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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts’ T.Y. Hilton Returning To Practice

October 13th, 2021 at 12:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.Y. Hilton‘s season debut appears near. The longtime Colts wide receiver is set to return to practice Wednesday. This will start his 21-day IR-return clock.

The Colts placed Hilton on IR before Week 1, and he underwent surgery after suffering a neck injury in practice. Hilton will be eligible to play Sunday against the Texans. While the Colts could slow-play his return, they are 1-4 and need as many weapons as possible in the near future.

After seriously considering signing with the Ravens, Hilton returned to the Colts on a third contract this offseason. He ranks third in franchise history in receiving yards, having passed Hall of Famer Raymond Berry late last season. The Colts have seen second-round pick Michael Pittman Jr. make strides to start his second season, but Hilton coming back would certainly be a boon for their passing attack.

Beyond Pittman, who leads the team by a wide margin with 368 receiving yards, the Colts have seen Zach Pascal emerge as their No. 2 wide receiver. Hilton may slot into that WR2 role, given Pittman’s early-season work. Although Hilton — a five-time 1,000-yard receiver — has not cleared 800 receiving yards in a season since 2018, he should still have some gas in the tank at age 31. Though, injuries have become a concern for the four-time Pro Bowler in recent years. After missing just two games across his first six seasons, Hilton has missed 14 since October 2018.

RB Marlon Mack On Chiefs’ Radar

October 13th, 2021 at 11:30am CST by Sam Robinson

Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss multiple games for the second straight season, leaving the Chiefs thin in the backfield. While Darrel Williams is in line to fill in while Edwards-Helaire recovers from his latest injury, the two-time reigning AFC champions have been looking into a higher-profile fill-in.

The Chiefs have discussed Marlon Mack as a trade option, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. The Colts are aiming to accommodate Mack with a trade, and Edwards-Helaire is set to miss at least three games with the MCL sprain he sustained Sunday night.

[RELATED: Mack Discusses Potential Trade]

Kansas City represents the first team connected to Mack, a former 1,000-yard rusher who re-signed with Indianapolis after suffering an Achilles tear in Week 1 of last season. But Mack’s market is cold, per Fowler. A late-round pick would seemingly get a deal done.

A fourth-year UDFA, Williams has served as CEH’s direct backup this season. Free agent pickup Jerick McKinnon has handled just four touches in five games. The Chiefs opted to bring in a well-known weapon last year to back up Edwards-Helaire, signing Le’Veon Bell midseason. That deal did not end up moving the needle much.

Mack, 25, amassed 1,091 rushing yards and eight touchdowns for the Colts two seasons ago, doing so in 14 games. In 12 games in 2018, Mack helped the Colts go from 1-5 to the playoffs by totaling 908 rushing yards and nine TDs in just 12 games. While the former fourth-round pick has not been used much as an aerial weapon, he showed consistent rushing ability — behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines — before his injury. Mack also delivered a bit of a breakthrough effort Monday, rushing for 47 yards on five carries. For the season, Mack has just 85 yards on 20 totes.

The Colts have Jonathan Taylor signed through 2022 and recently gave passing-down back Nyheim Hines an extension. This profiles as Indianapolis’ long-term backfield pairing, with Mack now merely representing short-term depth behind Taylor. Mack’s one-year deal includes less than $800K in remaining base salary.

Colts Working Out 4 Kickers

October 13th, 2021 at 9:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Rodrigo Blankenship‘s hip injury played a role in the Colts’ collapse Monday night, and the team is looking into temporary replacements. Michael Badgley and Brett Maher are working out for the Colts on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Indianapolis might not stop with just these two for workouts, Rapoport notes, with Blankenship in jeopardy of missing time. But for now, these are the free agents the Colts have identified as their top fill-in options. Blankenship, who arrived in Indy as a UDFA last year, has not missed a game yet as a pro.

The Colts are expanding this workout, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com adding that Aldrick Rosas and Riley Patterson are also part of the audition (Twitter link). The Saints released Rosas earlier this month, while Patterson — a four-year kicker at Memphis — is a rookie UDFA who has yet to make his NFL debut.

The team gave Badgley a physical, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson (on Twitter), potentially a sign he won the competition. But no signing has as of yet taken place.

Badgley, 26, kicked in one game for the Titans this season but could not hold the job. Tennessee cut him after he missed a field goal and an extra point in a Week 1 loss to Arizona. While Badgley is best known for his three-year run as the Chargers’ kicker, he entered the NFL in 2018 as a Colts UDFA. The Colts waived Badgley after his rookie training camp, with Adam Vinatieri still going strong at that point.

