Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
New York Giants
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Minnesota Vikings
San Francisco 49ers
Adams, Dulin, Ellefson, Galeai, Washington and Willis each have until Nov. 30 to be activated from IR. Should they not be activated, they would revert to season-ending IR. The Colts and Vikings are in solid shape regarding activations, having only used one apiece. The Bears, Cardinals, 49ers and Packers have used three such moves apiece. Teams are allotted eight injury activations this season.
The Cowboys dangled Basham in trades before last week’s deadline, but no takers emerged. While the team cut the other D-lineman they were hoping to deal — Trysten Hill, who has since been claimed by the Cardinals — they ended up using one of their injury activations on Basham. A former Colts third-round pick, Basham notched 3.5 sacks during his first Cowboys season last year. He played in one game this season (Week 1) before going down with a quadriceps injury. The Cowboys, who have Tyron Smith and James Washington on their IR-return radar, have used two injury activations this season.
NOVEMBER 9: The Colts announced Wednesday that Frazier will be the team’s play-caller for the rest of the season. The young staffer may not have been the first choice, with quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich believed to have been offered the job as well. But a big opportunity awaits.
NOVEMBER 8: Another twist in the Colts’ coaching plan is expected to ensue. The now-Jeff Saturday-led team is expected to move assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier into the play-calling role, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (on Twitter).
While this may not be the team’s permanent plan, Frazier is set to move into this key position against the Raiders in Week 10. Frazier, 30, has been Indianapolis’ assistant QBs coach since 2021. He was previously at the quality control level. Frazier is not believed to have called plays at any level, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com tweets.
The Colts are bypassing the likes of Scott Milanovich and Scottie Montgomery by making this decision. Milanovich is in place as Indianapolis’ quarterbacks coach, while Montgomery — the team’s running backs coach — drew offensive coordinator interest this offseason. Montgomery, 44, came to Indianapolis after stays as East Carolina’s head coach and Maryland’s offensive coordinator; Milanovich, 49, is a former Toronto Argonauts HC who served as the Jaguars’ play-caller after the team fired Nathaniel Hackett during the 2018 season. Milanovich won a Grey Cup while coaching the Argos in 2012.
[RELATED: Colts To Retain GM Chris Ballard]
Frazier joined the Colts as Frank Reich‘s personal assistant in 2018, moving to Indiana after a stay as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State. This is an unorthodox move by Saturday. Then again, it does not come especially close to the shock level of Jim Irsay‘s decision to name Saturday interim head coach.
The Colts fired their top two offensive staffers this season, canning OC Marcus Brady in October and bailing on Reich midway through his fifth season. Reich had served as the team’s play-caller throughout his tenure.
Although the Colts were a surprise divisional-round entrant in Reich’s first season, Andrew Luck‘s stunning retirement threw the franchise off track. Reich still had the Colts’ offense ranking 16th in scoring during Jacoby Brissett‘s second Luck-relieving season (2019), and the team ranked ninth in points during both Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz‘s one-and-done stays. The team, of course, could not sustain that trajectory this season.
Frazier will take over with the Colts ranked 32nd in scoring (14.7 points per game). Indianapolis’ Irsay-influenced decisions regarding Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger have led the Colts to a nosedive offensively, despite the team having doled out big-ticket extensions to Pro Bowl linemen Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly. The team’s issues staffing the other two O-line spots, along with Jonathan Taylor‘s first notable injury, have contributed to the freefall as well. Ehlinger will remain Indy’s starter, and Frazier will be the one tasked with elevating the 2021 sixth-rounder’s play during what promises to be one of the most interesting coaching experiments in modern NFL history.
Jim Irsay‘s unusual decision to name Jeff Saturday as his team’s interim head coach has not been well-received around the league. Among Frank Reich‘s holdover staffers, a fair amount of unrest has emerged.
Saturday is going with assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier as his offensive play-caller in Week 10, but Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post reports Frazier was not the first choice. QBs coach Scott Milanovich, a former Jaguars play-caller who helmed the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup as head coach in 2012, turned down the chance to call plays.
Milanovich called plays in Canada and for a short stretch with the Jaguars. He has been on Reich’s staff since last year. While Frazier has been with the Colts since Reich’s 2018 arrival, the 30-year-old does not have play-calling experience and was on the quality control level as recently as 2020. The Colts also have former East Carolina HC and Maryland OC Scottie Montgomery on staff as running backs coach; Montgomery was on the Panthers’ OC radar this offseason.
