Lee Hightower

Colts Cut Stevan Ridley, Others

The Colts are cutting running back Stevan Ridley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). "<strong

Ridley was signed by the Colts just days ago after he was cut by Detroit. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Frank Gore‘s legs by lightening his workload and Ridley figured to be a part of that. Alas, the Colts didn’t see enough from Ridley in the last few days to keep him on the 53-man roster.

After spending his first four years in the NFL with the Patriots, Ridley signed with the Jets last season, but didn’t see the field all that much after coming off the PUP list. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Ridley took over for Zac Stacy as the No. 3 back and earned just 36 carries, totaling only 90 yards for a career-worst 2.5 yards per attempt. His stint with Indianapolis could represent his best opportunity to reestablish himself as a quality back.

Here’s the running list of the Colts’ cuts so far today (links via Mike Wells of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified):

  • RB Stevan Ridley
  • WR Tevaun Smith (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star)
  • DE Ronald Thompson
  • DL Sterling Bailey (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
  • DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
  • ILB Trevor Bates (link)
  • ILB Nate Irving (via Holder)
  • OLB Earl Okine
  • CB Tay-Glover Wright
  • CB Christopher Milton
  • S Alden Darby
  • S Lee Hightower
  • WR MeKale McKay
  • OG Kitt O’Brien
  • OG Adam Redmond
  • OT Mitchell Van Dyk
  • OT Jeremy Vujnovich

The team has also placed offensive guard Hugh Thornton, cornerback Tevin Mitchel and linebacker Ron Thompson on the injured reserve, according to Holder and Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has started 32 of his 37 games through his three seasons in the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann, agent Sean Stellato tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes that Hauptmann is the only player in NFL history with two Super Bowl rings despite never having played in a game. To create a roster spot for Hauptmann, Tampa waived quarterback Dan LeFevour, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
  • The Rams have signed a pair of former University of Arizona receivers, agreeing to deals with Austin Hill and David Richards, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News speculates (via Twitter) that the two additions could be in response to an injury suffered last week by rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper.
  • The Colts signed former Houston safety Lee Hightower, an undrafted free agent, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Hightower participated in the Texans’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis earlier this year.
  • The Titans announced that they have waived/injured cornerback Bennett Okotcha, who will revert to Tennessee’s injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
  • The Packers have reached their 90-man roster limit by signing linebacker Derrick Mathews, who spent time on the Redskins’ practice squad last season, reports Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • The Broncos have signed defensive lineman Lars Koht, a 2016 undrafted free agent who was cut by the Seahawks earlier this year, and waived linebacker Shaneil Jenkins, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7.
  • The Lions re-signed receiver Damian Copeland and waived fellow pass-catcher Ryan Spadola, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.