- The Colts are working out former Panthers offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila, Mike Chappell of Fox59 tweets. The Panthers selected Kugbila in the fourth round of the 2013 draft but he has yet to play a single professional snap due to various injuries.
- The Colts have signed TE Konrad Reuland and waived TE Nick Truesdell, as Mike Chappell of Fox59 tweets.
Though their depth chart is lacking behind their top three receivers, the Colts are unlikely to sign a veteran pass-catcher any time soon, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), who adds that it’s “practically certain” general manager Ryan Grigson & Co. are not interested in adding an experienced option.
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The Colts, of course, were burned by last year’s veteran wide receiver addition, as Andre Johnson posted the worst season of his 13-year career, managing only 41 receptions for just over 500 yards before being released this spring. Depth option Griff Whalen was also cut this offseason, meaning that Indianapolis has little in the way of depth behind T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, though 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett will be asked to play a lot more than the 212 snaps he saw last season. As Roster Resource shows, Quan Bray, Josh Stangby, and Josh Boyce are next in line behind Indy’s starting trio.
Several veteran wideouts, including Johnson and Anquan Boldin, have found new homes this week, but other options such as Roddy White, Devin Hester, Marques Colston, James Jones, Brian Hartline, and Denarius Moore still remain on the free agent board. Both White and Hester recently reiterated their desire to continue playing in 2016, and Hester said this morning that seven clubs have already reached out to him. One other intriguing name could be Vincent Brown, who was recently released with an injury settlement by the Saints — Brown spent last summer on the Colts roster before being let go during final cutdowns, so he could be a familiar face for Indianapolis, provided he’s healthy.
Brian Tyms, meanwhile, could have been a candidate to scratch out a role on Indy’s roster, but the former Patriots receiver was placed on injured reserve today, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). To replace Tyms, the Colts signed fellow wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived in early June.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- The Colts signed tight end Nick Truesdell and waived fellow tight end Mike Miller from the non-football injury list, Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets.
- The Buccaneers have cut cornerback Joel Ross, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). They’ve also been awarded corner Daniel Davie off waivers from the Colts, per Wilson.
- The Colts have signed running back Abou Toure, waived cornerback Daniel Davie, and placed running back Tyler Varga on the reserve/retired list, the club announced today.
- Tight end Chase Coffman will be signing with the Colts, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Coffman was most recently with Seattle.
- The Colts will have to make a decision on Arthur Jones after his latest setback — a four-game suspension for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy — since the former Ravens defensive end has not remotely delivered on the five-year, $33MM contract he signed before the 2014 season, Mike Wells of ESPN.com offers. Limited by ankle injuries prior to this suspension, Jones has played nine games in two seasons for the Colts. The oldest brother in a family that’s been scrutinized over the past year, with Chandler Jones and UFC fighter Jon Jones also running into trouble, Arthur Jones will lose $588K as a result of this suspension. But the Colts are uncertain about when his backup, Henry Anderson, will be back after a season-ending injury in Week 9 marred his offseason as well.
Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is under Texans control for two more seasons, but he’d like to remain in Houston a lot longer than that. “I love this city. I don’t want to play anywhere else but here,” the 24-year-old said Friday, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Hopkins didn’t go into detail, however, about the type of long-term deal he’s seeking. “I’m not looking for a certain range. I just want to be treated for what I’m worth. That’s fair to say, right?”
There’s no word on whether Hopkins and the Texans are progressing toward an extension, but general manager Rick Smith is eager to retain the 2013 first-round pick from Clemson. “He certainly is one of those guys that we’re going to keep around here for a long time hopefully,” Smith stated.
Worst-case scenario, Hopkins will only stay in Houston through 2017, as the club exercised his $7.915MM fifth-year option in April. A long-term accord would surely cost the Texans far more than that on an annual basis, though, considering Hopkins has emerged as an elite weapon despite having caught passes from a slew of mediocre quarterbacks during his first three seasons. Hopkins is coming off his best year, one in which he hauled in 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, and became the first player to amass a 100-yard receiving game with four different QBs in the same season.
The latest on two of Houston’s division rivals:
- The Jaguars recently worked out controversial free agent defensive end Greg Hardy and might even sign him, though a league source told Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com that such a move isn’t yet under consideration. However, the door isn’t completely closed on it, notes DiRocco, who opines that the Jaguars shouldn’t sign the 27-year-old because of his repellent behavior in Carolina and his issues last season in Dallas, where he was a headache both for the coaches and from a PR standpoint. From purely a football perspective, Hardy would upgrade a Jacksonville team whose top two edge rushers, Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue, have zero NFL snaps between them. The Jags also finished just 20th in sacks last year (Hardy has 33 in his past 44 games), though Fowler missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL, Ngakoue was at Maryland and high-profile free agent pickup Malik Jackson was a Bronco.
- Contary to DiRocco’s argument, there are some Jaguars who believe Hardy would fit in their locker room, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
- After the Colts stumbled through a tumultuous 2015 that resulted in an 8-8 finish, the expectation was that owner Jim Irsay would let go of general manager Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano. Irsay did the opposite and extended the pair’s contracts, which has earned quarterback Andrew Luck‘s endorsement. “I think Mr. Irsay showed a lot of guts keeping coach Pagano and Ryan (Grigson),” Luck told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I think the easy thing is to start all over, I really do. I think that was an awesome, gutsy move. I think it surprised me, but then again, I think any decision would’ve surprised me.” One key reason the Colts went from three straight playoff berths to a .500 finish last season was the injury issues that beset Luck, who missed nine of 16 games. Luck also fared poorly in the seven games he did appear in, but that didn’t stop the Colts from awarding the 26-year-old a record-setting extension in June. In regards to the upcoming season, Irsay said of Luck, “I’ve never seen him more motivated. That fire is in his eye in a special way.”
- Earlier Friday, the league suspended Indianapolis defensive lineman Arthur Jones four games for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy.
After news of a pending four-game suspension for Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell broke this morning, another prominent NFL player is facing a ban for the first month of NFL action. The NFL announced that Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones has been tagged with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. 
The PED suspension just marks the latest setback for Jones, who has struggled with injuries in his time with the Colts. He was a disappointment in 2014 – his first season with the team – after signing a five-year, $33MM deal, totaling 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks in just nine games (three starts). Then, as he was gearing up for what he hoped would be a bounce-back campaign, Jones tore ligaments in his ankle. In September, Jones went under the knife, ending his 2015 season before it could even begin. In March, the Colts and Jones worked out a new deal paying him $2.5MM rather than the $4.5MM he was originally slated to make.
In 529 snaps for the Ravens in 2013, Jones recorded a +15.7 PFF grade, performing very well against the run while also compiling 25 quarterback pressures.
It has been a rough year for the Jones family. Just a few weeks ago, Arthur’s younger brother Jon Jones tested positive for steroids and was removed from UFC 200. Jones, who is the UFC’s interim light heavyweight champion, could be facing a two year ban from competition.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- Andrew Luck‘s extension was the Colts‘ best offseason moves, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. Some of the organization’s other top transactions included drafting center Ryan Kelly, extending tight end Dwayne Allen, signing cornerback Patrick Robinson, and hiring assistant head coach Joe Philbin.
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