- Ryan Kelly said in May he and the Colts were discussing an extension. With a contract season looming, the Pro Bowl center insists he would like to stay in Indianapolis long-term, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star notes. Given Kelly’s age (27) and importance to a Colts O-line that ranks as one of the NFL’s best, he is in line to become the NFL’s highest-paid center — perhaps by a notable margin. Rodney Hudson‘s second Raiders deal currently resides atop the center list, at $11.25MM per year. This AAV figure sits more than $3MM below the top guard salary and nearly $11MM south of the leading tackle contract.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB Duke Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on reserve/retired list: CB Ike Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: C Casey Dunn
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: LB Justin Strnad (wrist)
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Ian Bunting
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
- Waived/injured: LB Nick Usher
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: ST Johnson Bademosi
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: WR Spencer Schnell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Walt Aikens
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Jordan Scarlett
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated: WR John Ross
- Placed on IR: DT Renell Wren
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Will Clarke
- Released: OL Caleb Benenoch
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Daren Bates, LS Anthony Kukwa
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, C Joey Hunt
- Placed on IR: Andrew Donnal
- Waived/injured: TE Ian Bunting
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Matt Flanagan
- Waived/injured: TE Charles Jones
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Hakeem Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: RB William Stanback
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Paul Quessenberry, DT Xavier Williams
- Released: TE Alex Ellis, DT Darius Kilgo
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated: WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: OL Casey Tucker
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Kyle Markway
Here are the notable workouts teams conducted recently:
Carolina Panthers
- LB Devante Bond, LB Corey Nelson, LB Julian Stanford
Chicago Bears
- DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, DT Jay Bromley, DT Nazair Jones, CB Brandon Williams, DB Howard Wilson
Detroit Lions
- DE Jayrone Elliott, DT T.Y. McGill
Houston Texans
- LS Andrew DePaola, RB Tyler Gaffney, LS Carson Tinker
Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins
- QB Jake Rudock (visit)
New York Jets
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: CB Robert Alford
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Scottie Dill
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: TE Darion Clark
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Panthers): TE Andrew Vollert
New York Jets
- Signed: S Anthony Cioffi
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: WR Saeed Blacknall
Catching you up on a few workouts that have taken place recently:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR River Cracraft, DE Chuck Harris
Indianapolis Colts
- T R.J. Prince, CB Cordrea Tankersley
Aug. 12: Hilton has been removed from the active/NFI list and is ready to go, according to a team announcement. To make room, the club activated WR Malik Henry from the reserve/COVID-19 list and waived him.
Aug. 10: Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton says he is almost healed from a hamstring injury and days away from being able to return to the field. Hilton also told reporters that there hasn’t been much momentum in his contract talks as he enters his walk year (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of The Athletic). 
As it stands, Hilton has one year to go on his deal, which carries a $14.5MM cap hit. An extension would give Hilton extra security on what he says will be his last NFL contract, regardless of length. Still, teams have been reluctant to fork over guaranteed dollars, and Hilton’s age complicates matters further. As it stands, his deal ranks 16th among wide receivers in per-year average.
Hilton has performed as one of the league’s most dangerous deep threats when healthy – from 2013 through 2018, he’s averaged 16 yards per grab. Last year, his calf limited him to just ten games, leaving him with a final stat line of 45 catches, 501 yards, and five touchdowns. This year, he’ll look to get back to his old form as he builds a rapport with new quarterback Philip Rivers. He may have a stronger case for a new deal next year if he can reprise his 2018 showing. In that season, Hilton finished out with 76 catches for 1,270 yards and six TDs.
The Colts signed former Lions and Patriots safety Tavon Wilson, per a club announcement. The veteran can also feature at cornerback, giving Indy some additional depth across multiple positions.
[RELATED: Latest On Colts, T.Y. Hilton]
Wilson, who turned 30 this offseason, is coming off of one of the best seasons of his NFL career. In 2019, Wilson started in 13 games and notched 98 stops, five passes defensed, two fumbled recoveries, and one sack. The advanced metrics were also fond of his work, but his market dragged amidst the pandemic. He graded out as the No. 26 ranked qualified safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, with a 71.8 overall score. That figure was his best showing since 2016, his first campaign with the Lions.
Wilson was a good fit for Matt Patricia‘s scheme, but the Lions chose not to bring him back. The Dolphins also gauged his interest in a minimum salary deal. Now, he’ll go to Indianapolis to fill the void after defensive backs Roland Milligan and Marvell Tell opted out of the 2020 season.
We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: FB Bronson Rechsteiner
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: DT Bruce Hector (from Eagles)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Michael Dunn, G Jovahn Fair
- Released: TE Nate Wieting
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: WR Kendrick Rogers
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Detroit): WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: DE/LB Jamal Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Carl Davis, DL Caraun Reid
- Released: CB Kobe Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Cleveland): TE Nate Wieting
Philadelphia Eagles
- Retired: LB Jatavis Brown
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Brian Allen, RB Anthony Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/Injured: WR Travis Jonsen
A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
- Cleveland Browns – $40.5MM
- New England Patriots – $33.4MM
- Washington Football Team – $30.6MM
- Denver Broncos – $29.5MM
- New York Jets – $29.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $25.2MM
- Miami Dolphins – $24.7MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $23.7MM
- Detroit Lions – $22.9MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $22.3MM
- New York Giants – $21.4MM
- Houston Texans – $21.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $18.6MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $17MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $14.5MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $13.7MM
- Green Bay Packers – $12.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $13.2MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $13MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $12.5MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $12.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $9.9MM
- New Orleans Saints – $7.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $7.4MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $7MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $5.6MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $4.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $3.9MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $3.3MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM