Colts Working Out Antonio Cromartie
The Colts are working out Antonio Cromartie and other free agent defensive backs, a source tells Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter). The Colts are apparently looking at outside options in the wake of Vontae Davis‘ rolled ankle. 
Recently, Cromartie expressed confidence that he would soon land an NFL deal.
“I think right now, everyone just wants to see the younger guys, the guys they drafted,” Cromartie said. “But you also have to look at it this way — I’m 32 years old, going into my 11th year. My 2015 campaign wasn’t a great campaign and I think if you look at the first 10 games of the 2015 season it wasn’t great at all for me. My last six games were more like me…I think something is going to happen for me soon so I’m looking forward to it.”
Cromartie, a 10-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, has been on the open market since the Jets released him in February. That was the end of Cromartie’s second stint with New York, which lasted only one season. Pro Football Focus ranked him just 86th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts Remove Henry Anderson From PUP
MONDAY, 11:50am: The Colts have officially removed Anderson from PUP.
THURSDAY, 1:55pm: Henry Anderson is close to being healthy once again and not a moment too soon for the Colts. The defensive end is almost ready to come of the PUP list, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com writes. 
[RELATED: Colts Exploring Wide Receiver Market]
“He’s doing really good, so I think we are close. We just have to make a decision what we want to do,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “Basically the doctors have said, ‘When you guys feel good about it, we can get him off PUP.’”
Anderson, 24, was selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2015 draft (No. 93 overall). Immediately slotted into the club’s starting lineup, Anderson was one of the pleasant surprises of last year’s rookie class, totaling 31 tackles, a sack, and a pair of passes defended in his first nine games in the NFL. Unfortunately, an ACL tear in November ended his season prematurely. The good news is that if Anderson comes off of the PUP list in the next few days, he may be ready to go for Week 1.
The Colts could certainly use the help on the defensive line as Kendall Langford may not be ready to go for the Sept. 11 season opener following arthroscopic knee surgery. The Colts will also be without also will be without Art Jones for the first four games of the season thanks to his suspension.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
10 Teams That Could Claim RB Karlos Williams
After waiving him yesterday, the Bills “fully expect” another NFL club to land running back Karlos Williams, and we’ll find out tomorrow if any other team decided to place a claim (the waiver period is typically 24 hours, but rolls over until Monday on weekends). If no one else is interested, Williams will become a free agent. But given that Williams’ (minimal) signing bonus will accelerate onto Buffalo’s cap –meaning that any acquiring team would only be on the hook for minimum salaries for the next three years — it seems likely that Williams will get claimed.
Clearly, there are reasons to be concerned about Williams’ future. He’ll be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and he’s struggled with his weight throughout the offseason. At one point, Williams was up 261 pounds, and after losing some of that heft, he’d reportedly begun to balloon once again, leaving the Bills to wonder if he was serious about football.
But Williams also flashed dynamic ability during his rookie season, finishing with 613 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs on just 104 touches while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The 23-year-old also became one of just two players in NFL history to score a touchdown in each of his first six games in the league. All in all, Williams seemingly defines an old adage: high risk, high reward.
Let’s take a look at several teams that could be interested in Williams, listed in order of their waiver priority:
Cleveland Browns — New head coach Hue Jackson is trying to foster a new culture with the Browns, but he’s also shown a willingness to give players a second chance. He’s embraced wide receiver Josh Gordon, who was recently reinstated from a season-long suspension, and he stood by running back Isaiah Crowell after the latter posted a disturbing image online. Crowell and Duke Johnson figure to get most of the run for Cleveland during the upcoming season, but the club should be stockpiling talent during its rebuild, and Williams would be a cheap upgrade.
San Diego Chargers — San Diego had high hopes for its rushing attack after trading up to select Melvin Gordon in the first round of last year’s draft, but offensive line injuries and Gordon’s own poor play led to the Chargers finishing 31st in rushing DVOA. Gordon then had microfracture surgery in January, and while his long-term prognosis is positive, serious knee injuries are always unwelcome news for young running backs. It looks like Gordon is already losing work to Danny Woodhead during the preseason, and if the Chargers think Gordon is in for another sub-par season, they could take a risk on Williams.
