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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

QB Rumors: Luck, Hoyer, Dalton, Cousins

December 16th, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The race for the AFC South title will take another interesting twist this week, as the starting quarterbacks for the division’s top teams have both been ruled out for Week 15. The Texans announced today that Brian Hoyer won’t play due to a concussion, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle details, while Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Andrew Luck won’t play, though Matt Hasselbeck should (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

The two current leaders in the AFC South are, of course, scheduled to play each other this Sunday, so one of the two 6-7 clubs will almost certainly get back to .500. But they’ll have to attempt to do so without their starting QBs.

Here are a few more updates on quarterback situations around the NFL:

  • Bengals players expect quarterback Andy Dalton to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. If he can heal quickly and return in four weeks, that would put Dalton on track to potentially start a game on Wild Card weekend for Cincinnati.
  • With Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins nearing the end of his rookie contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what a contract extension for Cousins might look like. As Corry observes, a Nick Foles-type deal could work for both sides, but Cousins should be in no rush to sign an extension if he finishes the season strong, since making Washington have to consider using its franchise tag would give him plenty of leverage.
  • Cousins is one of a handful of potential free agent quarterbacks that Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discuss in a piece for NFL.com, and the duo agrees that Washington should do all it can to hang onto the fourth-year signal-caller. Jeremiah and Brooks also examine Eagles QB Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert of the 49ers, and Broncos QB Brock Osweiler, among others.
  • Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler are among the players whose teams – the Saints, Broncos, and Bears respectively – will face some tough cap decisions this offseason, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Each case is a little different, but restructured contracts, trades, or cuts could be in play, as Robinson details.

Practice Squad Updates: 12/15/15

December 15th, 2015 at 6:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: S Craig Bills (Twitter link via team)
  • Cut: CB Mike Lee

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed: LB Matthew Wells

Washington

Colts Release Todd Herremans

December 15th, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t long ago that veteran guard Todd Herremans was one of the Colts’ more notable signings of the offseason, having been expected to bring some stability to the offensive line. Nine months later, Indianapolis has released Herremans with three weeks left in the regular season, the team announced today in a press release.

Herremans, a former Eagle, signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with the Colts in March that could be worth up to $3.5MM. However, he lost his starting job in Indianapolis after just two weeks, and was made inactive for multiple games since then. The 33-year-old, who has started 126 games during his 11-year NFL career, will become an unrestricted free agent if and when he clears waivers.

The Colts also made two more 53-man roster moves today, announcing that they’ve signed free agent outside linebacker Andy Studebaker and waived inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera. Studebaker is expected to be a special-teams contributor.

Latest On Colts’ QBs

December 14th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s not often that two sub-.500 teams square off in December with first place in their division at stake, but that will be the case Sunday when the Colts and Texans – both 6-7 – meet in Indianapolis in a crucial AFC South showdown. Making this matchup even more unusual is that each club could have a backup quarterback at the helm. Thanks to a concussion, the Texans will likely be without No. 1 man Brian Hoyer, meaning they’ll turn to T.J. Yates. On the other side, it’s currently unknown which of the three Colts QBs will be under center.

Andrew Luck – who has been out since early November with a lacerated spleen – is hoping to return this week, though Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes that his status is in doubt. Luck has multiple hurdles to jump before he can make his much-anticipated comeback, as Holder notes: Team doctors have to clear him twice – once to return to practice, again to actually suit up in a game. Given that Luck’s injury is internal, the Colts aren’t going to force him back into the lineup prematurely and put his health at greater risk. For his part, Luck acknowledges that his conditioning is in need of work after missing so much time.

“Throwing felt great,” he said Monday, according to Holder. “Conditioning-wise, it’s a process. When you take time off, it takes a little more time to get back into it.”

As if Luck’s injury situation isn’t frustrating enough for the Colts, reserve Matt Hasselbeck is also banged up. The 40-year-old’s left arm is in a sling thanks to a rib injury he suffered in Sunday’s 51-16 loss to Jacksonville, and head coach Chuck Pagano said Hasselbeck is dealing with spasms associated with the injury. Pagano added that Hasselbeck will try to return to practice on Thursday, and expressed optimism regarding his status for the Houston game.

“I fully anticipate him being available for us,” Pagano said.

