Indianapolis Colts
The Colts intend to carry quarterback Andrew Luck onto their initial 53-man roster rather than place him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, head coach Chuck Pagano tells Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Vontae Davis Has “Significant” Groin Injury]
That Indianapolis doesn’t plan on placing Luck on the PUP list does not mean he’ll be ready for the club’s season opener against the Rams on September 10 (or any of the Colts’ early-season contests). Instead, the decision to not put Luck on PUP only indicates he won’t be forced to miss the year’s first six games. Luck’s health status as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery has been murky, and neither Luck nor team owner Jim Irsay has committed to Luck playing in Week 1.
As of late July, Colts general manager Chris Ballard indicated the club would not sign another backup quarterback, instead opting to use veteran Scott Tolzien in place of Luck. Behind Tolzien, Indy doesn’t boast much experience, as Stephen Morris and Phillip Walker are the only other signal-callers on the roster. Tolzien is the only Colts passer aside from Luck with any starts under his belt, and he’s only started three career games.
Bad news for the Colts. Defensive back Vontae Davis will be missing multiple weeks with a groin injury, coach Chuck Pagano told reporters. He added that the injury is “significant.” 
[RELATED: Colts Center Ryan Kelly To Miss Time]
Davis was being counted on to start at left cornerback opposite of Quincy Wilson. Now, the Colts will have to lean more heavily on utility man Darius Butler as well as recent free agent pickups Corey White and Chris Culliver.
Last year, Davis was hampered by a ligament issue in his ankle, though he managed to tough it out and play in 14 of Indy’s regular season games. This time around, it’s a more serious injury that will require some serious rest.
Davis has been a pillar of the Colts’ defense ever since joining the team in 2012. He earned Pro Bowl nods in 2014 and 2015 and his performance was further validated by his exceptional marks from Pro Football Focus. Davis earned an insane 95.1 overall score in 2014 and followed it up with a solid 81.9 mark in ’15. Last year, PFF had Davis as one of the ten worst qualified CBs in the NFL.
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LS Taybor Pepper
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Jeff Overbaugh
- Waived/injured: Patrick Scales
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: P Will Monday
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Denver Broncos
- Waived/injured: DL Jimmy Bean
Detroit Lions
- Released: WR Keshawn Martin, TE Tim Wright
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: LS Derek Hart, WR Colby Pearson, RB William Stanback
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Earl Wolff
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Akeem Dent
- Waived from IR: CB Ezra Robinson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: LB Josh Mauga
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: K Travis Coons
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Michael Bart, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Nick Usher
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Audie Cole
- Placed on IR: TE Clay Harbor
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Daniel Gray
- Placed on IR: OL Adam Gettis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Mehdi Abdesmad, DL Hendrick Ekpe
- Waived: RB Blake Sims
- Placed on IR: Justin Trattou
The Colts have traded long snapper Thomas Hennessy to the Jets in exchange for safety Ronald Martin. Both teams confirmed the deal via press release on Monday morning.
The Jets’ acquisition of Martin is a sign that they are not pleased with long snapper Tanner Purdum. Purdum, the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, has a $400K guarantee on his contract but he has looked off throughout the summer. It seems possible that Purdum will be handed a pink slip between now and the 53-man deadline on Saturday.
Martin has appeared in eleven career games for the Jets over the last two years and also spent time on the practice squad. Martin first broke into the league undrafted free agent with the Seahawks in 2015. Collegiately, Martin played in 37 games at LSU and tallied 149 tackles, 20 passes defensed, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Hennessy, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, suited up for 52 games while with the Blue Devils. He played his high school football at New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep.
Some people didn’t believe that the Colts were serious about having a punting competition. They ought to be believed now. The team announced on Monday morning that punter Jeff Locke has been released.
The 27-year-old Locke (28 in September) signed with the Colts as a free agent in March after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings. He was given a two-year, $3.45MM deal to take over the for the retired Pat McAfee, but it will instead be undrafted rookie Rigoberto Sanchez handling that responsibility for Indianapolis.
McAfee was among the NFL’s top punters last year while Locke finished toward the bottom of the league in yards per punt and net average. Sanchez, meanwhile, averaged 44.8 yards per punt during his collegiate career at Hawaii.
To his credit, Locke ranked No. 5 in the league last year when it came to pinning opposing teams inside their 20-yard line.
Locke’s deal included $1.25MM in guaranteed cash, so he’ll have a nice chunk of change to hold him over until he finds his next gig.
- The odds of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck missing the team’s season opener against the Rams on Sept. 10 continue to increase, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. Luck, who underwent right shoulder surgery in January, remains on the active/physically unable to perform list with fewer than 10 practices left until Week 1. Head coach Chuck Pagano said Tuesday that there “no timetable” for Luck to return, leaving the team with the less-than-stellar Scott Tolzien as its No. 1 option under center as long as its prized starter is on the shelf.
Indianapolis Colts
Chris Culliver isn’t the only cornerback the Colts signed today. Indianapolis also inked corner Corey White, placed corner Darryl Morris on injured reserve, and waived/injured guard Blake Muir, the club announced.
The Colts are clearly on the hunt for defensive back depth, and White will give them just that. A four-game starter for the Bills in 2015, White appeared in 15 total contests and played on a roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. During that time, White posted 28 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. Additionally, White saw action on more than half of the Bills’ special teams plays.
White, 27, signed with the Jets in May, but was subsequently released from injured reserve earlier this month after suffering a back injury. Like Culliver, then, White’s health may be an important factor in just how much he can contribute early in the season. If available from a medical standpoint, White certainly boasts more experience than any Colts corner not named Vontae Davis.
Morris, meanwhile, was a rotational defensive back who appeared on 33.4% of Indianapolis’ plays in 2016. The 26-year-old started two games and earned a respectable No. 53 ranking among 110 qualified corners, per Pro Football Focus. It’s possible Morris will be released from injured reserve in the near future if he returns to full strength.
The Colts have agreed to sign free agent cornerback Chris Culliver, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal for Culliver, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com.
Culliver, 29, was a 14-game starter as recently as 2014, but his recent campaigns have been defined by injury. After being released by the Redskins last spring, Culliver sat on the free agent market until landing a one-year deal with the Dolphins in August. Still recovering from a torn ACL, Culliver began the season on the PUP list and was ultimately cut in November without ever having played a down for Miami.
The Colts — who worked Culliver out today, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com (Twitter link) — can use all the secondary help they can get after ranking 26th in passing DVOA a year ago. Vontae Davis is Indianapolis’ only established cornerback, as second-round rookie Quincy Wilson is set to start opposite him with Darius Butler in the slot. Rashaan Melvin, Darryl Morris, Nate Hairston, and Chris Milton round out the rest of the Colts’ corner depth.
Given that uninspiring cast of characters, it’s entirely possible that Culliver could earn ample playing time early in the season. The condition of his knee, which ultimately led to his release in Miami, will likely determine if Culliver is able to contribute on a weekly basis.