Colts To Sign Jared Veldheer
The Colts are set to sign tackle Jared Veldheer to the practice squad, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Veldheer will likely be elevated to the varsity squad between now and Sunday to help fill the void for Anthony Castonzo. 
[RELATED: Colts’ Anthony Castonzo Done For Year]
Veldheer, 33, spent some time with the Packers late last year and even started in a playoff game. After that, he retired for the second time in his career. Now, he’s making yet another return with yet another opportunity for postseason action.
With the season on the brink, the Colts are left paper thin at left tackle. Veteran Will Holden, who started against the Steelers, has an ankle injury of his own that will keep him out this weekend. The Colts may turn to Chaz Green, but the right tackle hasn’t performed well on the opposite side. On short notice, Veldheer could see snaps against the Jaguars.
Another option as the Colts shuffle the front five: All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson. Nelson does his best work on the interior, but he’s also played some LT in emergency spots.
Colts’ Anthony Castonzo Done For Year
Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo will miss the rest of the year due to an ankle injury, head coach Frank Reich announced. It’s a major blow to the offensive line as the team enters a make-or-break Week 17 tilt against the Jaguars. 
“You feel sick for AC going down like he did on a Thursday practice,” quarterback Philip Rivers said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells). “Maybe it was a matter of time before something happened. He’s had a heck of a year, a big part of what we do offensively, run game and pass protection. He’ll be missed.”
Castonzo is set for surgery, taking their long-tenured starter out of the lineup. When healthy, the Colts’ offensive line has been their greatest strength, thanks in large part to Castonzo. He’s anchored the blindside since his rookie year in 2011, showing consistency and durability for much of his pro career. Though Castonzo has never made the Pro Bowl, he’s started in all 144 of his games with quality performances.
In 2019, the Boston College product graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 ranked tackle in the league. And, his 81.3 overall score was even stronger than his 2017 and 2018 showings. He still has plenty of football left in the tank, though he’s got just one non-guaranteed year left on his deal, which carries a $16MM cap hit.
Right tackle Chaz Green, who has struggled on the left side in the past, could be tasked with snaps on the blindside.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: T Jordan Mills
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): S Geno Stone
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Glasgow
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Nicholas Morrow
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: OL Bobby Evans
- Waived: CB Dee Virgin
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: TE Kyle Rudolph
- Promoted: G Kyle Hinton
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Ryan Griffin
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LS Colin Holba
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Charlie Woerner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Ronald Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Stephen Gostkowski, P Brett Kern
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad shuffles here, so be sure to check back later for all the new updates:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Trayvon Henderson
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DB Josh Hawkins
- Placed on practice squad IR: CB Alexander Myres
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: S Ibraheim Campbell, DT Rob Windsor
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Brandon Dillon
New England Patriots
- Waived: G Earl Watford
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Christian Kuntz, G John Leglue
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: CB DeMarkus Acy, DT Myles Adams
Washington Football Team
- Released: RB Michael Warren
Colts Working Out OT Jared Veldheer
The Colts need to win on Sunday to stay alive in the AFC playoff race, and they’re very banged up at tackle at the moment. The team was playing fourth-string tackles during their Week 16 loss to the Steelers, and now the team is bringing in veteran tackle Jared Veldheer for a workout as a result, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Stud left tackle Anthony Castonzo is dealing with lingering knee and ankle issues, while right tackle Braden Smith missed last week’s game on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Normal backup left tackle Le’Raven Clark initially would’ve been filling in for Castonzo, but he’s got a torn Achilles. Then Clark’s replacement Will Holden went down with an ankle injury. Thus is life as a teammate of Philip Rivers.
Veldheer is a vet with a lot of starting experience. He started 13 games for Arizona in 2017 and 12 for Denver in 2018. He’s now in the midst of a Brett Favre-esque retirement saga. After signing with the Patriots the following year he elected to retire, only to come out of retirement and play in two games for Green Bay late last season. After almost signing with the Cowboys earlier this season, he once again elected to retire back in September. Apparently he’s waffling yet again and willing to consider another comeback.
When Castonzo left a game against the Raiders two weeks ago the team briefly flirted with moving All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to tackle, although Castonzo was able to return shortly thereafter. Nelson filled in admirably during his short first stint at tackle, and it’ll be interesting to see if they consider making that switch again with all the injuries. Veldheer is only 33, so he should theoretically have something left in the tank physically. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s protecting Rivers’ blindside on Sunday against the Jaguars.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/23/20
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Krishawn Hogan, WR Isaac Whitney
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB James Crawford
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Teez Tabor
- Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Reggie Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB Kemon Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Josh Hammond, DB Josh Nurse
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: T Jonathan Hubbard
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Isaiah Mack
- Released: TE Paul Quessenberry
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Jake Lampman
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Kevin Rader
- Released: LB Christian Kuntz
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Jordan Matthews
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Chase Harrell, FB Josh Hokit
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: G Alex Boone (story), WR Penny Hart
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/20
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Chris Miller, CB Picasso Nelson
- Released: DT Daylon Mack
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: P Ryan Allen
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: P Cameron Nizialek
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OT Casey Tucker
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Cyril Grayson
- Released: WR Josh Pearson
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: CB Delrick Abrams Jr.
