Colts Sign RB Spencer Ware
The Colts have signed running back Spencer Ware, according to a team announcement. Ware, the former Chiefs tailback, will give the Colts support at the position after they declined to address it in the draft. 
Ware, 28 in November, first made noise in 2015 when he ran for 403 yards with the Chiefs and averaged 5.6 yards per carry in a limited sample. In 2016, he was the Chiefs’ starter and amassed 921 yards with a 4.3 yards-per-tote average. His usage fluctuated over the course of three healthy years in KC, but his career 4.6 YPC shows promise.
The veteran joins former Chiefs teammate Justin Houston in Indianapolis and will push to be a top reserve behind Marlon Mack. 2018 draft picks Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines are also under contract, so he’ll have his work cut out for him.
In related moves, the Colts released safety Isaiah Johnson, defensive tackle DeShawn Williams, and wide receiver James Wright (with an injury designation).
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: C Kyle Friend
Denver Broncos
- Signed: K Taylor Bertolet (AAF)
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL Nico Siragusa, DB Jason Thompson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: C Tejan Koroma
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Kolone
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Steven Dunbar, DB Godwin Igwebuike, CB Tarvarus McFadden, LB James Onwualu, WR Jordan Smallwood, P Justin Vogel, S Terrell Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- K Phillip Anderson, LB Riley Bullough, DE Hunter Dimick, P Hayden Hunt, DE Nick Thurman
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: NT Darius Kilgo
Cardinals Sign 12 UDFAs
The Cardinals became the latest team to unveil their UDFA class. Twelve players comprise Arizona’s post-draft group. Here is the full list:
- Drew Anderson, QB (Murray State)
- Drew Belcher, TE (Maine)
- Dante Booker, LB (Ohio State)
- Miles Brown, DL (Wofford)
- Tariq Cole, OL (Rutgers)
- James Folston, LB (Pittsburgh)
- Ryan Pulley, CB (Arkansas)
- A.J. Richardson, WR (Boise State)
- William Sweet, OL (North Carolina)
- Immanuel Turner, DL (Louisiana Tech)
- Xavier Turner, (Tarleton State)
- Jerome Washington, TE (Rutgers)
Although Charles Clay joined a group including Ricky Seals-Jones, before Caleb Wilson became a Cardinal in the seventh round, the Cards added two more tight ends Monday in Belcher and Washington. A former quarterback, Belcher helped Maine to the Division I-FCS semifinals, catching 46 passes for 357 yards last season. Washington transferred from Miami to Rutgers but did not exceed 300 yards in a season in college. Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense may not feature as much tight end work as Arizona’s previous attack did, with four- and five-wide receiver sets expected more often.
Anderson attended four schools — San Diego State, Diablo Valley (Calif.) College, Buffalo and Murray State — and although he only played in five games for the Bulls, one of those was a 597-yard, seven-touchdown pass performance in 2017. He threw for 2,864 yards with the Racers last season, in addition to 20 TD passes, and added 225 rushing yards. Anderson joins Kyler Murray, Brett Hundley and 2018 UDFA Chad Kanoff as Cardinals quarterbacks.
Vikings Add 10 Undrafted Free Agents
The Vikings agreed to terms with 10 undrafted free agents on Monday. Here is the full list:
- Micah Abernathy, S (Tennessee)
- Khari Blasingame, FB (Vanderbilt)
- Jake Browning, QB (Washington)
- Davion Davis, WR (Sam Houston State)
- Brandon Dillon, TE (Marian)
- Alexander Hollins, WR (Eastern Illinois)
- John Keenoy, C (Western Michigan)
- Nate Meadors, CB (UCLA)
- Tito Odenigbo, DT (Miami)
- Anree Saint-Amour, DE (Georgia Tech)
The Huskies’ career leader in passing yardage (12,296) and single-season touchdown pass leader with 43 in 2016, Browning will be the fourth quarterback on Minnesota’s offseason roster. He joins fellow newcomer Sean Mannion, along with Kirk Cousins and 2017 UDFA Kyle Sloter. Tito Odenigbo is Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo‘s younger brother. Keenoy was a 50-game starter at Western Michigan, while Dillon posted 105 receptions for 1,661 yards at Marian — an NAIA school.
Of the receivers on the Vikings’ roster, only two — Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell — were draft picks. Davis was a four-year contributor at Sam Houston State, hauling in 226 receptions for 3,181 yards and 40 touchdown grabs.
Falcons Release G Brandon Fusco
Active in adding guards this offseason, the Falcons parted ways with one of their 2018 acquisitions. They released Brandon Fusco on Monday, NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets.
Fusco suffered a season-ending ankle injury midway through his first season with the Falcons, and the team released the veteran blocker with a failed-physical designation.
Atlanta added Fusco on a three-year, $12.75MM deal during free agency last year. As a result of this release, the Falcons will incur a $2.5MM dead-money charge. Fusco started seven games for the Falcons last season, but after the team’s free agency additions of James Carpenter and Jamon Brown preceded the Chris Lindstrom first-round selection, the team will go in a different direction.
