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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts Release Kendall Langford

August 9th, 2017 at 4:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Colts announced that they have released defensive end Kendall Langford with a failed physical designation. Langford had been on the Colts’ active/physically unable to perform list recovering from the knee injury that ended his 2016 campaign in late October.

Kendall Langford

The 31-year-old Langford’s knee has been a problem since after the 2015 season, when he underwent arthroscopic surgery. Langford returned in time for Week 1 last year, but he only lasted seven games before the Colts placed him on injured reserve. All told, Langford played 301 snaps and tallied 10 tackles. Notably, he failed to register a sack for just the second time in his nine-year career and the first time since 2011, when he was with the Dolphins.

Last season was the second in Indianapolis for Langford, who joined the team in March 2015 on a four-year, $17.2MM pact. Langford came to the Colts with an impressive track record of durability and continued that through 2015, appearing in 128 consecutive games to begin his career, and notched a personal-best seven sacks in Indy during his first season with the club.

Since going in the third round of the 2008 draft, Langford has piled up 135 appearances (113 starts) out of a possible 144 with the Dolphins, Rams and Colts. By releasing him, the Colts have saved $4MM of his $4.25MM cap number for 2017 and left themselves with Henry Anderson, Hassan Ridgeway, Margus Hunt and fourth-round rookie Grover Stewart at defensive end.

Chester Rogers Changes Agents

August 7th, 2017 at 9:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers has changed representation, hiring Rosenhaus Sports to replace Warren and Simpson, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal. As a former undrafted free agent, Rogers is eligible to renegotiate his contract after only two seasons (in his case, following the 2017 season). Thus far, Rogers hasn’t done enough to earn an extension, as he managed only 19 receptions for 273 yards during his rookie campaign. However, the 23-year-old Rogers has been working as the Colts’ No. 3 receiver during training camp, ahead of Kamar Aiken and Phillip Dorsett, reports Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Colts Sign Olympic Sprinter Marvin Bracy

August 7th, 2017 at 6:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have signed wide receiver/Olympic sprinter Marvin Bracy, the club announced today. In a related move, Indianapolis has waived/injured wideout Harvey Binford.Marvin Bracy (Vertical)

Bracy, 23, was a 100-meter Olympian at the Rio Games and is a former United States 60-meter dash champion. He spent a year on the Florida State football team as a redshirt before leaving the program to focus on track. As such, Bracy hasn’t played football since 2012, although he was an All-American in high school.

At 5’9″, Bracy doesn’t offer elite size, but he’s considered a “great raw talent” as a wideout, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported earlier this year. Bracy tried out for the Panthers at their rookie minicamp in May, while the Saints were also interested in the former Seminole.

The Colts current have a dozen wide receivers on their roster, a group that includes T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Kamar Aiken, Chester Rogers, Phillip Dorsett, Quan Bray, and others.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/17

August 6th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s a list of today’s minor moves:

  • A day after the Dolphins cut him, tackle Terry Poole landed with the Texans via waiver claim, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Poole was initially a Seahawks fourth-round pick but hasn’t yet played in an NFL game.
  • The Saints worked out their longtime long snapper Justin Drescher this week and reached an agreement to bring him back on Sunday, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate reports. Sean Payton had been frustrated by the long snapping during camp recently, and the team made the decision to release veteran Thomas Gafford and Chase Dominguez on Sunday. Drescher returns to the Saints after spending the past seven seasons in New Orleans. The team did not re-sign the 29-year-old specialist after his contract expired following last season.
  • Former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox cleared waivers and will revert to the Colts‘ IR list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Titans have signed RB Brandon Radcliff, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). They waived/injured Victor Ochi to make room, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets. Ochi tore his ACL on Friday.
  • The Steelers have signed cornerback JaCorey Shepherd and cut defensive end Nelson Adams. Originally a sixth-round Eagles selection in 2015, Shepherd followed Chip Kelly to San Francisco and played in 11 games for the 49ers last season.

