Colts Waive TE Jason Vander Laan
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
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
- ESPN’s Mel Kiper looked at several late-round rookies who could immediately make an impact with their new squad. Offensively, Kiper pointed to Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, Colts running backs Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines, and Steelers “Swiss Army knife” Jaylen Samuels. Defensively, Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat, Rams linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo led Kiper’s list.
[SOURCE LINK]
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: RB John Crockett
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: LB Jermaine Grace (from Colts)
New York Jets
- Claimed: DB C.J. Goodwin (from Cardinals)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: OT Jake Rodgers (from Texans)
Jerrell Freeman Retires From NFL
Jerrell Freeman is calling it a career. On Wednesday, Freeman announced his retirement via Twitter. 
“I will be retiring from the NFL today,” Freeman wrote. “My health and my family are my top priorities. . . . Thank you Bears, Colts, Roughriders, and yes, even the Titans (where I only had a cup of coffee, haha). You will always be like family. Its been a long and rewarding journey.”
Freeman, who turned 32 on Wednesday, inked a three-year pact with Chicago prior to the 2016 campaign. Unfortunately, injuries and suspensions limited him to just 13 games over the past two years. Last season, Freeman suffered a torn pectoral in Week 1 and was subsequently banned for 10 games due to his second performance-enhancing drug policy violation. Had he continued playing, the ban would have carried over to the first two games of 2018.
When his suspension was announced last October, Freeman said that he had been suffering from memory loss and other side effects due to head trauma. Hopefully, Freeman will be able to mount a recovery as he steps away from the gridiron.
Freeman’s first NFL came in 2008 when he signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent. After that, he hooked on with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and did not return to the NFL until 2012 when he signed on with the Colts. Freeman went on to start in all 70 of his NFL games and tallied nearly 650 tackles in total.
Colts Sign 10 UDFAs
The Colts announced the signing of the following ten undrafted free agents:
- Michael Badgley, K (Miami)
- Chris Cooper, S (Stony Brook)
- Lashard Durr, CB (Mississippi State)
- Steve Ishmael, WR (Syracuse)
- Robert Jackson, CB (UNLV)
- Tomasi Laulile, DT (BYU)
- Skai Moore, LB (South Carolina)
- George Odum, S (Central Arkansas)
- William Ossai, LB (San Jose State)
- Henre’ Toliver, CB (Arkansas)
Moore, who seemed likely to be taken during Day 3 of the draft, is the biggest name in this group. Moore led his team in tackles in all four of his seasons (interrupted by a medical redshirt year to rehab from a herniated disk in 2016), but evaluators worried about his lack of size and speed. The slim 6’2″ linebacker will now try to catch on as a reserve behind starters John Simon, Antonio Morrison, and Najee Goode.
The Colts seem well set at kicker with Adam Vinatieri under contract for another season, but Badgley will try to give him a run for his money. At The U, Badgley connected on 79.4% of his field goal tries, including a career-long 57-yarder in 2015.
To help make room for the UDFAs, the Colts released a number of players on Tuesday morning, including running back Matt Jones.
Saints Sign QB J.T. Barrett
J.T. Barrett did not hear his name called during last week’s draft, but at least one team believes highly in his potential. The Saints have signed the former Ohio State quarterback to a three-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The deal comes with no guarantee, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter), so the Saints can drop him between now and the fall without fiscal penalty. Before signing with New Orleans, Barrett also had an invite to try out for the Colts and had interest from other clubs, so there was a decent market for three-time First Team All-Big Ten player.
Barrett may have a real chance at making the Saints’ final cut given that Tom Savage and Taysom Hill are the only other QBs behind starter Drew Brees. Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, began the 2017 season as the Texans’ starter but quickly lost the job to Deshaun Watson. He regained the starting job when Watson went down, but, unfortunately, his most memorable moment of the year came when he was allowed to continue playing in a game after a scary concussion that left him shaking on the ground. He finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions.
