HEADLINES

Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

AFC South Rumors: Colts, Texans, Draft

April 20th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Could the Colts move back yet again in the first round? Colts GM Chris Ballard won’t rule out trading the No. 6 pick.

“We will be open to moving back if we think it is the right thing for us to do and there’s enough players on the board, depending on how far we have to move back, that we feel comfortable taking,” the GM said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

The Colts already have extra ammo in the draft thanks to their swap with the Jets. In exchange for moving down from No. 3 to No. 6, the Colts now own three picks in the second round – their original selection at No. 36, plus picks at No. 37 and No. 49.

Here’s more from the AFC South:

Dwight Freeney Retires From NFL

April 19th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Dwight Freeney is calling it a career. After 16 seasons in the NFL, Freeney will sign a one-day contract with Indianapolis to retire as a member of the Colts. 

Freeney entered the league as the No. 11 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Since then, he has racked up seven Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl ring.

Freeney, 38, will be best remembered for his time in blue and white, where he amassed 107. 5 sacks across eleven seasons. All in all, he has 125.5 career sacks to his credit, tying him for 17th all-time in NFL history.

The Colts averaged 11 wins per year during Freeney’s run with the Colts and had 11 sacks in his 22 playoff games with the team. Many thought the Colts were reaching when they selected Freeney in ’02, but he turned out to be the perfect fit for first-year head coach Tony Dungy.

“Bill [Polian] had seen Dwight and thought he was exactly the guy I had been talking about,” Dungy said of Freeney. “We’re sitting at No. 11 in the first round and people looked at his size and thought it was too high to draft him. Bill, to his credit, said, ‘If this is going to be the big piece of the puzzle, let’s not worry about where we take Dwight and what other people think. Let’s get the guy who is going to be the perfect piece.’ Dwight was the straw that stirred the drink.”

The Syracuse product played in three Super Bowls — two with the Colts, one with the Falcons — and started in 19 postseason games. All seven of Freeney’s double-digit sack seasons came with the Colts.

Following his Colts run, which ran through the 2012 season, Freeney played with five more teams. His most notable post-Indianapolis season came with the 2015 Cardinals, for whom he registered eight sacks and helped to the NFC title game despite being an off-the-bench edge rusher. He recorded three sacks in each of the past two seasons, playing in Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. Prior to Arizona, Freeney spent two seasons in San Diego.

Colts Host DT Chris Jones

April 17th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts worked out free agent defensive tackle Chris Jones on Tuesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Jones, not to be confused with the Chiefs defensive tackle of the same name, has bounced around the NFL since entering the league as a sixth-round pick in 2013. His most notable action came from 2013-14, when he started 22 total games for the Patriots, and in 2016, when he appeared in 13 games during stints on the Dolphins’ and 49ers’ rosters.

Jones, 27, has been productive before, as he managed nine sacks from New England’s interior from 2013-14. But injuries have derailed his career: a torn calf muscle forced Jones to miss the entire 2015 campaign, while an undisclosed ailment led to Jones spending the 2017 season on injured reserve.

The Colts, meanwhile, can use help along the interior of their defensive line after cutting Johnathan Hankins earlier this year. Indianapolis ranked just 31st in adjusted sack rate in 2017, so Jones and his interior rushing ability could buoy the club’s front four. If signed, Jones would slot in alongside fellow tackles Henry Anderson, Al Woods, Grover Stewart, Anthony Johnson, and Caraun Reid.

Colts Sign CB Kenneth Acker

April 11th, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts annoucned the signing of cornerback Kenneth Acker. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s probably not a costly contract for Indianapolis.

Acker has played in 40 career games, including 15 starts, over the course of his four-year NFL career with the Chiefs (2016-17) and 49ers (2014-15). The Seahawks also showed some interest in him before he landed in Indy.

The Colts lost Rashaan Melvin in free agency this year when he joined with the Raiders, leaving them with a lack of depth at cornerback. Acker probably isn’t in line for a starting job, but he can offer support from the bench, along with the recently re-signed Pierre Desir.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/18

April 9th, 2018 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: OL Joseph Cheek
  • Signed: OL Larson Graham
  • Signed: OL Parker Collins

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Colts Host Austin Howard On Visit

April 9th, 2018 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Austin Howard has been a starting right tackle for most of his NFL career, and he’s looking for a fourth employer. More interest is coming the free agent’s way.

