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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts Claim Rakeem Nunez-Roches

May 11th, 2018 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rakeem Nunez-Roches spent three seasons with the Chiefs before being waived midway through his fourth offseason, but he had a familiar voice vouching for him.

The Colts claimed the defensive lineman off waivers on Friday. Second-year Colts GM Chris Ballard was with the Chiefs when they drafted Nunez-Roches in 2015.

The 6-foot-2, 307-pound defender started 11 games for the AFC West champions last season and has played both end and tackle in his career. Prior to last season, Nunez-Roches mostly served as an off-the-bench defender for the Chiefs. He’s made 1.5 career sacks and 51 tackles.

This will be Nunez-Roches’ first time working in a 4-3 scheme, and he’ll likely play defensive tackle under Matt Eberflus. The Colts cut Johnathan Hankins this offseason and added three defensive ends in the form of Denico Autry, Chris McCain and second-rounder Tyquan Lewis.

Colts To Sign WR Kasen Williams

May 11th, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Seahawks and Browns wide receiver Kasen Williams will sign with the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. They will waive fellow wideout DeAndre Smelter to make roster room, per Schefter.

The Browns waived Williams shortly after the draft despite signing him to a reserve/futures contract in January. He’ll make his way to the Colts, who’ve been interested in the former UDFA for a bit now.

Indianapolis placed a waiver claim on Williams following a strong showing during the 2017 preseason, but Cleveland held higher waiver priority and won his rights after Seattle waived him. Now, the fourth-year wideout will attempt to make the Colts’ 53-man roster.

The Browns waived Williams last season but retained him for their practice squad. The University of Washington product caught nine passes for 84 yards in 2017. A 2015 49ers fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, Smelter has only seen action in two NFL games — both during the 2016 season. Smelter tore an ACL during his final season with the Yellowjackets and missed his rookie year. He finished 2016 on IR and despite not playing last season wound up with the Colts on a futures deal.

Colts Sign First-Round Pick Quenton Nelson

May 11th, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have officially signed the bulk of their draft class. On Friday, the team announced deals with the following picks: 

The Colts wound up with an oversized draft class of eleven players, but they have only two rookies left to sign. Once second round linebacker Darius Leonard and second round guard Braden Smith put pen to paper, they’ll be done.

Nelson was widely regarded as one of the best overall talents in this year’s draft, but the early run on quarterbacks helped guide him to the Colts at No. 6. Frankly, that worked out great for the Colts as they desperately need to protect quarterback Andrew Luck this season. The QB fever allowed Chris Ballard to land this year’s top rated offensive lineman in the draft while adding two 2018 second-round picks and a 2019 second-round choice from the Jets as he moved down from No. 3 to No. 6. It’s too early to grade any team’s draft, but everyone can agree that the Colts did well for themselves in terms of value.

Nelson, a 6’5″, 235-pound lineman, boasts tremendous power and the ability to act as a double team blocker. Many feel that Nelson is one of the best bets to succeed out of this year’s top 10.

“He’s so unique because he’s big, but he’s not fat. He’s one of the best run blockers I’ve ever evaluated, but he’s not a liability in pass protection like Mike Iupati is,” one NFC team personnel executive told NFL.com before the draft. “He’s also an alpha who can bring and ass-kicking mindset into your position room.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/18

May 9th, 2018 at 3:34pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Arizona Cardinals

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: G Daronte Bouldin

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: OT Mike Person

Colts To Sign OT Austin Howard

May 9th, 2018 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are signing free agent offensive tackle Austin Howard, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Indianapolis is in desperate need for protection up front and the hope is that Howard will help to secure the pocket for quarterback Andrew Luck. 

It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $3.75MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Howard can also earn another $500K via incentives, which isn’t a bad haul for a free agent signing in May.

Howard’s option for 2018 was surprisingly declined by the Ravens in March. After joining the Ravens on a three-year, $16.5MM free agent contract last year, Howard responded with a solid year and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 offensive tackle. Overall, Baltimore’s offensive line was extremely effective, grading as top-five unit in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards, and adjusted sack rate, but they opted to go in a different direction at tackle and save $3MM in the process.

Howard, who has also spent time with the Eagles, Jets, and Raiders, will now suit up for his fifth NFL team. He’s the third offensive line newcomer of note in Indianpolis, joining first round left guard Quenton Nelson and second round right guard Braden Smith. All three seem likely to start as Howard projects to slot ahead of incumbent right tackle Denzelle Good.

Colts Sign DE Chris McCain

May 8th, 2018 at 5:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have signed former Chargers edge rusher Chris McCain and and waived tight end Randall Telfer with a failed physical designation, the club announced today.

McCain, 26, spent the past four years with the Dolphins, Saints, and Chargers after entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but has never started a game. Indeed, the ex-Cal Bear’s playing time on the defensive side of the ball has been extremely limited: McCain’s 25% snap percentage in 2017 was by far the highest of his career, as he’d never before topped 8% playtime on defense. McCain managed five sacks in a backup role, and also saw action on roughly a quarter of Los Angeles’ special teams snaps.

McCain, notably, seemed to thrive in the Chargers’ 4-3 scheme, and he’ll now be moving to an Indianapolis roster that is moving to a 4-3 look for the 2017 campaign. Although he’ll have his work cut out for him as he attempts to get snaps behind Jabaal Sheard, Denico Autry, Tyquan Lewis, and Tarell Basham, McCain could find his way into a regular role if injuries or ineffectiveness strike.

Telfer, meanwhile, had just been claimed off waivers on Monday. He’d originally been part of a trade that would have sent him from the Browns to the Chiefs, but that deal was called off, likely for the same health issue that is now causing him to lose his Colts roster spot.

Colts Waive TE Jason Vander Laan

May 7th, 2018 at 7:01pm CST by Ben Levine

The Colts claimed tight end Randall Telfer off waivers earlier today, but the transaction cost another player a roster spot. Mike Chappell of Indysportscentral.com reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have waived tight end Jason Vander Laan.

After joining the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Vander Laan was converted from quarterback to tight end. The Ferris State product ended up spending the entire campaign on New York’s practice squad, but he was waived by the team last September. He ended up landing with the Colts, and he had a brief stint on the active roster in November.

Telfer provides a slight upgrade to Vander Laan, as the former Browns tight end is known for his blocking ability. However, the 25-year-old is limited offensively, having hauled in only five catches for 40 yards in 30 career games (19 starts). Following today’s transactions, the Colts are now rostering six tight ends. Telfer, Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis, and Erik Swoope will compete for reps behind Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle.

Colts Claim TE Randall Telfer

May 7th, 2018 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Browns tight end Randall Telfer, was claimed off waivers by the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Telfer, as you may recall, was initially ticketed to be traded to the Chiefs for linebacker Dadi Nicolas before that deal was nullified.

Telfer was squeezed out of Cleveland due to the presence of holdovers David Njoku and Seth DeValve plus free agent addition Darren Fells. Telfer is a blocking specialist, but Fells offers a longer resume of acumen in that area. Telfer is largely untested as a pass catcher, having caught just three passes for 36 yards last year despite starting in 14 games.

The Colts have Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle as their top tight ends, but they’ll evaluate a number of options in reserve. Telfer joins Darrell Daniels, Ross Travis, Erik Swoope, and Jason Vander-Lean as reserve TEs on the 90-man roster.

Colts Duo Listed As Impact Rookies

May 5th, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Ben Levine

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18

May 2nd, 2018 at 4:59pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Claimed: OT Jake Rodgers (from Texans)
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