- In addition to everybody on their 90-man roster, the Colts also had a group of tryout players at their minicamp this week, per Joel Erickson of The Athletic (Twitter link). There were a couple of notable names trying out, including former Jaguars receiver/kick returner Jaydon Mickens. Mickens, a 2016 UDFA out of Washington, showed very well as a returner in 2017, but was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury last October. The Jags elected not to tender him a contract after the season. It’s a bit surprising he hasn’t been able to resurface on anyone’s offseason roster yet.
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Jordan McCray
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Obum Gwacham
- Waived: DT Chunky Clements
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Tre McBride, DT Kalani Vakameilalo
- Waived: LB Nick Deluca, LS Christian Kuntz
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Neal Sterling
- Waived: LB Gary Johnson, T Justin Senior, RB James Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Mark Myers
- Waived: S John Battle
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Ryan Hewitt
- Waived: TE Keith Towbridge
The Colts and cornerback Kenny Moore have agreed to terms on a four-year extension, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will make him the highest paid slot cornerback in NFL history in terms of new money. 
Before the add-on, Moore had one year remaining on his contract. The Colts also had the option of keeping Moore via the restricted free agency tag beyond 2019, but the new deal will provide the Colts with long-term cost certainty and give security to the former undrafted free agent.
After earning his scheduled $645K salary in 2019, Moore will earn $30MM in new money between 2020 and 2023, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Through incentives and bonuses, he can earn up to $36MM over the course of the extension.
The Colts claimed Moore off waivers from the Patriots just prior to the 2017 season. He made the cut as the team’s No. 5 cornerback, but proved to be much more valuable than that late in the season when he took over for the injured Rashaan Melvin later in the season.
In 2018, Moore won a starting role and truly took off. He graded out as the No. 32 ranked corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and finished out with three interceptions and 77 tackles.
Outside of Darius Leonard, Moore was probably the Colts’ most effective defensive playmaker last year. The Colts didn’t necessarily have to extend Moore, who was still under club control for two more years, but they had the cap room to get a deal done after a quiet offseason.
The Colts have signed long snapper Luke Rhodes to a contract extension, according to a team announcement. It’s a four-year, $4.85MM contract extension that will make him the highest-paid long snapper in NFL history, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal also includes $1.25MM in guarantees. 
[RELATED: Colts’ Antonio Garcia Suspended By NFL]
Rhodes signed his exclusive rights tender March 19, giving the team some time to work out a brand new pact. It marks a big pay bump for Rhodes, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent at the linebacker position.
Rhodes has played in 36 games for the Colts since joining the team in 2016 and has appeared in all 32 games since switching over to LS in 2017.
Here are today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: OL John Jerry
- Released: OL Rod Taylor
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from Jaguars): TE Pharoah McKever
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Caraun Reid
Colts tackle Antonio Garcia has been suspended for the first four games of season for a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to a team announcement. The ban will cost Garcia a month’s worth of game checks and may cost him his spot on the team. 
[RELATED: Colts QB Swag Kelly Suspended Two Games]
The former Patriots third-round pick has yet to find his footing in the NFL. He missed all of 2017 on the NFI list after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and lost 40 pounds while sidelined. The Jets claimed him off waivers in May of 2018, but he missed the club’s final cut. The Colts added him to the practice squad before Halloween 2018 and gave him an extended look with a reserve/future deal in January.
Garcia is still looking to make his true NFL debut, but it won’t happen any sooner than October.
- The Colts raised some eyebrows when they drafted Ben Banogu back in April. Indy took the pass-rusher in the second round, 49th overall. That was higher than many analysts had him pegged, as Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had him stamped with a fourth or fifth round grade. The Colts bet big on his excellent athleticism, and they’ve been experimenting with how to use it. They started him off as a SAM linebacker this offseason, but have been using him at defensive end more frequently recently, according to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. The Colts’ defense took a huge step forward last season, and they’re hoping Banogu can help them continue that with his physical traits and speed.
Chester Rogers played a large role in the Colts’ offense last season, but that doesn’t look like it’ll be the case again in 2019. In fact, Rogers might not even be on the team.
Rogers’ status on Indianapolis’ roster is “very, very tenuous,” according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. The Colts had T.Y. Hilton last year, but not much behind him. They rotated a series of lesser-known options as their number two, including Rogers. They made upgrading the receiving corp behind Hilton a priority this offseason, signing Devin Funchess to a big contract and draft Parris Campbell in the second round.
With Hilton, Funchess, Campbell, and Deon Cain looking like locks, Holder notes it’ll be an all-out battle for just one or two spots. Meanwhile, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star writers that Rogers is competing with Zach Pascal for the punt-returning job and that whoever wins that competition will make the roster while the other could be cut.
While Rogers won’t have an easy path, he’s not going down without a fight. Holder writes that he was arguably “the best player on the field during Tuesday’s practice open to reporters,” and that “whether it was his diving sideline catch or his leaping, fingertip grab later in the workout, Rogers’ presence was felt throughout.” Rogers was often productive last year, so he’d likely draw a lot of interest on the open market if he were cut loose.
Back in March the Colts tendered him at the second-round level, showing they were worried about losing him to another team. Because of that he’s set to make $3.1MM in 2019, which could work against him when it’s time to trim rosters. In 16 games and ten starts last year, Rogers put up 53 catches for 485 yards and two touchdowns.
Free agent safety Darian Stewart met with the Colts this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This comes on the heels of a workout for Johnathan Cyprien, so it appears the Colts are in the market for help in the secondary. 
Third-year safety Malik Hooker is working his way back from ACL and MCL tears while fellow safety Clayton Geathers is still rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee. At minimum, Stewart could give the Colts some practice field depth. At maximum, the former Pro Bowler could be a tremendous value addition.
The Broncos released Stewart in March in order to save roughly $3.6MM against the cap. Prior to that, the veteran started in nearly all of his 58 games for the Broncos and recorded a forced fumble and a sack in the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory.
Stewart saw some time at cornerback and free safety in ’17, but he played mostly at strong safety last year. He graded out as just the No. 77 ranked safety in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. His 59.6 overall score was a massive step back from his first two seasons in Denver, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
In 2015, a Stanford student told school administrators that she was sexually assaulted by a player on the football team at a fraternity party. The case made national news, though neither the accuser nor the alleged perpetrator were identified. On Wednesday morning, Colts GM Chris Ballard told beat reporters that the player in question was linebacker Bobby Okereke, the club’s third-round pick in the 2019 draft (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the The Athletic). 
Okereke was not charged in connection to the alleged incident and he personally informed the Colts of the matter prior to the draft, according to Ballard. The GM added that the Colts investigate the incident and reviewed the documents from the Title IX case. Because there were no charges filed or disciplinary action against the Stanford product, the Colts went ahead with the selection.
Ballard also cited Okereke’s otherwise clean record as one of the reasons for drafting him. The Colts did not interview the accuser beforehand because Ballard did not feel that was necessary given the other information gathered by the team.
The linebacker reportedly impressed during voluntary workouts in May and is expected to compete with Anthony Walker for the club’s starting MIKE spot.