Although the Colts are now thin at linebacker following D’Qwell Jackson‘s four-game suspension, Indianapolis is unlikely to forge a reunion with free agent Nate Irving, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Irving, whom Indy released in September, worked out for the Colts in last month, but is still looking for a contract. Instead, Indianapolis is likely to hand reserve ‘backer Edwin Jackson more playing time.
- The Colts announced that they have elevated rookie inside linebacker Luke Rhodes to the active roster. The William & Mary product had been on the team’s practice squad since early October.
[SOURCE LINK]
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Charles Gaines
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Stefan McClure
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OT Rob Crisp
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Brandon Dixon
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: CB Randall Evans
- The Colts have waived tight end Mike McFarland off injured reserve, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). McFarland, a 2015 undrafted free agent, signed with Indianapolis this March but was placed on IR just two months later.
The Colts are losing a starting linebacker for the rest of the regular season. D’Qwell Jackson has been handed a four-game ban for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, according to a team announcement. 
Obviously, this is a big blow to the 6-6 Colts as they fight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now, they will likely move Edwin Jackson into a starting role. The Colts also have ILBs Antonio Morrison and Deon King in reserve.
Jackson has appeared in and started in all 12 of the Colts’ games so far this season. This year, he has 78 total tackles with one sack and two fumble recoveries. He’s doing alright in terms of traditional stats, but the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus say he’s just the 79th best linebacker in the NFL out of 89 qualified players. In fact, Edwin Jackson is ranked higher at No. 74. For what it’s worth, Morrison and King have weak grades in their limited sample size this season.
This isn’t Jackson’s first misstep. In March, he was found guilty of simple assault, stemming from a February 2015 altercation with a delivery driver.
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408
The Colts will see the return of their best player when they face the Jets on Monday Night Football, as quarterback Andrew Luck has emerged from the league’s concussion protocol and will start in a critical Week 13 contest, the club announced today.
[RELATED: Colt Activate Trent Cole]
Indianapolis was forced to turn to backup signal-caller Scott Tolzien against the Steelers on Thanksgiving Day, and the Colts predictably struggled to generate any sort of consistent offense (though the club’s defense perhaps shoulders more of the blame for that Week 12 loss). The Colts now sit with a record 6-6, one game behind the AFC South-leading Texans, and a half-game behind the Titans, who are on bye.
Heading into their matchup against the Jets, the Colts have a 20.7% chance of earning a postseason berth, according to Football Outsiders, and the path to playoffs almost assuredly entails taking the division crown thanks to the strength of other AFC wild card contenders. A victory over New York would bump those odds to roughly 30%, tweets Brian Burke of ESPN.com, while a loss would drop them to the 10-15% range.
The news and signals on Luck coming out of Indianapolis had been positive all week, as he was spotted on the practice field as early as Monday. Additionally, the Colts opted to waive quarterback Stephen Morris when activating linebacker Trent Cole, a clear indication that Luck was looking at an imminent return to game action.
Friday’s practice squad changes:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: QB Joe Callahan
- Cut: WR Dez Stewart
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB Stephen Morris
- Cut: DT Kelcy Quarles
New England Patriots
- Signed: FB Glenn Gronkowski
- Cut: TE Kennard Backman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
- Cut: TE Anthony Denham
It’s official – Trent Cole is back. The Colts announced that they have activated the linebacker. To make room, quarterback Stephen Morris has been dropped. 
Cole was placed on IR earlier this season and was long thought to be the team’s top candidate for return. His 21-day window was kickstarted earlier this week but after a few days of evaluation Indianapolis decided that he is good to go.
Morris became superfluous when Andrew Luck returned to the lineup. Initially, Morris was brought in to serve as the backup for Scott Tolzien as Luck recovered from a concussion. Now, Morris will be subject to waivers. If he passes through, it’s possible that the Colts will re-sign him to the practice squad.
The Colts are now 5-6 after their Week 12 loss to the Steelers. If they want any chance of making the playoffs, they probably have to run the table from here on out.
- Linebacker Beniquez Brown, cornerback Trae Elston, tight end Gabe Hughes, and quarterback Keith Wenning worked out for the Colts today, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Indianapolis has been hit with injuries all over its roster, and Wenning, in particular, could be a safety net in case Andrew Luck suffers a setback in his recovery from a concussion.