If the worst happens for Indy and both Luck and Hasselbeck aren’t ready by Sunday, the Colts will turn to third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst with their season at stake.

Latest On Colts QB Andrew Luck

December 14th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Recently, Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated that Andrew Luck could return from his lacerated kidney injury this week against the Texans. As it turns out, there’s still uncertainty over when or if Luck will return this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Further complicating matters for the Colts is the status of Matt Hasselbeck. The aging QB was seen leaving the stadium on Sunday night with his left arm in a sling and his status going forward is also shaky. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that all of Hasselbeck’s injuries are of the soft tissue variety and it is believed that he has not suffered any fractures.

It’s been a rough season so far for Luck, who was sidelined a shoulder injury earlier in the year and reportedly played with broken ribs leading up to his November kidney injury. The former first overall pick has only won two of his seven starts, having completed just 55.3% of his passes, with 12 interceptions and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt.

Extra Points: Nkemdiche, Henry, McCarthy, Kelly

December 13th, 2015 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Consensus top-10 pick Robert Nkemdiche remains in stable condition after a fall from a hotel room window in Atlanta, David Ching of ESPN.com reports.

Reports varied over the nature of the Ole Miss junior defensive lineman’s fall, with this tweet indicating the Atlanta police said Nkemdiche fell from a fourth-floor window. But according to Ching’s report, police indicated this was a one-story fall of approximately 15 feet.

Per Ching, Nkemdiche appeared to have broken the window, climbed over another wall before falling to the ground. A small amount of “suspected marijuana” was present inside the room.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report projects Nkemdiche to go fourth in the 2016 draft, and Mel Kiper Jr. lists the former No. 1 overall recruit as his No. 5 prospect.

Here are some additional news items on draft prospects and other news from around the league.

  • Character issues are affecting Nkemdiche’s perception among NFL decision-makers, Miller reports (video link). Miller, however, cautions that demoting character risks can be costly, considering Justin Houston and Tyrann Mathieu‘s rapid rises.
  • Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player, but that doesn’t automatically mean he will be a high draft pick, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. He spoke with former scout Dan Hatman, who has Henry rated between his 100th and 150th best prospect, citing his reliance on blocking, poor change of direction, and a heavy college workload as reasons to be wary of overrating the top college running back.
  • Mike McCarthy notified associate head coach Tom Clements on Monday he’d be reassuming control of calling the Packers‘ plays, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. The 10th-year Packers coach was following the advice of others in the organization urging him to do so, but McCarthy demurred initially because of fear it would make Clements and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett look bad, Demovsky notes. Entering Sunday’s game, the Packers ranked 22nd in offense and 26th in third-down conversions. They rushed for 230 yards against the Cowboys. Clements last called plays for the Drew Bledsoe-era Bills in the mid-2000s. “The personal part of it was brutal,” McCarthy told media regarding Clements’ demotion. “Professionally, I felt like I had to do it. I was worried about making sure I was going to do my job good.”
  • Chip Kelly denied calling LeSean McCoy this week, an alleged phone call that resulted in the former Eagles running back hanging up on his ex-coach. “When people want to make up false stories about me calling people up during the week and them hanging up on me – people (are) trying to get Twitter hits or things like that and make themselves significant,” Kelly told media. The Philadelphia Inquirer stands by the story, the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane writes. Kelly attempted to call McCoy after news of the trade with the Bills in March, however.
  • Gus Bradley‘s job should be safe after the Jaguars‘ 51-16 thrashing of the Colts, O’Halloran writes. O’Halloran believes Bradley was on thin ice prior to this performance, but notching his fifth victory and first over the Colts puts the former Seahawks DC on firm ground in O’Halloran’s mind.
  • A 2011 loss in Jacksonville prompted Jim Irsay to fire Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell, and Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star wonders if the Colts‘ owner’s reached his decision to fire Chuck Pagano after allowing the 5-8 Jaguars to put up 51 points. In his contract’s final year, Pagano seems a pretty safe bet for a Black Monday headline.
  • Next week’s must-win for the Colts could feature career backup Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback, Kevin Bowen of Colts.com writes. With Andrew Luck throwing but not yet practicing and Matt Hasselbeck exiting Sunday’s rout early, next week’s Colts-Texans game could double as Whitehurst’s second-biggest career start, after the infamous Week 17 2010 game that clinched the 7-9 Seahawks’ playoff berth. The 33-year-old Whitehurst has made nine career starts, including five last season with the Titans.