Colts Waive/Injured Mo Alie-Cox

August 5th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Ben Levine

Mo Alie-Cox‘s dream of switching from the hardwood to the gridiron took a bit of a hit on Saturday, as the Colts announced that they have waived-injured the former Virginia Commonwealth University forward. The team has signed tight end Steven Wroblewski to take the open roster spot. If Alie-Cox passes through waivers, he’ll land on the Colts injured reserve.

Mo Alie-Cox (vertical)The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Alie-Cox played four seasons on VCU’s basketball team, but he decided to pursue an NFL career following graduation. Considering his height, the player was signed as a tight end, although he allowed teams to audition him at a variety of different positions during his spring workout. He ultimately decided to sign with the Colts in April.

His lack of football experience predictably made him a project, so it might not necessarily be a bad thing if Alie-Cox slips through waivers and has a “red shirt year” on the IR. On the flip side, an assortment of teams had interest in the prospect, including the Buccaneers, Seahawks, Jets, Eagles, and Chargers (via Zak Keefer of IndyStar.com). There’s always a chance one of these teams is willing to take the gamble and claim the 23-year-old.

Wroblewski, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Southern Utah, spent time with the Cardinals earlier this offseason. In 21 games between 2015 and 2016, the tight end hauled in 63 catches for 770 yards and three touchdowns. Wroblewski will presumably replace Alie-Cox’s spot on the depth chart behind Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, and Brandon Williams.

Chester Rogers Emerging As Colts' No. 3 WR

August 2nd, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Both the Texans and No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would like to reach a long-term deal this summer, and odds are that it will happen, suggests John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hopkins, due to make $7.9MM as a fifth-year option player this season, became all the more important to the Texans’ cause for 2017 after No. 2 receiver Will Fuller suffered a broken collarbone Wednesday. Fuller’s multi-month absence could mean even more opportunities for Hopkins, who easily led the Texans in both targets and receptions in each of the previous two seasons. Despite having to catch passes from middling or worse quarterbacks throughout his career, Hopkins has a history of terrific production. Thanks to his output thus far, the 25-year-old looks poised to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid wideouts in the coming weeks.

More from the AFC:

  • Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is keeping all options on the table beyond 2017, including retirement and playing a few more years. “I hope (to play multiple future seasons), but I’m only going to focus on this year,” Roethlisberger revealed Wednesday (via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review). Whether the 35-year-old sticks around will depend somewhat on how much of a beating his offensive line allows him to take this season. “If those guys up front are playing as well as they have been playing, getting sacked (a career-low) 17 times in (2016) — it might keep me around a little longer,” he said.
  • With 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett and free agent signing Kamar Aiken, the Colts have a pair of notable receivers behind starters T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. However, the unheralded Chester Rogers has emerged as Indy’s likely No. 3 wideout, according to Kevin Bowen of the team’s website. As an undrafted rookie last year, Rogers accrued 34 targets and 19 catches in 14 games (two starts), and he averaged 14.4 yards per catch. Both Dorsett and Aiken bettered Rogers’ counting stats in 2016, but the second-year man has nonetheless turned into a “virtual 12th starter for the Colts,” writes Bowen.
  • Defensive tackle Roy Miller‘s contract with the Chiefs is a one-year, $1.4MM pact that could be worth up to $2.5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal includes $300K in guarantees.

Colts Make Two Moves

August 2nd, 2017 at 5:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • The Colts signed offensive tackle and Arturo Uzdavinis and waived fellow OT Jerry Ugokwe. Uzdavinis is up to his sixth club since he went undrafted from Tulane a year ago, having previously been with the Texans, Bears, Jaguars, Lions and Vikings. Ugokwe’s time with the Colts is up after nearly three months. The undrafted rookie from William & Mary inked a deal with them May 4.

Andrew Luck Could Start Season On PUP?

