-Cox, who has been with the team since 2017.
  • The Texans are hiring former Northwestern director of player personnel Jonny Kovach as a player personnel assistant, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Multiple offers came Kovach’s way, per Wilson. Kovach had stayed on with the Big Ten program due to loyalty to Pat Fitzgerald. With Fitzgerald dismissed in the wake of the program’s hazing scandal, Kovach will make the jump to the pros.

Colts’ Ashton Dulin Tears ACL, Lands On IR

August 17th, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Sam Robinson

A backup wide receiver and special-teamer on the past four Colts teams, Ashton Dulin will not play this season. The veteran wideout suffered a torn ACL in practice, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, and will be sidelined for the year.

The Colts have already responded with a roster move. Placing Dulin on IR, the team signed wide receiver Tyler Adams. A former Butler target, Adams initially stayed in Indianapolis as a UDFA this offseason. The Colts had waived Adams in May, but after Dulin’s injury, he will join the team in training camp.

Dulin, 26, has been with the Colts since joining the team as a UDFA in 2019. Becoming a steady NFLer out of Division II Malone College (Ohio), Dulin has made three starts over the past two seasons. Injuries to higher-profile Colts pass catchers brought in Dulin, who totaled five receptions for 79 yards in a Week 2 start against the Jaguars last year. Dulin returned to his backup role the following week and finished with 15 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown in 2022.

A foot injury, one that sent Dulin to IR, impacted that total. Dulin also spent time on IR in 2020. Despite making a coaching change this year, the Colts re-signed Dulin on a two-year, $7.2MM deal. The 6-foot-1 wideout received $3.5MM guaranteed.

Indianapolis has made some adjustments at receiver this offseason. The now-Shane Steichen-led team signed Isaiah McKenzie and drafted fellow slot Josh Downs in the third round. The team also recently added Amari Rodgers, who asked for his Texans release, and signed Breshad Perriman earlier this offseason. Mike Strachan, Juwann Winfree and Vyncint Smith also reside as aspiring backups in Indianapolis.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor Leaves Camp Due To Personal Matter

August 16th, 2023 at 10:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Once again, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is away from the team this preseason. After spending about a week away from the team rehabilitating a nagging ankle injury amidst contract struggles, Taylor returned to camp just two days ago. Now, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Taylor has left camp once again, this time due to a personal matter.

Schefter’s colleague at ESPN, Stephen Holder, reported that, according to “multiple sources,” the personal matter Taylor is attending to is completely legitimate. It must be since, despite the recent disagreements over his contract, the Colts classified his absence as “excused” in a team statement, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

News isn’t likely to be released concerning the personal matter that Taylor is dealing with, but although it seemingly has nothing to do with the contract issues Taylor and the Colts face, it’s impossible not to add that context to the situation. Regardless of whether or not it was his intention, this personal matter allows Taylor to continue his holdout from team camp. He is technically not missing much anyway, as he remains on the physically unable to perform list nursing the ankle injury that hampered him throughout most of the 2022 season.

This new absence doesn’t really add any new information to the existing situation and issues. Taylor is still dealing with the ankle injury. Taylor still has concerns about his future in Indianapolis that the team seemingly has no interest in discussing. All this new absence does is prolong the inevitable conversations that will need to take place.

In the meantime, the Colts will continue rolling with Deon Jackson, Kenyan Drake, and a hampered Zack Moss through the preseason. There’s still time to work things out and get Taylor back on the field before the regular season, but with Taylor out of the building once again, it will be a bit less time.

Colts Name Anthony Richardson Starting QB

August 15th, 2023 at 10:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

After one preseason contest, the Colts have seen enough to hand over the reins of their offense to Anthony Richardson. The first-round rookie has officially been named the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback.

Richardson was the main X-factor in the 2023 draft class, having only spent one full season as a starter at the college level. He demonstrated a tantalizing combination of size and athleticism at Florida, but also struggled with accuracy and consistency in the passing game. Still, he was widely viewed as one of the top signal-callers available, and the Colts made it clear in the build-up to the draft that they were intent on securing a franchise quarterback.

