Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

COVID-19 Tests Close Colts’ Facility

The Colts announced that they have closed their facility in the wake of positive COVID-19 tests. For now, they’ll work remotely as the tests are re-checked for accuracy.

This morning, we were informed that several individuals within our organization have tested posted for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “The team is currently in the process of confirming those tests. In the meantime, the practice facility will be closed and the team will work remotely while following NFL protocols. We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available.”

The Colts are currently slated to play the Bengals in Indy on Sunday. Rescheduling the game – as we’ve seen throughout the season – could prove to be tricky. The Colts’ bye is in Week 7; the Bengals’ bye is in Week 9.

Meanwhile, the Falcons’ latest round of testing did not yield any new positives, giving them the greenlight to resume in-person activities. With that, the game between the Falcons and the Vikings is set to go on as scheduled. Ditto for Colts-Bengals, though that could change between now and the end of the business day.

2021 NFL Draft Order

With most of Week 5 in the books, we bring you a way-too-early look at the current order for the 2021 NFL draft. For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2020 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. After that, the same goes for the six clubs eliminated from each round of the postseason, with the final two picks determined by the outcome of the Super Bowl.

Here’s where things stand in the race to the bottom:

  1. New York Giants (0-5)
  2. Atlanta Falcons (0-5)
  3. New York Jets (0-5)
  4. Washington Football Team (1-4)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
  6. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
  7. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans, 1-4)
  8. Los Angeles Chargers (1-3)
  9. Detroit Lions (1-3)
  10. Denver Broncos (1-3)
  11. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
  12. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)
  13. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
  14. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
  15. New Orleans Saints (2-2)
  16. New England Patriots (2-2)
  17. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
  18. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
  19. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
  20. Carolina Panthers (3-2)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
  22. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
  23. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
  24. Cleveland Browns (4-1)
  25.  Chicago Bears (4-1)
  26. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams, 4-1)
  28. Tennessee Titans (3-0)
  29. Green Bay Packers (4-0)
  30. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
  31. Buffalo Bills (4-0)
  32. New York Jets (via Seattle Seahawks, 4-0)

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/20

Here is the latest barrage of Saturday minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Badara Traore

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Greg Mabin

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/8/20

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: TE Paul Quessenberry

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: DB Dante Olson

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/7/20

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: LB Jonas Griffith

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Workout Updates: 10/6/20

Workout updates stand to be sparser going forward, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com noting the NFL has moved to, in light of some teams’ recent issues with the coronavirus, cap workouts at five per week (Twitter link). However, the rule will not apply to teams that place more than three players on IR in a week, Garafolo tweets. In those scenarios, teams would be permitted to work out 10 players in a week. That said, here are the top developments from the workout circuit, as of Tuesday evening.

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Colts Activate Trey Burton From IR

Trey Burton will don a Colts game uniform for the first time Sunday. The Colts activated the tight end from IR Saturday and moved Michael Pittman Jr. to the injured list.

Indianapolis signed Burton this offseason but saw him run into more injury trouble. A calf strain during camp resulted in the former Eagles and Bears tight end missing the Colts’ first three games.

The seventh-year pass catcher dealt with injuries last season, leading to his Chicago stay ending after two years. He underwent sports hernia surgery in 2019 and ended up on IR during the season because of a calf malady. Burton caught just 14 passes for 84 yards last season. However, in 16 Bears games in 2018, the former “Philly Special” passer caught 54 passes for 569 yards and six touchdowns. Burton will join Jack Doyle and the emerging Mo Alie-Cox in Indianapolis’ suddenly crowded tight end corps.

The Colts will need their tight end group healthy; their receiving corps has absorbed some key losses. Pittman underwent surgery after developing compartment syndrome in his calf. The surgery went well, however, and the rookie wideout could be back when eligible (Week 8, following the Colts’ Week 7 bye). For the next two games, however, Philip Rivers will be down Pittman and slot target Parris Campbell. The latter will likely miss more time than Pittman, having suffered MCL and PCL damage.

NFL Postpones Chiefs-Patriots; Game Expected To Be Played Monday Or Tuesday

11:30am: The NFL is moving tomorrow’s Colts-Bears game to 4:25 p.m. ET to fill the previous Patriots-Chiefs spot, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

11:07am: That didn’t take long. Less than an hour after news broke of Cam Newton testing positive for COVID-19, we’re now learning (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter) that tomorrow’s game between the Patriots and Chiefs has been postponed. Schefter notes that the game is expected to be played Monday or Tuesday.

“The New England-Kansas City game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday will be rescheduled to Monday or Tuesday after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams,” the league said in a statement.

“In consultations with infectious disease experts, both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA to evaluate multiple close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with the health and safety of players, team and gameday personnel as our primary consideration.”

As the statement alludes to, Newton wasn’t the only player to test positive. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has also tested positive and has been added to the reserve list. Along with practice squad QB Matt Moore, Ta’amu was the de facto third-string quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is skeptical the game will be played Monday considering the incubation period. Schefter somewhat echoes that sentiment, as a source told him that the game is “more likely” to be played on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, the NFL postponed Sunday’s contest between the Titans and Steelers after several members of the Titans organization tested positive for COVID-19. That number has since ballooned to 16, forcing the NFL to postpone the game indefinitely.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/30/20

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: G Deion Calhoun, LB Kendall Donnerson
  • Released: OT Josh Knipfel

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

New Orleans Saints

Colts Cut Swag Kelly

The Colts have released Swag Kelly from the practice squad, per a club announcement. To take his place, they’ve signed wide receiver Krishawn Hogan to the 16-man unit.

Kelly was once considered one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but he was kicked out of Clemson and his senior season at Ole Miss was cut short by a torn ACL and lateral meniscus. The Broncos made him “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2017 with the final pick in the draft, but he had an opportunity to be very relevant and supplant Case Keenum as the club’s starter in 2018. That never came to fruition thanks to a bizarre arrest and his subsequent release.

In 2019, Kelly hooked on with the Colts’ offseason roster, and he’s been in the team’s practice squad orbit ever since. After the Colts used a fourth-round pick on Jacob Eason in the spring, it was pretty clear that Kelly was no longer a focal point for the offensive staff. With starter Philip Rivers, experienced backup Jacoby Brissett, and Eason leading the way, there was little need to keep Kelly on standby.

The Colts — who have a bit of swag after their 36-7 romp over the Jets — will face the Bears on Sunday.