Here are the latest moves from around the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
DeForest Buckner sustained an ankle injury against the Packers, and the Colts will not have their top defensive lineman available for a while. Buckner will head to IR.
This marks a change of pace for the durable defensive tackle, who entered this season having missed all of two games since his 2016 rookie season. A Monday report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicated X-rays revealed Buckner suffered a sprained ankle that was not considered serious, and while the Pro Bowler’s season is not in jeopardy, he is out for at least four games.
An MRI affected this situation, Rapoport adds. The Colts signed defensive end Genard Avery to their active roster and added D-tackle Adam Gotsis to the practice squad. Indianapolis also signed cornerback Gregory Junior and defensive end Titus Leo to the practice squad, releasing D-tackle McTelvin Agim and corner Ameer Speed from the P-squad.
Buckner, 30, has rewarded the Colts for the trade they made with the 49ers four years ago. As San Francisco determined second contracts for both Buckner and Arik Armstead were not viable, the team dealt the former to Indianapolis for a 2020 first-round pick. While the 49ers did not do well to replace Buckner with that choice (Javon Kinlaw), the Colts enjoyed consistent production from the 2016 first-round pick. Buckner has made three Pro Bowls as a Colt, ascending to first-team All-Pro status in 2020 as well.
The Colts have seen Buckner spearhead their pass rush, with UFA addition Samson Ebukam and recent draftees Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo coming along to help the cause last season. Buckner has 1.5 sacks this year, though the Colts are 0-2. Replacing the ninth-year standout will be a tall order, as the team has not needed to play without him much. Buckner played through a UCL tear in his left elbow in 2022 and signed an extension (two years, $46MM, $43.25MM guaranteed) this offseason.
Indy re-signed nose tackle Grover Stewart and hybrid D-lineman Tyquan Lewis this offseason. The team also re-signed Taven Bryan and added former Dolphins DT Raekwon Davis. Buckner’s presence, however, has helped the team’s pass rush on the whole. With Ebukam out with a torn Achilles, the Colts look set for an uphill battle. They can activate Buckner in Week 7.
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.
Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.
Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.
The Colts have gotten down to the 53 players who will start the year on the active roster. Here are the players who won’t:
The Colts made a number of tough decisions to close our the initial active roster. Aside from Montgomery, every other veteran the team released today has some form of starting experience under their belt. A youth movement in the defensive ends room kept Avery out of the mix, and Tomlinson wasn’t able to take advantage of Woods missing the who year on injured reserve.
Even more surprising perhaps was Indianapolis cutting ties with three drafted rookies after only four months. Fifth-round Auburn defensive back Simpson, sixth-round Marshall cornerback Abraham, and seventh-round Oklahoma defensive tackle Laulu all failed to make the 53-man roster, essentially marking those draft picks as wasted. If some late-round players end up breaking out into true contributors, the Colts are going to kick themselves for missing on those three selections.
On the other side of that, Indianapolis uncovered a gem in undrafted Marshall guard Dalton Tucker. Tucker made the roster and is one of only four interior offensive linemen backing up the starting three.
Some higher-profile Colts news has overshadowed their roster construction, but the Jonathan Taylor drama factors into Indianapolis’ roster construction. Here is how the team moved down to 53:
While Funk could be a practice squad candidate, Indianapolis’ 53-man roster includes three running backs: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss and fifth-round rookie Evan Hull. Moss is rehabbing a broken arm and looms as a candidate for in-season IR. The Colts released late-summer pickup Kenyan Drake recently. The Taylor move sidelines the disgruntled All-Pro for the first four games.
Smith, Rodgers, Strachan and Winfree moving off the roster leaves only four receivers (Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Isaiah McKenzie) on the active. It seems likely another will be added before Week 1. Even with Brown gone, Indy’s 53-man roster houses five tight ends. Jelani Woods, Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, fifth-round rookie Will Mallory and Drew Ogletree, a second-year sixth-rounder, comprise that group. This would seem to be a place the Colts would be willing to cut into, should they be awarded any players on waivers before Wednesday’s 11am CT deadline.
The Colts added Harrison this offseason, signing the former Browns safety after the Browns brought in 2022 Colts cog Rodney McLeod. It should be expected Harrison, who is going into his sixth season, lands somewhere soon. Teams can keep up to six vested veterans on their respective practice squads, leaving the door ajar for Harrison — who only signed with the Colts on Aug. 14 — to stay. The 26-year-old defender has 45 starts on his resume.
Here are a few more mid- to late-round draft picks who signed their four-year rookie contracts today:
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
New York Jets