That task has proven to be challenging since Andrew Luck‘s retirement, with a number of short-term veteran acquisitions not panning out as hoped. Indianapolis is going young now, though, and their decision to use the No. 4 pick on Richardson led to immediate speculation that he would see the field early and often. Owner Jim Irsay publicly opened the door to today’s decision last month when speaking about Richardson’s need for live game action to acclimate to the NFL level.

Veteran Gardner Minshew signed a one-year deal with a base value of $3.5MM in free agency. That gave the Colts a veteran insurance option and reunited Minshew with Shane Steichen, the Eagles’ former offensive coordinator. The latter is now the head coach of the Colts, and his hiring was based in part on his track record with developing young quarterbacks. Steichen will aim to guide Richardson to a career ascent similar to the one Jalen Hurts has enjoyed early in his career.

Richardson and Minshew split first-team reps at the onset of training camp, but it was the 21-year-old who started the preseason opener against the Bills. Richardson completed seven of 12 pass attempts in limited action, throwing one interception while flashing the potential he possess as a deep-ball thrower. He added seven yards on a pair of rushing attempts, likely a sign of things to come as he demonstrated an ability to produce sizable gains on the ground during his time in college.

Especially if the Jonathan Taylor situation does not reach a resolution ahead of the regular season, Richardson could find himself as a focal point of the Colts’ rushing attack in the beginning of his pro career. In any event, the latter is set to join fellow top-five draftees Bryce Young (Panthers) and C.J. Stroud (Texans) as rookies who will immediately be called into action in September.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/23

August 14th, 2023 at 9:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: DB Teez Tabor
  • Waived: S Aaron Maddox
  • Released from IR: RB Zavier Scott

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: T Chim Okorafor
  • Waived: T Jacky Chen

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Bartch started the Jaguars’ first five games last season but went down with a knee injury in October. The fourth-year veteran will give the Jags an option at left guard, where he started last season. A former fourth-round pick, Bartch also started 11 games in 2021. This marks a return for Tinker, whose NFL entrance came as a Jaguars UDFA in 2013. Tinker spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jags but did not see action in 2017, 2019 or 2020. He worked as the Seahawks’ full-time long snapper last season. Ross Matiscik has been Jacksonville’s deep snapper for the past three seasons.

Austin spent last season out of football but has 17 starts to his credit. Used as a regular Jets starter from 2019-20, Austin caught on with the Seahawks in 2021. Seattle used Austin as a backup. The young cornerback could not make the Broncos’ 53-man roster last summer. While a member of the 2022 Seahawks, Tabor converted from cornerback to safety. The former second-round pick played 10 games for the team last season.

Colts Sign S Ronnie Harrison

August 14th, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

5:07pm: Harrison has a deal in place with the Colts, according to the team. The sixth-year vet will return to the AFC South to help Indianapolis’ Blackmon-led safety corps.

8:56am: The Colts could be nearing a depth addition to their secondary. Veteran safety Ronnie Harrison is set to visit Indianapolis today, reports Jordan Schultz of the Score (Twitter link).

Harrison was a third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2018, but he only spent two seasons with the team. After playing 28 games (including 22 starts) in Jacksonville, he was dealt to Cleveland just before the 2020 campaign. That began a three-year Browns stint in which Harrison was a key contributor on the backend.

The 26-year-old started 23 contests in Cleveland, seeing the most playing time in 2021. Harrison logged a 75% snap share that season, and his play earned him a one-year re-up last April. That pact came in spite of the continued presence of Grant Delpit and John Johnson at the safety spot, and that pair ate into Harrison’s role. The latter saw a higher usage rate on special teams than defense in 2022.

Harrison has 223 tackles, five interceptions and 5.5 sacks to his name. With the exception of 2021 (where he surrendered six touchdowns as the nearest defender), the Alabama product has also generally posted strong coverage statistics. That would make him at least a solid rotational option for a Colts team which lost Rodney McLeod to the Browns in free agency.