The Colts visited with Howard, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link). This marks Howard’s second visit since the Ravens declined his option last month. The Saints also met with the 31-year-old blocker, doing so last week.

While Anthony Castonzo has manned the left side for most of this decade, Indianapolis has not had much continuity at right tackle in recent years. The Colts re-signed Jack Mewhort to stay at one guard position and added Matt Slauson to likely start opposite him. However, the team still has uncertainty at right tackle.

Howard started at right tackle for the Raiders from 2015-16, doing so after a failed experiment at guard in 2014, and was the Ravens’ first-stringer there last season. Pro Football Focus graded Howard well, despite the veteran having been a Raiders cut because of injury concerns. Howard finished last season as PFF’s No. 36 tackle with a grade well north of anyone the Colts tried there.

Andrew Luck Yet To Resume Throwing

April 9th, 2018 at 1:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

A January report indicated Andrew Luck was “very close” to resuming a throwing program. Well, as mid-April nears, he’s not there yet. Luck, though, did show up to Day 1 of Frank Reich‘s Colts program.

However, Indianapolis’ franchise player has yet to throw an NFL-sized football this offseason.

“I have not picked up The Duke and started throwing it yet,” Luck said, via Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter), about resuming throwing. “I don’t want to skip steps. I’m trusting the process I’m in now very, very much.”

Luck said (via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter) his return to the practice field in the fall required him to push too hard, something he “paid for” en route to IR and, eventually, Europe. Holder adds (via Twitter) Luck mentioned that his playing through injuries during the 2015 and ’16 seasons may be contributing to his current status. Holder doubts, based on Luck’s comments Monday, the seventh-year quarterback will participate in Indianapolis’ offseason program (Twitter link). Luck had hoped to partake in some of the Colts’ offseason work back in December.

The 28-year-old passer has a timetable but isn’t sharing that just yet, per Mike Chappell of Fox 59 (on Twitter). The Colts, of course, traded out of the No. 3 spot and collected high-value picks from the Jets to do so. They are not expected to draft a quarterback high, remaining committed to Luck’s recovery.

“I’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still a bit of the road to go,” Luck said, via Chappell. “I’m very excited to be back in the building.”

Jets Meet With DT Johnathan Hankins

April 5th, 2018 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins is visiting with the Jets, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Giants second-rounder was cut by the Colts in March after one year with the team. 

The Colts dropped Hankins as they switched to a 4-3 scheme, but the Jets are intrigued by the possibility of plugging Hankins in as their starting defensive tackle. Currently, Steve McLendon stands as the team’s top nose tackle in their 3-4 set.

Hankins recently met with the Redskins, but the two sides are said to be in a holding pattern. Washington may be unwilling to meet Hankins’ asking price, but the cash-flush Jets could have the room to pull off a deal.

Hankins, who turned 26 on Sunday, was the third-best run stopping defensive tackle in the league last year, per Pro Football Focus. Only Damon Harrison and Ndamukong Suh ranked better against ball carriers.

Colts Sign LB Najee Goode

April 4th, 2018 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have signed linebacker Najee Goode. Goode spent the last five years with the Eagles. 

Goode has 64 career appearances to his credit, not counting four postseason games, but only four starts. He also projects to serve in a reserve role for the Colts.

Goode saw the most snaps of his career in 2017 as he registered 19 tackles (12 solo) and three tackles for loss. He also started in the NFC Championship Game for the eventual world champs.

The Colts saw linebackers Jonathan Bostic and Barkevous Mingo leave in free agency, so Goode will help to fill one of those holes. John Simon and Antonio Morrison figure to start at two of the three LB spots in the Colts’ 4-3 scheme and they’re expected to look at outside linebackers in this month’s draft.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/4/18

April 4th, 2018 at 4:17pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: K/P Brett Maher
  • Waived: WR Brian Brown

Detroit Lions

  • Waived: QB Alek Torgersen

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Load More Posts