- After leaving last night’s game against Houston, an MRI revealed that Colts tight end Dwayne Allen has a sprained ankle and is now week-to-week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). As Rapoport notes, that designation likely means that Allen is set to be sidelined for at least some time. Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope will hold down the fort at tight end until Allen can return.
- The Colts have waived cornerback Frankie Williams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Williams was promoted from the practice squad prior to Sunday night’s game against Houston.
The Colts managed to win their Week 5 game despite coming off the London trip without a bye, but they’re not exactly on the level they were during the early years of Andrew Luck‘s career, having gone 10-11 over the past 21 games. Ryan Grigson‘s served as GM since the team’s latest franchise quarterback arrived and has come under fire for some of the organization’s decisions in recent years and most recently his comments regarding Luck’s contract constraining the team from building a defense.
He spoke with WTHR’s Bob Kravitz about some of the primary issues facing the team.
On the Colts’ track record in the drafts for which he was responsible:
“If you went just chronologically, 2012 is arguably one of the best drafts in Colts history. I say that with a straight face; I don’t know if there is one better. [Is] 2013 as good as 2012 was? You know, it wasn’t. But I do include Vontae [Davis] in that group; he was a second-round pick that we used for that draft [via trade], and he ended up being our second-most impactful player, I would say, on our team the last five years. I think it’s fair to say. But from ’14 through ’16, we’ve got 11 starters, and in the last two years, I think we’ve done really well, and have really nailed the last two drafts.”
On the team’s somewhat maligned reputation in bringing in outside free agents in recent years.
“Not good enough. A lot of times going in, it is a losing proposition. A lot of times the house does win with free agency, and that’s the old adage, and that’s something that Jim Irsay’s even exclaimed. … It’s got to be better, and now we’re going to have to be a lot more selective with our free agents. … But the other thing, I think, that gets left out of the equation a lot is how our contracts are structured for these free agents. We have a lot of flexibility in the out years, and it keeps us in really good cap health because we’ve been very disciplined in our approach from a cap sense.”
On the notion Indianapolis’ defense — currently ranked 30th — will be more of a grass-roots build because of the extensions given to Luck, T.Y. Hilton and Anthony Castonzo.
“I’m being completely transparent of where we are fiscally, the environment we’re in when you make those type of investments. Not only signing your own and the huge contracts we did — and that’s T.Y., [Castonzo], all those guys including our quarterback — you’re in a different fiscal environment than you’ve ever been in before. That’s just the facts. That’s reality. But we have to be able to, within that environment, we have to be able to hit like no other on the draft; those select free agents that we are able to sign, that we do have the funds to sign, we have to nail them.
“I have to be able to find [contributors] late in the draft, because our resources are shrunk to a degree. I do like always trying to acquire extra picks, and we’ve been successful doing that in every draft for the most part, so the more picks you get, the better; the more comp picks you get, the better.”
Friday’s practice squad moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OT Jeremy Vujnovich (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: LB Don Cherry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- To be signed on Monday: TE Tevin Westbrook (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)
The Colts announced that they have promoted cornerback Frankie Williams to active roster and signed linebacker Chris Carter. To make room, linebacker Trevor Bates and tackle Jeremy Vujnovich have been let go. 
Williams, a Purdue product, went undrafted this year and signed on with the Colts in May. It initially looked like he was going to make the roster, but he was dropped in early September for veteran Darryl Morris. Williams joined Indianapolis’ practice squad soon after and his persistence has finally garnered him a place on the 53-man roster. With Darius Butler and Patrick Robinson banged up, Williams will offer depth during the Colts’ Sunday night contest against the Texans.
Carter, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick of the Steelers in the 2011 draft. He has just four NFL starts to his credit, but he could be used in a pass rush role off the bench.
- Offensive tackle Pierce Burton worked out for the Colts today, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
In a bit of a surprising move, the Colts have activated defensive end Arthur Jones from the Exempt/Commissioner Permission list, reports Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). It was expected that coach Chuck Pagano would wait at least another week to add the veteran to the active roster. Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star wrote earlier this week that Jones wasn’t expected to play this weekend.
“We’ll make the smartest decision that’s best for this team and what’s best for Art,” Pagano said at the time. “I just don’t want to throw him out there without some time to task.”
The 30-year-old was suspended for the first four games of the season after violating the league’s PED policy. This was just the latest setback for Jones, who originally joined the Colts on a five-year, $33MM deal in 2014. Following four productive seasons with the Ravens, the veteran’s first season in Indy was a disappointment. The defense end finished the 2014 season with only 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in nine games (three starts). Jones ended up tearing ligaments in his ankle prior to the 2015 season, sitting him out for the entire campaign. The franchise ultimately reworked the defensive end’s contract, reducing his 2016 salary from $4.5MM to $2.5MM.
As Keefer detailed, this may be the final opportunity for Jones to prove that he belongs in the organization… and perhaps even the NFL.
“I just have to do my job,” Jones said. “And by that (I mean) staying on the field. You get hurt. When you play football long enough, things will happen. I never thought it was because of my ability. It just wasn’t my time, I guess. Everything happens for a reason.”
Jones currently doesn’t project to be any more than the Colts’ second-string defensive end. As Roster Resource details, the veteran will presumably compete with rookie Hassan Ridgeway for the opportunity to back up starters Kendall Langford and Henry Anderson.