August 1st, 2017 at 6:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck didn’t commit to playing in Week 1, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has heard “rumblings” that Luck could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would force him to miss the first six games of the 2017 season."<strong

Luck is currently on active/PUP, the preseason version of the physically unable to perform list that doesn’t allow the player to practice. If Luck practices, even for one day, he’ll have to be removed from active/PUP and won’t be allowed to be transferred to reserve/PUP (the regular season edition that requires a six-game absence). But if Luck is held out of action for the remainder of the preseason, the Colts will have the option of using the reserve/PUP list.

Still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Luck did tell reporters on Sunday that he “can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” an indication that the 27-year-old signal-caller ultimately believes he’ll be ready for the season opener. General manager Chris Ballard, too, seems confident Luck will be removed from PUP in time for Week 1.

If Luck isn’t available when the regular season rolls around, Indianapolis will turn to backup Scott Tolzien, who has three career starts under his belt. The only other quarterbacks on the Colts’ roster are Stephen Morris and Phillip Walker, an undrafted rookie out of Temple. Indianapolis would likely be forced to add another passer if Luck isn’t active for Week 1, and free agent options include Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill, and Christian Ponder.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/17

July 31st, 2017 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

A roundup of today’s minor transactions:

  • The Cardinals signed cornerback Jarell Carter and waived/injured linebacker Alani Fua (knee) and cornerback Ronald Zamort (knee). Zamort appeared to be ahead of Brandon Williams on the Cardinals’ depth chart at the time of his season-ending ACL tear.
  • The Bengals waived kicker Jonathan Brown, which means the team’s kicking competition is down to Jake Elliott and Randy Bullock. To fill his roster spot, the Bengals signed safety Cedric Thompson.
  • The Colts claimed former Denver tight end Henry Krieger-Coble on waivers. To make room, the Colts waived tight end Colin Jeter.
  • The Eagles signed cornerback Tay Glover-Wright to a one-year contract, per a club announcement. Glover-Wright is an undrafted free agent with Utah State with just two games of NFL experience on his resume.
  • Wide receiver K.J. Maye, who played in college at Minnesota, has been signed to the Patriots‘ 90-man roster.
  • The 49ers announced that they’ve claimed wide receiver Tim Patrick off waivers from Baltimore and waived/injured fellow wideout B.J. Johnson.
  • The Chiefs have signed free agent wide receivers Corey Washington and Rob Wheelwright, and waived wide receiver Antwan Goodley and tight end Emanuel Byrd.
  • The Saints have signed former South Carolina linebacker Jonathan Walton, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate.

Andrew Luck Does Not Commit To Playing Week 1

July 30th, 2017 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

Last week, Colts GM Chris Ballard said Andrew Luck was on target to come off of the PUP list in time for the season opener, but as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets, Luck himself is not ready to commit to that date. Luck spoke to the media yesterday morning, and while he said he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, he wanted to take a wait-and-see approach with respect to his short-term availability.

Andrew Luck

Luck said, “There’s no reason to freak out. I’ll be better coming out of this than I was going into this. We’re doing this right, I know we are. We’re not rushing it just to rush it” (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, citing Zak Keefer of IndyStarSports).

Luck has been a regular at the Colts’ facility after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but as spring turned to summer, it became increasingly clear that he would not be ready for the start of training camp, and that he may be held out for the entirety of the team’s preseason slate. Although it would be preferable for him to get in at least some work this summer, there is no reason for the Colts to rush him given his experience and his long-term importance to the team.

Scott Tolzien will take first-team reps in Luck’s stead, and the fact that Ballard did not bring in a more established quarterback this offseason to compete with Tolzien can be taken as a sign of optimism for Luck’s health.

Last year, Luck completed 63.5% of his passes, accumulated 4,240 yards through the air, and threw for 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. It was a nice bounce back for the 27-year-old after an injury-plagued 2015. This year, the hope is that he’ll revert to his Pro Bowl form and lead the Colts to the playoffs.

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