Rob Dire contributed to this report. 

Mort & Schefter: Manziel, Hasselbeck, Martin

December 10th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Zachary Links

When Johnny Manziel takes the field for the Browns on Sunday, he won’t just be auditioning for Cleveland – he’ll be showing his stuff to every team who could want a QB in 2016, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com write. One prominent team executive tells the ESPN duo that he’s not optimistic about the impression Manziel can make on the Browns’ front office given the cast around him.

“He would almost have to be spectacular and the Browns win games we don’t expect them to win. And even then, to what extent has [Manziel] burned bridges there where no matter what he does, either the present regime or the next regime will still be looking for another guy?” the executive said.

Here’s more from their column:

  • Two GMs say that if 40-year-old Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has the desire to play another season, he will have an opportunity to be one of the more valued free agents on the open market. Hasselbeck obviously isn’t going to get a $100MM deal, but a deal paying him as much as $5MM to serve as a backup for a contender makes sense. One GM even suggested it was short-sighted to look at Hasselbeck as simply a mentor for a team with a young quarterback. He said Hasselbeck also would be ideal for an established quarterback who is going through a coordinator change.
  • Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, and Alabama running back Derrick Henry are this year’s frontrunners for the Heisman trophy and the ESPN duo spoke with NFL personnel people to get their evaluations of their NFL futures. Henry, who will be eligible for the 2016 draft, has drawn comparisons to Eddie George (though perhaps without the same upside) and one exec sees him as a top 20 pick. Watson and McCaffrey both have upside as well, but they will not be eligible until 2017.
  • It would not be surprising to see Mark Ingram‘s deal serve as a model for Doug Martin‘s before free agency this winter, Mort and Schef write. After seeing his fifth-year option declined, Ingram inked a four-year, $16MM deal with the Saints last offseason that included $7.6MM guaranteed. Now in a similar spot, the Bucs have made it known that they want to retain Martin.

Workout Notes: Steelers, Bucs, Colts, Browns

December 9th, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

British rugby player Tom Burgess has continued his wave of tryouts for NFL clubs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Burgess worked out for the Steelers today. Burgess, who’s also auditioned for the Giants, Jets, and Bills, could be line for a futures contract at the end of the season, following in the footsteps of fellow international star Jarryd Hayne.

Here’s at look at the rest of today’s workouts as clubs seek to get a feel for available free agents and update their emergency lists:

  • The Buccaneers worked out several players today, including linebacker Willie Jefferson, cornerback Garry Peters, defensive end Nordly Capi, and cornerback De’Vante Bausby, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Peters, a Clemson alum, was a favorite UDFA of several draftniks this spring.
  • Running back Daniel Thomas is searching for new opportunity after being released by the Bears earlier in the year, and he earned a tryout with the Colts today, per Wilson (on Twitter). Thomas, whose most notable time came with the Dolphins, could be an option for Indianapolis, who is looking to replace the injured Ahmad Bradshaw.
  • The Browns brought in three players for an audition, says Wilson (via Twitter), who reports that receivers R.J. Harris and Marcus Lucas, plus safety Phillip Thomas, worked out for Cleveland. A fourth player involved in the tryout — defensive back Tim Scott — was signed to the club’s practice squad yesterday.
  • A large group of receivers worked out for the Seahawks, including Rashaad Carter, Desmond Lawrence, Jordan Leslie, Colin Lockett, and Larry Pinkard, in addition to quarterback Dustin Vaughan, per Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Bears visited with receiver Kyle Prater, who was a Saints UDFA out of Northwestern earlier this year, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Prater, 23, was named the No. 1 receiver of the 2010 recruiting class.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/8/15

December 8th, 2015 at 7:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jamel Johnson (Twitter link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com), RB Ross Scheuerman (Twitter link via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
  • Cut: DB Kyle Sebetic

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

  • To be signed: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: WR DeShon Foxx (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta)

Workout Notes: 12/8/15

December 8th, 2015 at 6:42pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There were a plethora of workouts around the NFL today. Here they are:

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