When the Colts signed quarterback Andrew Luck to a record-breaking six-year, $140MM contract, the team was probably anticipating (at the very least) consistent playoff appearances. They certainly weren’t expecting a disappointing 1-3 start to the 2016 season.
The Colts have struggled mightily through the first month of the season. The offensive line has allowed a league-high 15 sacks, while the defense ranks towards the bottom of the league in both yards and points allowed. Most pundits would attribute the Colts’ problems to their head coach, Chuck Pagano. Perhaps they’d rather blame the architect of the roster, general manager Ryan Grigson. However, in a recent interview on Jay Mohr Sports, Grigson actually placed the blame on Luck’s giant contract.
“On defense, we’ve never come out and said it’s Super Bowl or bust this year,” Grigson said (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). “We have a defense that is a work in progress. … Once we paid Andrew (Luck) what we did, it’s going to take some time to build on the other side of the ball.”
Sure, Luck’s $24.6MM salary for 2016 is the highest in the league, but the contract shouldn’t prevent the organization from building a solid squad around their franchise player. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes, Luck’s contract isn’t a “position buster,” meaning his deal isn’t egregious when compared to the fifth-highest player at his position. Signing a player to such a contract means the team may have to sacrifice “two low level veteran depth guys for younger talent.” However, as Fitzgerald notes, that “should not change the top level composition of the team.”
Futhermore, Luck’s contract shouldn’t restrict the Colts from making moves in the future, either. Over the next six seasons, Luck’s contract will never account for more than 15-percent of the cap. For comparison’s sake, Peyton Manning accounted for a similar amount of the Broncos cap last season, and that team managed to win a Super Bowl behind an elite defense. Plus, the team ranks 19th in total contract value per year, which (if managed properly) shouldn’t prevent the team from building a solid foundation around Luck.
The team’s biggest offseason signings on defense, cornerbacks Patrick Robinson and Antonio Cromartie, haven’t played a significant role in 2016, and the latter was even released earlier this week. Meanwhile, Grigson has only used 16 of his 38 draft picks on defensive players, which
makes it tough to develop a talented and productive unit. Fitzgerald notes that the team has also overspent on free agents Gosder Cherilus, LaRon Landry, and Greg Toler in recent years. They haven’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2012, and they sent out another first-rounder for running back Trent Richardson. When you look at it that way, it’s especially hard to blame the quarterback’s contract.
When all is said and done, the Colts should have anticipated this “predicament.” Fitzgerald estimates that a team should expect to spend at least $19.5MM a season on a franchise quarterback, and plenty of teams have succeeded despite paying that kind of money. Furthermore, the team failed to take advantage of Luck’s team-friendly rookie contract, another slight on Grigson’s shaky record.
Fortunately, there’s reason for optimism, Colts fans: Grigson isn’t panicking!
“The thing about is, we’re all accountable,” Grigson said. “Myself is accountable. Our coach always brings that up to the team constantly, we’re all accountable in this thing. We’re accountable to ourselves. We’re accountable to our owner, the horseshoe and all that. … Coach and I have a lot of faith in this team. It’s an early season. There are a lot of good 1-3 teams right now. There’s no reason to panic.”
However, if the Colts continue to struggle and Grigson continues to displace the blame, the general manager’s attitude will undoubtedly change.
Jerrell Freeman sensed the Colts were planning to move on without him after they signed Nate Irving to a three-year, $7.25MM deal last spring. But he still tried to give them a chance to exceed the Bears’ offer a year later.
“I went into free agency and it was pretty much, ‘Good luck,’” Freeman said, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. “Even when I did get the Bears’ offer and we tried to go back to them. They were like, ‘Yeah, this is a good deal; take it.’ I guess it [was] over.”
The Bears ended up signing the 30-year-old inside linebacker to a three-year, $12MM accord. He’d hoped to stay with the Colts after leading or being second on the team in tackles from 2012-15 but saw the team move on and go with Irving and Sio Moore. Both are no longer with Indianapolis after recent cuts.
Freeman played for the $2.35MM RFA tender last season while seeing Irving, a former third-round Broncos pick who was coming off a season-ending injury at the time, receive the multiyear commitment. The Colts also traded a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Moore, whom they cut Tuesday.
Indianapolis’ initial offer to retain Freeman — submitted several weeks before free agency began — was the three-year, $12MM commitment the Bears proposed. But the Chicago deal included $2.5MM in incentives that proved to be the difference, Holder reports, who adds Ryan Grigson preferred to spend Freeman’s money on cornerback Patrick Robinson.
“They ended up signing Nate and paying him more than I made that year. That kind had me off a little bit,” Freeman said. “Ah man, is that how it is? Later on after that year, it was one of those take-it-or-leave-it-type things. I was like, four years and that’s how it is? Take or leave it?”
In the teams’ Week 5 matchup, the Bears will deploy Freeman and fellow UFA signing Danny Trevathan at inside linebacker, while the Colts may use fourth-round rookie Antonio Morrison alongside D’Qwell Jackson. Freeman has 41 tackles this season after making 112 in 13 games in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Rory Anderson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Luke Rhodes (Twitter link via Mich Chappell of CBS4)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: CB Tre Roberson (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
- Cut: LB Quentin Gause
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, LB Darnell Sankey (via Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Josh Keyes