[RELATED: Reich Aiming For Another HC Job]
Irsay’s decision to hire Saturday has caused tumult among staffers and players, according to La Canfora, who adds Matt Ryan and other veterans were “irate” when informed of the Reich-for-Saturday swap. Some vets have said they do not want to play for the team any longer, though the trade deadline having passed limits players’ options. GM Chris Ballard, whom Irsay said was not in danger of being canned, told players the Saturday decision came “directly from the owner.” Irsay made that plain with his comments this week.
Irsay being behind the firing of offensive coordinator Marcus Brady is not surprising, but La Canfora notes the owner overruled Reich on quarterback selection. Reich did not view Sam Ehlinger as ready to play, and although the since-fired HC did not want to bench the struggling Ryan, he would have gone to Nick Foles before Ehlinger. Reich said this offseason he had wanted to acquire Foles in previous years. Prior to Ehlinger replacing Ryan, he moved past Foles as Indy’s QB2. It does not appear Reich backed that move.
The Colts are 0-2 with the 2021 sixth-round pick starting, and although Ehlinger drew praise from Reich, some around the league believe the Colts are tanking with their Saturday-Ehlinger-Frazier strategy. Irsay vehemently pushed back on that notion (via The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz), but the Colts — who also traded Nyheim Hines‘ through-2024 contract to the Bills at the deadline — will be far less experienced in key spots when they face the Raiders on Sunday.
“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, that we’re tanking,” Irsay said. “That’s bulls—. We’re in this thing; 9-7-1 get us in, no question about it. … We’re not tanking the season. Whoever says these things, that we’re not playing Matt because [of an effort to tank], that’s all bulls—. That’s not true. … We’re going to do what it takes to win. I don’t know who people think we are, they don’t know us. We don’t tank in Indianapolis.”
Irsay also said, via Kravitz, Ryan could play again this year. Previously, the thought was Reich’s 2023 injury guarantee will keep him sidelined. Ryan has missed time with a shoulder injury, but upon switching to Ehlinger, Reich said the move was not injury-related. The longtime Indianapolis owner said it is inaccurate to suggest he forced the QB switch on Reich, indicating Saturday will have free rein to change quarterbacks. Irsay has, however, taken a hands-on role regarding quarterbacks this year. He forced the trade of Carson Wentz and instructed Ballard to finalize the Ryan deal, so his fingerprints being on the Ehlinger move would not be a stretch.
The Colts won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes 10 years ago, going 2-14 in 2011. But the team losing Peyton Manning for a full season led to that pick, rather than a full-fledged tanking effort. Though, the Colts certainly benefited from losing at the right time. Indianapolis has yet to find a Luck replacement; the team will certainly be linked to first-round passers in 2023.
Reich’s staff also includes DC Gus Bradley, a four-year Jaguars HC who has been on the coordinator level for over a decade, and former Panthers, Broncos and Bears HC John Fox, a senior defensive assistant. Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is viewed as a rising talent in the coaching ranks. The Saturday decision and Irsay’s defense of the choice has drawn criticism from other staffers around the league, Kimberley Martin of ESPN.com tweets.
The Rooney Rule does not apply to interim hires. Rod Graves, the director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said (via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, on Twitter) that should change going forward. The NFL’s expanding of the Rooney Rule in recent years certainly points to the possibility it will later apply to interim hires. It is not yet known if the league will discuss that matter for potential 2023 application.
Second-chance coaching hires have generated tremendous modern-era success. That coaching path is responsible for 12 of the 21st century’s Super Bowl championships. Bruce Arians, Andy Reid, Gary Kubiak, Pete Carroll, Tom Coughlin and Tony Dungy join Bill Belichick in celebrating titles after being fired or, in Arians’ case, retiring from their previous NFL HC positions.
Frank Reich will aspire to join that club, which also includes coaches from the 1990s (Dick Vermeil, Mike Shanahan). The recently fired Colts HC said Tuesday (via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell) he wants to coach again.
“I think you keep all your options open,’’ Reich said. “Obviously, my desire is to be a head coach. I love the game. I love everything about the game, so you keep all of your options open.”