Indianapolis has Julian Blackmon in place as a safety starter, and McLeod’s departure should open the door to 2022 third-rounder Nick Cross taking on a larger workload. Harrison would give the Colts a young trio at the position if his visit were to produce a deal, but his experience could help land him another short-team deal with the upside to be an effective addition for the team. Indianapolis currently has just over $19MM in cap space, so they could comfortably afford to take a flier on Harrison.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor Returns To Camp

August 14th, 2023 at 12:54pm CST by Ely Allen

AUGUST 14: Taylor has indeed returned to camp, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). He is not being activated from the PUP list, and the trade request remains in place, but the disgruntled back is at least on-site in case a resolution to his situation can be found in the near future.

AUGUST 13: The NFL’s 2021 leading rusher has been away from the Colts’ training camp as he rehabilitates his ankle. According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, the team expects star running back Jonathan Taylor to return to camp this week. The ankle recovery combined with contract disputes that have been extremely public lead to a number of questions about what his return means moving forward.

Taylor has been away from the team now for almost a week, nursing the ankle injury that hampered most of his 2022 season. He missed six games last year due to the injury and failed to reach 1,000 rushing yards or double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his career. The team had placed him on the physically unable to perform list, so there is no penalty for his being away from the team, but most teams would prefer their injured players heal under the watchful eye of their own doctors.

The injury absence has served double duty for Taylor, allowing him to essentially hold out from training camp amidst the contract issues he’s been attempting to work through. Seeing the writing on the wall with how running backs have fared on the market this offseason, Taylor attempted to get ahead of things and start conversations towards his second contract. Soon after, owner Jim Irsay made it clear that the front office wasn’t at the point of considering that idea, shortly after making some concerning remarks about the running back group’s efforts to combat their falling value.

This led to Taylor requesting a trade, likely hoping to go to a team that is willing to start discussions towards an eventual extension. Again, Irsay vocalized that the franchise was not open to this idea, but the Colts didn’t seem to entirely dismiss the possibility as teams began to show interest. The situation was unresolved and seemingly a bit hostile as Taylor left camp, so what exactly is a return to camp going to look like for Taylor?

First off, we don’t know exactly when this return would come. New head coach Shane Steichen was the one who confirmed the team’s expectations, telling the media, “He should be back this week. Do I know the exact date he’ll be back? No, but he should be back.”

Secondly, even when he does return, he’s still on the PUP list. He will have to pass a physical with the team’s medical staff in order to be activated off of the list and return to the field for full participation. A source told ESPN that Taylor “has consistently made his intention clear to the team that he’ll return to the field when he is 100% healthy,” but given the lack of any sort of resolution in the contractual matters, it’s easy to wonder about the veracity of that claim.

Taylor’s ankle rehab has been a useful tool in his ability to dictate the flow of the contract conversation. If he returns fully-healed, he’ll be subject to the requirements of the CBA, which would penalize him for any further missed time, neutralizing that advantage. Regardless, the situation, which has been at a standstill for weeks, has to move forward at some point. It will be an intriguing situation to watch for this week as we wait to see how things unfold.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/23

August 11th, 2023 at 6:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves made around the league today:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

  • Released from IR with injury settlement: WR Jeff Smith

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/23

August 10th, 2023 at 6:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived/injured: WR Makai Polk

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Following the addition of Shelby Harris, the Browns decided to let go of another defensive lineman. Michael Dwumfour got into nine games with the Texans and 49ers last season, compiling eight tackles. He joined the Browns earlier this offseason.

Logan Stenberg was a fourth-round pick by the Lions back in 2020. He saw a larger role in each of his three seasons with the organization, culminating in a 2022 season where he got into 16 games with four starts. The lineman also had a role on special teams in three seasons in Detroit, so there’s a chance he finds another gig elsewhere.

Players waived or released from IR often agree to an injury settlement with their team. Their previous placement on IR would have prevented them from seeing the field during the 2023 campaign; now that they’ve been released, they can sign elsewhere and play this season.

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