Maher, 31, has not kicked in a regular-season game since the Cowboys cut him late in the 2019 season. The former CFL specialist has, however, caught on with several teams in the many months since. Maher has made stops with the Jets, Washington, Texans, Cardinals and Saints but did not make his way onto any of the teams’ regular-season rosters. Maher, whom New Orleans released with an injury settlement in August, has made three 60-plus-yard field goals during his short NFL career (29 games from 2018-19).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/21

October 12th, 2021 at 1:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: OL Austen Pleasants

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Colts Cut DT Antwaun Woods

October 11th, 2021 at 8:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have released defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, per a club announcement. It’s possible that Woods could return to the roster this week after some shuffling, however. The move was effectively made to clear space for recently-promoted quarterback Brett Hundley.

Woods, 28, joined the Colts in May, just after he was released by the Cowboys. The Colts stashed him on the taxi squad to start the year, but promoted him in Week 3. To date, that’s been his only appearance for Indy.

A 32-game Cowboys starter from 2018-20, Woods was brought on for depth behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Instead, they’ll move forward with two former UDFAs — Taylor Stallworth and Chris Williams — stationed behind their starters.

Known more for his run-stopping abilities than interior pass-rushing work, Woods played 57% of the Cowboys’ snaps in 2018 and worked as a full-time starter. The former UDFA started 10 games in 2019 but saw his role reduced during a woeful Dallas defensive season in 2020.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21

October 9th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Steelers, Titans, Chargers Tried To Claim Khalil Davis

October 8th, 2021 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts snagged defensive tackle Khalil Davis this week, but they weren’t the only team with interest. The Steelers, Titans, Chargers also submitted claims for the ex-Buccaneer (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 

Davis was blocked in Tampa by Vita Vea and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, but he showed plenty of potential in the preseason. To date, he has just two career games to his credit, but the 2020 sixth-round pick has uncommon athleticism for a player of his size.

The 1-3 Colts won out, but Davis could have joined up with his twin brother, Carlos Davis, in Pittsburgh. The 1-3 Steelers (who had lower priority due to their strength of schedule) could have used Khalil while Carlos recovers from a knee injury. Instead, the Steelers pivoted to Eli Ankou, who could quickly go from the taxi squad to the 53-man roster.

Davis and the Colts will face the Ravens on Monday night in search of win No. 2. On the other side of the ball, they’ll be without All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, who was placed on IR with a high-ankle sprain.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/21

October 4th, 2021 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Colts Place G Quenton Nelson On IR

October 2nd, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Ben Levine

The hits keep coming for the Colts. The team placed All-Pro offensive guard Quenton Nelson on injured reserve today (per the team’s Twitter). Nelson recently suffered a high-ankle sprain, an injury that will keep him sidelined for at least the next three games.

The sixth-overall pick in the 2018 draft quickly established himself as one of the top offensive guards in the NFL. The lineman has earned a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro recognition in each of his three professional seasons.

Nelson hadn’t missed a game through his first three year in the NFL. He underwent surgery in early August to repair a bone issue in his foot, and his recovery timeline put him at risk of missing the season opener. The 25-year-old managed to battle back and appear in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in Week 1 (and subsequently Week 2). Nelson was limited to only 13 snaps last weekend before suffering his injury.

The Colts made two additional moves today in anticipation of tomorrow’s matchup against the Dolphins. The team promoted both safety Ibraheim Campbell and quarterback Brett Hundley from the practice squad.

Colts RB Marlon Mack Discusses Potential Trade

September 30th, 2021 at 10:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Marlon Mack‘s days in Indy are numbered, as the running back and the Colts mutually agreed to part ways earlier this week. That would normally lead to some awkwardness before a trade is consummated, but Mack said the organization has been more than happy to work with him.

“Just had an agreement with what’s best for me,’’ Mack said today (via Mike Chappell of Fox59.com). “They were just all with it. They supported me 100%. It’s a mutual agreement I would say.’’

While Mack is back to full health following last year’s Achilles tear, the running back finds himself behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines on the depth chart. While Mack would prefer a situation that offers him a chance to actually play, he said he’s still fully committed to helping the Colts until a deal is made.

“I’ve just got to continue working hard for this team and get a W,” Mack said. “I’m just being patient. That’s one thing I do well. Be a good human I would say overall. Just have good imaging around guys and don’t be negative.’’

The 2017 fourth-round pick had 2,184 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns between the 2018 and 2019 season, but his 2020 season was basically wiped out thanks to injury. While the 25-year-old may be a veteran on the Colts depth chart, he still believes he has plenty left in the tank.

“I’m definitely young,” Mack said. “That’s the thing. In this business as a running back, they say I’m an old man already, but I’m only 25…That’s why it’s like, ‘Man, I’ve got to go out there and get it now.’ Next year teams may be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want that old running back.’”

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