The 30-year-old lineman has started 87 of the 90 career games he’s played, being part of six Vikings first-string O-lines — including the one that paved the way for his 2015 rushing title — and was a 16-game starter with the 49ers in 2017. The former sixth-round pick will have to heal up before continuing his career.
Patriots Trade Jacob Hollister To Seahawks
The Patriots have agreed to trade third-year tight end Jacob Hollister to the Seahawks pending a physical, league sources tell Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Patriots will receive a 2020 conditional seventh-round pick in return. 
The Seahawks had four tight ends on their 90-man roster, plus incoming undrafted free agent Justin Johnson. But, with Will Dissly coming off a knee injury, the Seahawks felt the need for some reinforcement.
Enter Hollister, who has just eight catches to his credit across two injury-filled seasons in New England. The Seahawks aren’t necessarily expecting a ton out of Hollister, but could provide valuable depth support if he manages to stay healthy.
Eagles Pick Up Carson Wentz’s Option
No surprise here. On Monday, the Eagles exercised Carson Wentz‘s fifth-year option, per a team announcement. 
This was a no-brainer call for the Eagles, who have committed to Wentz as their quarterback of the future. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft is now set to earn $22.783MM in 2020, the season after the initial four years on his contract come to a close.
Wentz, of course, was sidelined for the Eagles’ postseason run following the 2017 campaign, paving the way for Nick Foles to take the wheel and lead the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl victory. Last year, the injury bug bit Wentz once again. He missed a good chunk of the year with back troubles, but Foles was there once again to pinch hit. Unfortunately, the magic ran out for Philly last year, and the Eagles no longer have Foles as a safety net.
Should Wentz’s back issues reemerge to the point where his performance is compromised, he’ll be protected per the rules of the fifth-year option, which is guaranteed for injury. For any non-health issues, the Eagles retain the right to cut him loose without being on the hook for nearly $23MM in 2020.
Wentz looked the part of franchise quarterback when he was healthy in 2018. He finished the campaign with 3,074 yards and 21 touchdowns with a 69.6 completion percentage in 11 games.
Falcons Sign 16 Undrafted Free Agents
The Falcons agreed to sign with 16 undrafted college free agents on Monday. Here’s the full breakdown of Atlanta’s eight new offensive players, seven new defenders, and one long snapper:
- Parker Baldwin, FS (San Diego State)
- Shawn Bane, WR (Northwest Missouri)
- Yurik Bethune, LB (Alabama A&M)
- Lanard Bonner, OT (Arkansas State)
- Rashard Causey, CB (Central Florida)
- Tre’ Crawford, LB (Alabama-Birmingham)
- Devon Johnson, OT (Ferris State)
- Kahlil Lewis, WR (Cincinnati)
- Durrant Miles, LB (Boise State)
- Chandler Miller, C (Tulsa)
- Del’Shawn Phillips, LB (Illinois)
- Jaelin Robinson, OT (Temple)
- Jayson Stanley, CB (Georgia)
- Kyle Vasey, LS (Penn State)
- CJ Worton, WR (Florida International)
- Olamide Zaccheaus, WR (Virginia)
Stanley, a wide receiver at Georgia, will aim to show his stuff as a cornerback for the Falcons. The 6’2″, 207-pounder didn’t see a ton of playing time with the Bulldogs, but the Falcons are curious to find out whether his athletic skills can translate to success on the other side of the ball.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On PUP List
On Monday, the Steelers officially placed Ryan Shazier on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List. By taking this step, the Steelers will ensure that Ryan Shazier will continue to collect his salary for the 2019 season. For cap purposes, he’ll count for $473K against the books. 
Shazier has remained steadfast in his insistence that he wants to return to the field one day, but it won’t be in 2019. The Steelers, meanwhile, are doing right by the linebacker, who was lauded for his leadership and on-field abilities before a devastating injury suffered in 2017.
The former first-round pick out of Ohio State tallied 68 tackles and 11 pass defenses before he was nearly paralyzed in 2017. He also earned a Pro Bowl selection despite playing in only 12 games. Prior to that, he logged 55 tackles in each of the previous two seasons.
“We will continue to support Ryan’s efforts to return to play,” Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in a statement earlier this offseason. “Although he won’t be able to help us on the field in 2019, his leadership, insight, and emotional support have always been very valuable to us, and we look forward to his contributions in our pursuit of a championship.”
Lions Pick Up Taylor Decker’s Option
It’s officially official. On Monday, the Lions announced that they have picked up the fifth-year option on Taylor Decker‘s contract. With that, the offensive tackle is now under club control through the 2020 season. 
[RELATED: PFR’s 2020 Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
The fifth-year option enables teams to tack an additional year on to the standard four-year rookie contract for first-round picks. The additional year is guaranteed for injury only, giving the Lions an escape hatch if Decker regresses for non-health reasons.
After missing half of the 2017 season, Decker bounced back to start in all 16 games for the Lions last year. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus pegged him as the 36th best tackle in the NFL, giving the Lions enough confidence to extend his pact for another season.