Barrett completed 63.5% of his passes over four years at Ohio State with 104 touchdowns against 30 picks.
Colts Waive RB Matt Jones
The Colts announced that they have waived running back Matt Jones. Linebackers Darnell Sankey and Jermaine Grace, wide receiver Justice Liggins, nose tackle Joey Mbu, and defensive end Arthur Miley were also waived while defensive tackle Johnathan Calvin was waived-injured. 
Jones was once primed to be the Redskins’ primary running back, but he slipped down the team’s depth chart over time. The Redskins waived Jones after they were unable find a trade partner for him, leading him to the Colts. He cycled between the Colts’ active roster and practice squad throughout last year, but the team has decided against keeping him on the expanded roster now that the draft has concluded.
The Colts selected NC State’s Nyheim Hines in the fourth round and Mississippi’s Jordan Wilkins in the fifth round, so there was little hope for Jones to make the final cut. Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin project to be the Colts’ lead rushers while Christine Michael and Josh Ferguson will battle alongside the two rookies for a place on the roster.
Jones, a 6’2″, 239-pound athlete, has played in 25 career games with seven starts. All in all, he has averaged 3.9 yards per carry with six rushing touchdowns.
Sankey appeared in six games for the Colts last year and spent time on the team’s practice squad. He wrapped up the year on the Ravens’ taxi squad, but circled back to the Colts for a futures deal in January.
Chubb Chance Would've Induced Colts Debate
- Chris Ballard said, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, the Colts‘ decision to make Quenton Nelson this year’s No. 6 overall pick was the easiest draft decision he’d made in 19 years (Twitter link). However, if Bradley Chubb would have remained on the board, Ballard admitted (via Holder, on Twitter) it would have been a much tougher call. Had the Broncos and Bills been able to swing a deal, the Colts would have been faced with that decision. But when the Bills contacted the Colts about a trade for No. 6, Ballard appeared to intimate he was fixated on Nelson.
Bills’ Offers Didn’t Include Both First-Round Picks?
Brandon Beane attempted to clarify a few things about his first draft with the Bills, and he offered some detail about what the Bills were and weren’t offering to move up from their No. 12 position.
A report Saturday night indicated the Bills were offering the Broncos both of their 2018 first-round picks in order to move into Denver’s No. 5 spot, but Beane said that wasn’t the case. The second-year GM said Broncos wanted both of the Bills’ first-rounders for the right to move back into the Bills’ No. 12 spot, but he didn’t want to sacrifice both picks to make that move.
However, a report from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicated the Broncos and Bills had a deal in place before the Browns passed on Bradley Chubb. If the Bills didn’t offer Nos. 12 and 22, and reportedly a Round 2 pick as well, to move up, it’s unclear what was the agreed-upon proposal — if, in fact, the sides did have a trade set to transpire if the Browns chose Chubb at No. 4.
Beane also wasn’t willing to part with his 2019 first-rounder. The GM said (via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, on Twitter) two teams wanted Buffalo’s 2019 first-round pick, but he did not end up moving it on a night that saw the Bills trade up for Josh Allen without sacrificing the No. 22 pick — which ended up being used to trade back up for Tremaine Edmunds.
The Bills then discussed potential deals with the Colts and Bears before working out a trade package with the Buccaneers.
“Five was the spot I thought we could get a reasonable deal, but 5 was gonna cost us pick 22,” Beane said, via One Bills Live (video link). “I had already checked with Indy and knew they had honed in on a guy. They were like, ‘Unless our guy’s gone, we’re picking.’ Tampa had said, ‘We got a guy, and (a trade is) gonna take a lot.’ And Chicago had a guy.
“So now you’re creeping close to Miami, who’d been scouting quarterbacks, and Arizona was in range for what they could do. So I was getting very fearful they could creep in and get the guy we wanted.”
It turned out the Buccaneers were willing to move out of No. 7, taking Vita Vea at No. 12, after the Colts selected Quenton Nelson. The Bears ended up with Roquan Smith at No. 8.