Baltimore Ravens — This is only my speculation, but given that he’s on the wrong side of 30, coming off injury, and due a non-guaranteed $3MM base salary, veteran running back Justin Forsett could be a surprise cut as roster cutdowns approach. Such a move would be made much easier if the Ravens were able to acquire a talent like Williams, who could slot in the backfield after his suspension, teaming with Javorius Allen, Terrance West, Kenneth Dixon, and perhaps Lorenzo Taliaferro. Baltimore has taken chances on character risks in the past, though the club was burned by safety Will Hill, with whom they cut ties after he was handed a 10-game suspension.
Philadelphia Eagles — Like the Browns, the Eagles haven’t been afraid to collect players who are considered character risks, as evidenced by their trade for receiver Dorial Green-Beckham last week. Philadelphia is hoping it can turn around the career of DGB, who struggled with both motivation and learning the Titans’ playbook, and they could place a similar bet on Williams. Like DGB, Williams clearly has talent, and the Eagles could use another option alongside Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner, Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood. Turron Davenport of USA Today recently looked at how Williams could succeed in the type of outside zone runs employed by the Eagles.
Colts Sign Two, Waive Two
- The Colts announced that they’ve signed free agent offensive linemen Eric Herman and Keith Lumpkin, while waiving guard Donovan Williams and waiving/injured tackle Kevin Graf. If Graf clears waivers, he’ll revert to Indy’s injured reserve list.
- The Browns have signed WR Josh Boyce, whom New England selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, and waived/injured 2016 UDFA Dennis Parks, as Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal reports. Boyce spent most of this year with the Colts before he was waived on August 16. He has nine catches for 121 yards in his professional career.
Colts Sign Alden Darby
- The Colts signed free agent safety Alden Darby, as Colts PR man Christian Edwards tweets. They also removed running back Abou Toure from IR with an injury settlement, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Sio Moore Dealing With Hamstring Injury
- Colts linebacker Sio Moore has a “pretty significant” hamstring injury, according to head coach Chuck Pagano, the fourth-year pro figures to be sidelined for a meaningful amount of time, writes Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. As such, D’Qwell Jackson and Nate Irving will probably serve as Indy’s starting inside linebackers in the club’s 3-4 scheme. As Roster Resource shows, the Colts have several other options on their depth chart, including Josh McNary, Antonio Morrison, and Junior Sylvestre.
Colts Exploring Wide Receiver Market
The Colts are eyeing available wide receivers after waiving Josh Boyce earlier today, as head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters, including Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, earlier today. “We have some young guys that we want to focus on a little bit,” Pagano said. “And there’s some guys out there that we’re looking at as well.”
[RELATED: Impact Rookies — Indianapolis Colts]
Indianapolis, of course, was 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. Reserve option Griff Whalen was also cut this offseason, meaning the Colts have 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, Chester Rogers, Josh Stangby, and Mekale McKay are next in line behind Indy’s starting trio.
Several veteran wideouts, including Anquan Boldin and James Jones have found new homes this week, but other options such as Roddy White, Devin Hester, Marques Colston, 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 claimed 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.
After Pagano made his comments regarding the wide receiver market, the Colts made another roster move, replacing pass-catcher Andre Debose with fellow wideout Andrew Opoku. It’s entirely possible that Opoku was the receiver Pagano was referring to, but clearly veteran free agents are also plentiful.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts Waive Josh Boyce
- The Colts announced that they have waived wide receiver Josh Boyce. Boyce, a former 2013 fourth-round pick of New England, managed just nine catches for his old team. At TCU, he was the program’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (22). Indianapolis also announced that it has waived wide receiver Andre Debose and replaced him with fellow WR Andrew Opoku. Opoku, a converted linebacker, had four receptions at Delaware.
Colts Claim Donovan Williams
- The Colts have claimed guard Donovan Williams off waivers from the Bears and waived punter Michael Palardy, the team announced.
Colts Sign Two
- The Colts signed running back Chase Price and linebacker Anthony Sarao, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.