NFL Workout Updates: 10/8/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer unless otherwise noted:
Cleveland Browns
- S Chris Cooper, S Marwin Evans, WR Josh Huff, LB Greer Martini, WR Francis Owusu, QB Peter Pujals, TE Will Tye (Twitter link)
Indianapolis Colts
- S Elijah Campbell, S Tray Matthews (link)
Miami Dolphins
- CB De’Vante Harris, CB Robert Jackson (link)
New England Patriots
- WR Reggie Davis, WR Damoun Patterson, RB Brandon Radcliff, T Toby Weathersby (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
New York Jets
- G John Fullington, CB Quinten Rollins (link)
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
- QB Joe Callahan, G J.J. Dielman, TE Scott Orndoff, LB Aaron Wallace, TE Clive Walford (link)
Dontrelle Inman Auditions For Colts
Dontrelle Inman caught 58 passes for 810 yards and four touchdowns with the 2016 Chargers and started seven games for the Bears last season. He remains without an NFL job.
The Colts, though, have now met with the free agent wideout twice. Inman worked out for the Colts recently, NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. He previously trekked to Indianapolis for a meeting in March.
Indianapolis played Thursday’s game without T.Y. Hilton and was already thin at the receiver spots prior to its No. 1 target suffering an injury. Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers represent the Colts’ top complementary pass-catchers. Recent waiver claim Zach Pascal and September trade acquisition Marcus Johnson round out the Colts’ roster.
If Hilton is in jeopardy of missing another game, it should be expected Indy will add another wideout.
Inman also auditioned for the Patriots and Browns in September. Neither signed him. The 29-year-old former UDFA caught 23 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown with Chicago last year.
Colts Move G Matt Slauson To IR
Matt Slauson started the first five games of the Colts’ season as their right guard. He won’t be able to suit up again for a while.
This is a strange move given Slauson’s recent work. He played all 83 snaps against the Patriots in Week 5. Nevertheless, he’ll spend at least eight weeks on IR. The Colts signed offensive lineman Evan Boehm off the Rams’ practice squad.
This news comes for a Colts team that could not use some of the players they kept on their game-day roster against the Patriots. And Indianapolis lost more players during the game. Now, either Slauson suffered an injury during the game and played through it — or has been playing through one that worsened recently — or the ninth-year blocker sustained another injury in between then and now.
The Colts signed Slauson to a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason. He moved into their starting lineup opposite first-rounder Quenton Nelson and played well. Both Colts guards graded as top-30 players, in the view of Pro Football Focus, through five games.
Slauson finished last season on IR as well. A biceps injury ended Slauson’s final Chargers season after seven games. However, he started all 16 contests for the 2016 Bolts at center. He’s been back at guard, his initial NFL position, for the past two seasons. The Colts, though, will need a new guard to step in when they resume their schedule.
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Boehm started eight games for the Cardinals last season. He did not make the Cards’ 53-man roster this year and instead latched on with the Rams’ practice squad.
Jets Claim DE Tarell Basham
Former Colts defensive end Tarell Basham was claimed off waivers by the Jets, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Basham, a 2017 third-round pick, will have an opportunity to turn his career around in a new setting. 
Basham suited up for 15 games in 2017, but made zero starts. He recorded two sacks and forced a fumble as a rookie, but only made seven tackles overall. This year, he played in just one of Indianapolis’ four games, so his release was surprising, but not altogether shocking.
The Colts probably wanted to sneak Basham through waivers and on to their practice squad, but that was an unlikely outcome given Basham’s pedigree. In his four years at the University of Ohio, Basham registered 27 sacks and was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
The Jets’ pass rush could certainly use a talent infusion, so Basham has a fairly easy path to the field if he performs well in practice. The Jets are currently starting Leonard Williams and Henry Anderson at defensive end with Jordan Jenkins and Brandon Copeland at the outside linebacker spots after placing Josh Martin on IR.
Anthony Castonzo Back For Colts
Anthony Castonzo will make his Colts debut on Thursday night. He’s active against the Patriots. The eighth-year left tackle has been sidelined for most of the past few months because of a hamstring injury, one he’s twice aggravated. Frank Reich said he did not intend to use an IR spot on Castonzo, and the first-year Colts coach’s confidence in the edge blocker being ready to return soon turned out to be appropriate. Castonzo participated in three limited practices this week.