Given Reich’s work during his first four Colts seasons and his offensive coordinator role for a Super Bowl LII-winning Eagles team that notched three playoff upsets to claim a championship with a backup quarterback (Nick Foles), he figures to generate considerable interest. Although Reich will be 61 when the 2023 hiring period commences, it would be quite surprising if he was not interviewed come January. Reich is 40-33-1 as a head coach. He reeled off three winning seasons during his Indy tenure, doing so despite Andrew Luck‘s 2019 retirement setting the franchise back.
While Jim Irsay insisted the Colts jettison Carson Wentz, the scrutinized passer ranked in the top 10 in QBR during his Colts season. The Wentz trade and his late-season descent, however, almost certainly put the wheels in motion for Reich’s ouster. Leading the Colts to an 11-5 playoff season, Philip Rivers fared better under Reich than he had during a 20-INT 2019 season. Both the Rivers- and Wentz-led Colts offenses ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Reich’s Matt Ryan– and Sam Ehlinger-led attack has not; Indianapolis enters the Jeff Saturday stretch in last offensively. Parks Frazier, who joined Reich as his personal assistant in 2018, is now set to call Indy’s plays.
After hiring Matt Rhule from the college ranks, the Panthers are believed to be seeking a more experienced NFL leader. If the Broncos do decide to make Nathaniel Hackett a one-and-done, they would likely be interested in seeing if Reich and Russell Wilson were a fit. The Cardinals extended Kliff Kingsbury through 2027, but the ex-college coach’s fourth season has not gone well. Reich was a Cardinals assistant in 2012.
With 10 teams having hired coaches this year, fewer openings will exist in 2023. Sean Payton‘s status could also impact Reich. But Reich connections will presumably take place in the coming weeks and months.
This disappointing Colts start has led to the firings of the team’s top two offensive staffers — Frank Reich and OC Marcus Brady — and produced one of the more shocking interim hires in modern NFL history. Former Colts center and current ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday is now in charge.
Saturday said (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, on Twitter) he is still determining who will call plays when the Colts face the Raiders on Sunday. Saturday, 47, said he will interview coaches on staff this week for this rather important role. Quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery, an ex-East Carolina HC whom the Panthers had on their OC radar this year, would seem the top candidates. Milanovich called plays as the Jaguars’ interim OC in 2018.
Sam Ehlinger will remain the team’s starting quarterback, Saturday said. The 2021 sixth-round pick has struggled since replacing Matt Ryan. The former MVP’s turnover woes and his 2023 injury guarantee contributed to the Colts’ Ehlinger promotion. Nick Foles remains on the roster and worked as Indianapolis’ backup to start this season. With Jim Irsay having helped drive Reich and Chris Ballard to bench Ryan, it is unsurprising Saturday will stick with Ehlinger.
Regarding Ballard’s role, Irsay said (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter) there is “no question” the GM will return in 2023. Irsay hired Ballard during Chuck Pagano‘s HC tenure, and the former Bears and Chiefs exec initially chose Josh McDaniels to be the Colts’ HC in 2018. The Reich backup plan worked well at points, but Andrew Luck‘s shocking 2019 retirement decision changed the franchise’s trajectory.
A coveted GM candidate prior to his 2017 Colts commitment, Ballard signed an extension last year. Of course, so did Reich. Ballard and Irsay did not appear in lockstep regarding the Reich firing, but the former said Monday night the Colts tried to hire Saturday to be their offensive line coach in both 2019 and this offseason, Pelissero tweets. The Colts also tried to give Saturday — a six-time Pro Bowler who played with the team from 1999-2011 — a front office position in 2012. Saturday instead signed with the Packers and wrapped his 15-year career that season. Saturday has been with ESPN since 2013.
The Colts bypassed former head coaches Gus Bradley and John Fox, who are respectively on staff in defensive coordinator and senior defensive assistant roles, for Saturday. Peyton Manning‘s longtime center indeed indicated shock upon being offered the position. Irsay hopes Saturday will be the Colts’ coach beyond 2022 (Twitter links via Pelissero and The Athletic’s Zak Keefer). While Saturday said Monday he was auditioning for other teams’ HC jobs as well, he has never coached at the NFL or college levels. Saturday has coached at the high school level. Irsay said there was “no other candidate.”
