Colts LB D’Qwell Jackson Suspended Four Games
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.
NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
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
Andrew Luck To Play On Monday Night
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.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/16
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
Colts Activate Trent Cole
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.
Colts Audition Four
- 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.
NFL Teams Showing Interest In Rugby Stars
Last year, rugby star Jarryd Hayne signed with the 49ers and tried his hand at the NFL. His stay in the league was short, but there are now a pair of rugby standouts that are hoping to follow his footsteps. Australian Rugby League players Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo tried out for teams on Saturday, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
The Bills, Bears, Browns, Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks, Cardinals, and the 49ers were all in attendance for the workout (Twitter link). Taumalolo, 23, and Holmes, 21, ran passing routes, underwent speed and agility tests, and ran the 40-yard dash, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Taumalolo hears that he could project to fullback, tight end, or linebacker while Holmes was pegged as a wide receiver or safety.
At least four NFL teams expressed interest in taking a second look at the duo, the Australian Associated Press reports. Scouts from the Packers, Eagles, Jets, Chiefs and Cardinals appeared to be the most interested. The AAP writes that both players intend on fulfilling their NRL contracts for 2017, but one has to imagine that they could change their minds if presented with an NFL offer.
Colts To Bring Trent Cole Off IR
Trent Cole returned to practice today, and the Colts are paving a path for the veteran pass-rusher to return from IR. The team designated Cole as its IR-return candidate, Howard Balzer of All22.com reports (via Twitter).
The Colts placed Cole on IR in September with a back injury, and he underwent surgery soon after. Indianapolis will have 21 days to determine whether or not Cole will return to game action after using him in practice Monday. That puts his return in the early- to mid-December range, should this process unfold to the organization’s liking.
Cole is in the second season of a two-year, $14MM deal. Although, he accepted a significant pay cut to reduce his 2016 salary to $7.125MM to $4.875MM. At 34, the former Eagles stalwart end’s career is coming to a close. However, the Colts do not have a plethora of edge-rushing contributors.
Erik Walden leads the team with eight sacks, with 35-year-old veteran Robert Mathis having recorded three — second on the team. Indianapolis also lost Kendall Langford for the season earlier this month. The Colts sit 20th in the league with 22 sacks.
However, no other prominent Colts reside on the team’s IR, so a Cole return is logical. He’s yet to notch a sack this season and matched his career low with three in 2015, but the 12th-year player has 88.5 in his career.
Colts QB Andrew Luck On Track To Return
Andrew Luck was forced to sit out Thursday night with a concussion, but it looks like he’ll be in uniform for the Colts on Monday. The quarterback was on the practice field today as Indianapolis prepares for Monday’s game against the Jets, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets. It’s not immediately clear if Luck has completed the league’s concussion protocol yet, but he can’t be far off. 
Without Luck, the Colts were forced to turn to Scott Tolzien under center. Predictably, the offense wasn’t quite the same and the Colts succumbed to the Steelers who were powered by Antonio Brown‘s three touchdown performance.
If Luck is given the green light for this week, the Colts will likely bump Tolzien back to No. 2 and cut Stephen Morris. Throughout the year, the Colts have been using two QBs on the 53-man roster, so Morris figures to be on the chopping block. If Morris clears waivers, he could be re-signed to the practice squad, where he has spent most of the season.
Now at 5-6, the Colts are still in the divisional conversation as they sit behind the Titans (6-6) and the Texans (6-5). So far this year, Luck has completed 62.9% of his passes for 2,827 yards with 19 scores against eight interceptions.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/16
Thursday’s practice squad changes:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Corey Fuller
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Devin Street (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)