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: CB Pierre Desir, QB Tyler Huntley, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Waived: TE Luke Willson
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: CB Xavier Crawford
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: G Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: CB Trevon Diggs
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chidobe Awuzie
- Promoted: T Jordan Mills, RB Sewo Olonilua, CB Chris Westry
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, LB Justin March-Lillard
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: T Halapoulivaati Vaitai
- Promoted: LB Kareem Martin, OL Marcus Martin, CB Alex Myres
- Placed on IR: DL Da’Shawn Hand
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: LB Brennan Scarlett
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, WR Chad Hansen, DT Auzoyah Alufohai
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: OL Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: CB Chris Claybrooks, G Andrew Norwell
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Tre Herndon
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Isaiah Johnson
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: DB Jake Gervase
New England Patriots
- Activated off IR: LB Shilique Calhoun
- Waived: DT Isaiah Mack
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: OL Will Clapp, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR Juwan Johnson, WR Tommylee Lewis
- Waived: TE Garrett Griffin, QB Trevor Siemian
- Placed on IR: WR Deonte Harris
New York Giants
- Activated off IR: S Adrian Colbert
- Promoted: QB Clayton Thorson, QB/WR Joe Webb, DB Jarren Williams, DB Quincy Wilson
- Waived: DB Montre Hartage
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: K Sam Ficken
- Promoted: LB Noah Dawkins, LB Sharif Finch, DL Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Blake Countess, CB Jameson Houston
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from IR: LB Mark Nzeocha
- Promoted: TE Daniel Helm, OL Dakoda Shepley, OL Isaiah Williams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Charlie Woerner
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/suspended list: DE Damontre Moore
- Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer, OL Jamarco Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: LB Brooks Reed, OL Daniel Munyer, LB Wyatt Ray
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Kalif Raymond
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: QB Steven Montez, RB Michael Warren
Colts P Rigoberto Sanchez Will Play In Week 15
Dec. 18: The Colts will indeed have their primary punter and kickoff specialist back in action this weekend, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Sanchez’s could be key for an Indy squad that is neck-and-neck with the Titans in the AFC South.
Dec. 17: After undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor earlier this month, Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez returned to practice this week. In fact, there’s a chance he could end up seeing the field this weekend, as head coach Frank Reich said he’s holding out hope that the 26-year-old can play against the Texans (via ESPN).
Sanchez, a former undrafted free agent out of Hawaii, burst on the scene when he earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors during the 2017 campaign. He didn’t miss a game for the Colts up to Week 12 of this season, when he had a season-high in punts (five) and punting yards (254). That performance came only days after the 26-year-old received his diagnose.
“I wasn’t going to do that to my team,” Sanchez said of potentially missing that Week 12 contest (via ESPN’s Mike Wells). “It’s all about the team. At the end of the day, I don’t think they would have been able to get a punter in in time, and it wasn’t going to be any worse. That was already worst-case scenario. I was going to fight through the pain, whatever it was. No need to make a bigger deal than it is. I was going to get surgery Tuesday already, so I was like, ‘Can it get any worse?’ I asked the doctor if it could get any worse and he said, ‘No.’ So then I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going to play. I’m going to do it for my brothers. They need me.’ That’s what it was.”
Ryan Allen has filled in for Sanchez over the past two weeks, with the veteran compiling a net average of 36.7 yards…10.5 yards behind Sanchez’s 2020 numbers. Before long, whether it’s this weekend or next, Sanchez should resume his punting and kickoff duties.
“I was overwhelmed throughout this crazy process of ups and downs mentally and all of it, but it helped out so much having everybody by my side — family members reaching out, friends, you name it,” Sanchez said.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/16/20
We’ll keep track of the latest practice squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DT Braxton Hoyett, WR Gary Jennings
- Released: RB Tommy Bohanon
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB John Kelly
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Jordan Scarlett, QB Jordan Ta’amu
- Released: P Arryn Siposs
Houston Texans
- Signed: LS Anthony Kukwa
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: S Ibraheim Campbell
Jacksonville Jaguars:
- Signed: C Evan Boehm
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Marcell Ateman
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Andre Patton
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Earl Watford
- Released: DB Dayan Lake
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Blake Countess
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: DL Willie Henry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jaydon Mickens