- Indianapolis won’t, however, have the services of its top tackler. Darius Leonard, the NFL’s runaway tackles leader four games into his rookie season, will be out. The Colts tweeted the linebacker is not expected to dress against the Patriots. Both are technically active but are not going to play. An ankle injury is restricting Leonard, who has 54 tackles (seven for loss) and four sacks. He joins T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack and Kenny Moore among Colts who aren’t playing in Foxborough.
Colts Activate RB Robert Turbin
The Colts have activated running back Robert Turbin in advance of Thursday night’s game against the Patriots, the team announced. In related moves, linebacker Skai Moore and cornerback Lenzy Pipkins were promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and defensive ends Tarell Basham and Al-Quadin Muhammad were waived. 
Turbin, initially, was in line for a significant role in the Colts’ backfield this year. Those plans were derailed this summer when he was hit with a four-game suspension for performance enhancing substances.
The veteran returns to a backfield that is headlined by Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines, but he offers fresh legs on a short week for the Colts. It would not be surprising to see Turbin involved in the Colts rushing attack in his first game back.
For his career, Turbin has 1,344 yards and nine scores off of 351 carries. He also has 85 catches for 685 yards and three scores. Those totals were put on hold in Week 6 of last season when he suffered a season-ending elbow injury, but Bobby Turbo will now have an opportunity to reassert himself.
Basham’s departure comes fairly early for a third-round pick. Chosen on Day 2 of the 2017 draft, Basham has played in just one of Indianapolis’ four games this season. He suited up for 15 in 2017 but didn’t start any of those games. He recorded two sacks and forced a fumble as a rookie but only made seven tackles.
The Colts now have 2018 second-rounder Kemoko Turay as their only backup defensive end. Though, Jihad Ward was drafted to play end as a Raider. Still, it should be expected the Colts will make a move to add depth at this spot after waiving two of their backups.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Andrew Donnal
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: TE Erik Swoope
- Waived: TE Mo Alie-Cox
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Darrell Daniels
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DT Justin Zimmer
Detroit Lions
- Waived: CB Dee Virgin
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DB Josh Shaw
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived from injured reserve: LB Carlos Thompson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: OL Ian Silberman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Treyvon Hester
- Waived: DT Bruce Hector
- Waived from injured reserve: OT Toby Weathersby
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB T.J. Green
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Will Dissly (story), S Earl Thomas (story)
- Waived from injured reserve: FB Khalid Hill
Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Darian Thompson, WR Bernard Reedy
- Cut: CB Demetrious Cox, LB Nigel Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Released: WR DeAndrew White
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams
- Cut: CB Breon Borders
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Skai Moore, TE Erik Swoope, RB Jonathan Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OL Jamar McGloster
- Waived: DT Steven Richardson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DE/OLB Ja’Von Rolland-Jones, DB Linden Stephens
- Cut: DE Marcus Martin
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Garrison Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Darius Hillary, G Will Holden, DB Chris Lammons, WR Tanner McEvoy
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett, T Rick Leonard, DB Arrion Springs, TE Deon Yelder
New York Giants
- Signed: T Jylan Ware
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Kyle Wilson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Chad Hansen, LB LaTroy Lewis
- Cut: WR Kalif Raymond
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Mack Brown
Ingram, Edelman To Return In Week 5
As we approach Week 5 of the NFL season, several NFL players are returning from four-game bans. As noted by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), that list includes notables such as Saints running back Mark Ingram, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving, Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget, Colts running back Robert Turbin, Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. 
Players do not count against a team’s roster max while suspended, so clubs will have to make room for these players before adding them for Week 5. There will be some tough decisions to make, but the upside is clear in most of these cases, particularly when it comes to offensive weapons like Ingram and Edelman or defensive pillars like Burfict and Irving.
Alvin Kamara should remain the focal point of the Saints’ running game, but the return of Ingram will give opposing defenses something else to think about. And, as we saw in the first three weeks of the Patriots’ season, Edelman has been sorely missed.