Saturday will become the first man without college or NFL coaching experience to lead an NFL team since Norm Van Brocklin, h/t CBS Sports (on Twitter). The Hall of Fame quarterback went straight from leading the Eagles to the 1960 NFL title to becoming the expansion Vikings’ first head coach. Van Brocklin lasted six years in that post and caught on with the Falcons in 1968, holding that job for seven years. Of course, the NFL is a bit more scrutinized since the fiery QB made that leap; a vast news-cycle difference between that era and this one obviously exists. That sets the stage for a fascinating interim tenure for Saturday.
Irsay’s decision has stunned several Colts decision-makers, Keefer adds (on Twitter). Expanding on his Saturday choice Monday night, Irsay said the former All-Pro will not resemble a nervous NFL coach that will lean on analytics, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. That certainly adds an interesting wrinkle here, increasing anticipation for Saturday’s interim HC stay.
This has been a big year for Irsay-driven headlines. As is his right, Irsay pushed Ballard and Reich to both jettison Carson Wentz — after the Colts gave up first- and third-rounders for the ex-Eagles QB — and trade for Ryan. This has been a big year for the longtime owner, whose team came into the season with a sixth starting QB in six years. Not many teams have matched that accomplishment, and only two — the Chargers from 1987-1993 and Browns from 2013-19 — have started seven Week 1 passers in seven years since the 1970 merger. The Colts are trudging toward joining that exclusive club. Judging by how 2022 has played out, Irsay stands to have a major say in how the Colts proceed on that front next year. It will be interesting if the owner has Saturday in the picture when that QB decision comes.
11:59am: In a surprising move, the Colts have announced former center Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach. The 47-year-old spent all but the final season of his 14-year playing career in Indianapolis, earning a total of six Pro Bowl nods. A member of the team’s Ring of Honor, he has since worked as a consultant with them, along with a role as an ESPN analyst.
The decision to hire from outside the organization is noteworthy, given the presence of far more experienced options in Bradley and Fox. This will mark Saturday’s first coaching role at the college or NFL level, making this a borderline unprecedented hire. A press conference is scheduled for later today.
10:34am: The second in-season head coach firing has taken place in the NFL. Frank Reich has been let go by the Colts, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the news.
Reich had increasingly become the subject of scrutiny this season, his fifth leading the Colts’ sideline. The team has run into unexpected offensive struggles, and as the unit’s play-caller, the 60-year-old bore the brunt of criticism. Just last week, however, it had appeared as though his job was safe for at least the immediate future.
Yesterday, Indianapolis suffered a 26-3 loss to New England, representing another low mark on the campaign with respect to the offense. Second-year passer Sam Ehlinger was making his second career start, after being installed as the starter in place of veteran trade acquisition Matt Ryan. That decision, it was later revealed, was driven not by Reich, but rather team owner Jim Irsay.
Another sizeable move came last week, when offensive coordinator Marcus Brady was fired. He did not handle play-calling duties, though, leading to questions of how much of a difference that move would make. It also pointed to Reich’s time with the Colts potentially being in jeopardy barring a significant turnaround. That certainly didn’t take place yesterday, and the team now sits at 3-5-1 on the year.
Indianapolis has faced inconsistency along the offensive line – once the undisputed strength of the team, and one of the best units in the league – and star running back Jonathan Taylor has missed time with injury. Even when healthy, however, he has not played to the potential his first two seasons demonstrated. In the passing game, the team actually ranks in the top-10 in yards per game (257), but Ryan’s struggles with turnovers hamstrung the league’s lowest-scoring team and greatly influenced his benching. The lone move the team made at the trade deadline was sending backup running back Nyheim Hines to the Bills.
Reich will depart with an overall record of 40-33-1. Three of his past four seasons had ended with winning records, but the team’s late-season collapse in 2021 cost them a playoff spot. A return to the postseason was considered a baseline expectation for 2022, especially given the stability Ryan was expected to provide after years of searching for a long-term Andrew Luck replacement. It appears likely the Colts will be kept out of the playoffs once again this year, making the remaining weeks an evaluation period for Ehlinger and the team’s other young players.
The Colts’ remaining staff includes a pair of coaches with HC experience: defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and defensive assistant John Fox. Former DC Matt Eberflus became the Bears’ head coach this offseason, one year after former OC Nick Sirianni departed for Philadelphia to do the same. Now, all three mainstays on Indy’s sideline are gone, with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the team moving forward. Reich joins ex-Panthers bench boss Matt Rhule as coaches now on the lookout for their next employer.
