Travis Vornkahl

 Colts Place T.Y. Hilton On NFI List; Release 7 Players

The Colts announced a slew of roster moves on Sunday. The most notable of the bunch: Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has been moved to the active/non-football injury list. . 

[RELATED: Former Colts RB Matt Jones Drawing NFL Interest]

Hilton suffered a mild hamstring injury while working out on his own earlier this summer, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. Per the rules of the Active/NFI list, Hilton can return to the roster at any point. The real decision for these players comes at the final roster cutdown date. A player on the NFI list does not count towards the 53-man roster max, but he also cannot play in the first eight games of the season. Given that this is a mild hamstring pull, Hilton probably will not be on the NFI list to start the season.

Meanwhile, the Colts have released running back Darius Jackson. Wide receiver Rodney Adams, defensive end Jegs Jegede, tackle Cedrick Lang, cornerback Picasso Nelson., tackle Travis Vornkahl, and linebacker Brandon Wellington were waived. Because Jackson was released outright, he’ll be free to hook on with any club immediately. The other six players will be subject to the waiver wire – if they are not claimed within the 24-hour window, they will be full-fledged free agents.

There’s one year left on Hilton’s deal, set to count for $14.5MM against the salary cap. Colts GM Chris Ballard, ideally, would like to nudge that number down with a reworked deal. We haven’t heard much on that front lately, but an extension still seems possible. That deal, Hilton says, will be his last in the NFL, regardless of length.

OT Andre Smith Auditions For Texans

Andre Smith‘s third stint with the Bengals ended in November, and he’s apparently started looking for his next gig. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets that the offensive tackle worked out for the Texans today.

The Bengals selected Smith with the sixth-overall pick in the 2009 draft, and the Alabama product ended up spending his first seven seasons with the organization. Smith has bounced around the NFL a bit since that time, spending time with the Vikings, Bengals (second stint), and Cardinals.

Cincy brought Smith back during this past offseason, and the 32-year-old proceeded to appear in six games (five starts) for Cincy. In total, Smith has appeared in 116 games during his career, but he’s been somewhat limited since 2016 thanks to two trips to the injured reserve.

Balzer notes that the Texans also worked out offensive tackle Travis Vornkahl and tight end Paul Butler. Vornkahl spent the preseason with the Browns before getting cut, and he had a stint on the Redskins practice squad. Butler, 26, spent last season with the Raiders organization, and he’s had a pair of workouts with the Lions this year.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/19

Today’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: OL Travis Vornkahl

NFL Workout Updates: 10/2/19

Today’s workout updates:

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

Washington Redskins

Browns Reach 53-Man Limit

After making a couple of trades, the Browns have made a boatload of cuts to reach the 53-man max. Here’s the breakdown:

Contract Terminated:
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
P Britton Colquitt
DT Carl Davis
T Bryan Witzmann

Waived:
WR Dorian Baker
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Stephen Carlson
TE Seth DeValve
T Brian Fineanganofo
RB Trayone Gray
LB Willie Harvey
S J.T. Hassell
WR Ishmael Hyman
CB Robert Jackson
K Greg Joseph
CB Donnie Lewis Jr.
S Montrel Meander
WR Braxton Miller
RB A.J. Ouellette
DE Jarrell Owens
CB Lenzy Pipkins
DT Brian Price
DE Wyatt Ray
S Tigie Sankoh
T Brad Seaton
WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
LB Anthony Stubbs
T Travis Vornkahl
LB Dedrick Young II
WR Derrick Willies
G Willie Wright
DE Anthony Zettel

Waived/Injured:
G Kyle Kalis (concussion)
FB Joe Kerridge (concussion)

IR:

CB Phillip Gaines (concussion)

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/19

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Chase Middleton
  • Waived: DB Hamp Cheevers

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DT Brandin Bryant, OT Travis Vornkahl

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
  • Waived: CB Isaiah Langley

Houston Texans

  • Waived/injured: DE Ira Lewis

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: WR Quadree Henderson, LB Davis Tull
  • Waived/injured: WR Marcus Simms (concussion)