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
For the third time this season, Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor will be held out of action for the weekend, according to Mike Chappell of Fox59. The absence of Taylor will pave the way for Deon Jackson to make his second start of the season. 
After an awe-inducing sophomore season in which he led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns, Taylor’s third year in the league has not gone according to plan. He started off hot with a 161-yard day in the team’s season-opening tie with the Texans but quickly cooled off as the offense dealt with growing pains and he dealt with an ankle injury.
Th ankle injury would force Taylor to miss two straight games in October. In his second game back from the injury absence, Taylor aggravated the right ankle during a loss to the Commanders. The injury that has already caused him to miss two games already could continue to hurt the Colts. Despite ruling Taylor out for this game, head coach Frank Reich has no plans to place him on injured reserve, according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic. The injury appears to be a week-to-week issue that the Colts want flexibility in dealing with for now.
With Taylor out, Jackson will get another chance to lead the Colts’ rushing attack. In two weeks without Taylor so far this year, Jackson has earned a combined 104 rushing yards and a touchdown, adding 14 catches for 108 yards through the air. The offense stands to look a bit different with Sam Ehlinger playing quarterback in place of Matt Ryan, but Jackson still figures to earn the lion’s share of the carries.
Although the Colts were able to acquire former Bills running back Zack Moss when trading away Nyheim Hines, Moss has only been with the team a couple of days and likely won’t have a very good grasp of the offense. Indianapolis is expected to elevate practice squad running back Phillip Lindsay for Sunday’s matchup in Foxborough, as they did the previous two games without Taylor. Lindsay contributed in his Colts debut with 11 carries for 40 yards but was relegated to a lesser role the following week, only carrying the ball three times for seven yards.
Giving Moss more time to practice and learn the offense may eventually dull the need for Lindsay, but for now, the Colts’ rushing offense will rely on the legs of Jackson and Lindsay as long as Taylor is out. As long as Taylor remains a week-to-week case, this will continue to be the gameplan.
As the trade deadline came and went, several teams seeking help at running back reached out to the Commanders, according to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. Despite “significant interest” in running back Antonio Gibson, head coach Ron Rivera reportedly refused to trade him. 
Gibson is currently halfway through his third season in the NFL as well as his third season leading Washington in rushing yards. Gibson came in as a rookie third-round pick out of Memphis and immediately earned the starting job in Washington over Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic. He pieced together an impressive rookie season with 795 rushing yards, averaging 4.68 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns. A year later, Gibson took the mantle as a bell-cow back for the Football Team, backed up by the likes of McKissic, Jaret Patterson, Jonathan Williams, and Wendell Smallwood. Given over 54% of the carries, Gibson racked up 1,037 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns.
The Commanders then drafted another third-round pick in Alabama running back Brian Robinson. Through camp many expected Robinson to earn the starting job over the more experienced Gibson. Gunshot wounds from an attempted robbery put an end to that discussion, putting Robinson on the non-football injury list to begin his rookie season.
Gibson returned to the starting role to begin the 2022 season. Washington went back to its formula from the year before of splitting snaps between Gibson and McKissic right down the middle but still giving the majority of the carries to Gibson. Robinson made his swift return to the field in Week 5 in a limited role before taking snaps as the lead back the following two weeks.
The entire Commanders’ rushing attack was extremely quiet in a Week 8 win over the Colts last week that saw quarterback Taylor Heinicke and wide receiver Curtis Samuel tie for the team-lead in rushing yards with 29. While the game didn’t appear to be much of a success for Washington’s running backs, it did provide a bit of clarity on how the room shakes out.
Robinson is clearly the power back. He seems to be the first one to have his number called, as well, but he will absolutely be the one used in short-yardage and goal-line situations as well as situations when the Commanders have a lead to protect. Gibson is the primary backup. Not only will he be the first man off the bench when Robinson needs a breather, but he will also be the preferred option on passing plays as an option out of the backfield. McKissic slots in as the third-stringer and a secondary pass catching option with Williams behind him.
Regardless, the news about Rivera’s reaction to calls about Gibson says one of two things: either Rivera is passionate about the role Gibson holds in the Commanders’ future or Rivera still has some question marks about Robinson’s abilities. For now, Gibson remains a Commander, with one year after this season remaining on his contract. Look for whether or not Washington rewards Gibson with an extension this offseason. If so, they clearly have eyes towards his future. If not, they may be planning to wait and see how Robinson develops.