1 month agoThe Indianapolis Colts released defensive lineman Raekwon Davis on Friday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The move saves the Colts $6.49 million on the 2025 salary cap. Davis was officially cut with a non-football illness designation. The 27-year-old defensive tackle played in all 17 games in his first year with the Colts in 2024 but didn't start a single game. In those 17 contests, he had only 15 tackles (seven solo), one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. The Colts signed Davis to a two-year, $14 million deal last offseason. Davis will now look to latch on with another team as defensive line depth in free agency. He was originally a second-round pick (56th overall) by the Miami Dolphins in 2020 out of the University of Alabama. In his five seasons in the NFL, Davis has 144 tackles (66 solo), two sacks, six tackles for loss and 10 QB hits in 80 games (48 starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
2
months
agoNames
on
the
Indianapolis
Colts'
radar
as
they
look
to
bring
in
competition
for
quarterback
Anthony
Richardson
include
Daniel
Jones,
Justin
Fields,
Trey
Lance
and
Jacoby
Brissett,
according
read more...
2 months agoIndianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said on Tuesday that the team will have an open competition at quarterback this offseason between
Anthony Richardson and another player that is brought in. The Colts could draft a signal-caller -- they have the 14th overall pick in this year's NFL draft -- or pick a veteran up in free agency to compete with Richardson, who disappointed in his sophomore season and was limited to 11 starts due to more injuries and a benching. The 22-year-old former fourth overall pick out of Florida in 2023 only played in four games in his rookie season. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Richardson has proved injury-prone and is a reliability in terms of accuracy, as he completed only 47.7% of his 264 pass attempts for 1,814 yards, eight TDs and 12 interceptions. The rushing upside is great, but fantasy managers will probably value him as more of an upside QB2 in 2025 if he wins the starting job.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Indianapolis Star - Joel A. Erickson
2 months agoThe Athletic's James Boyd writes that the writing has been on the wall for the Indianapolis Colts to cut ties with right tackle Braden Smith this offseason, even if he had played in every game in 2024. Smith is entering the final year of his four-year, $70 million contract extension and missed the last five games of 2024 due to an undisclosed personal matter. The 28-year-old's salary is untenable for a player who also missed seven games in 2023 due to an assortment of wrist, foot, hip and knee injuries. Cutting Smith would save the Colts $16.75 million against the 2025 salary cap with only $3 million in dead money. Boys believes that Smith is probably past his prime at this point, and Indy might be better off going with second-year offensive lineman Matt Goncalves at right tackle this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - James Boyd
2 months agoESPN's Stephen Holder writes that it's unlikely the Indianapolis Colts will commit more than $20 million to impending free-agent defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo via the franchise tag when they already have a lot invested in their defensive line, even though Odeyingbo led the Colts with 33 QB pressures in 2024 and has 16 sacks in the last three seasons. The Colts took care of most of their top free agent last offseason -- receiver
Michael Pittman Jr., cornerback Kenny Moore II, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and linebacker Zaire Franklin. The 25-year-old Odeyingbo played a full season for the third straight year in 2024, but his sack total dropped from eight in 2023 to just three. Because of how much the Colts have already invested in their D line, it would not be a surprise to see them let Odeyingbo walk on the open market.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Stephen Holder
2
months
agoThe
Indianapolis
Colts
will
likely
have
quarterback
Anthony
Richardson
under
center
to
begin
the
2025
campaign,
but
after
Richardson's
struggles
to
begin
his
career,
the
team
would
be
wise
to
sign
a
backup
with
upside.
Richardson
has
completed
just
50.6%
of
his
passes
for
read more...
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts have hired Chris Hewitt to their coaching staff on Saturday. Hewitt most recently was the assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. He joined the Ravens in 2012 as the assistant special teams coach and worked his way up to assistant head coach this past season. He'll now head to the Colts as the defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach. This appears to be a solid addition for the Colts who are looking to retool their staff after a lackluster season in 2024.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Tom Pelissero
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts announced on Friday that they signed free-agent wide receiver
Ajou Ajou to a Reserve/Futures deal. Ajou will head to the NFL after spending the 2024 season playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, where he caught 20 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder was taken by the Roughriders in the seventh round of this year's CFL draft after playing collegiately at Garden City Community College, Clemson and South Florida. He had eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in 22 games at Clemson and 17 catches for 186 yards and two scores in his seven games at community college. Ajou played in just one game at South Florida. He will now continue his development in the NFL with the Colts but will be a long shot to make the active roster out of training camp this summer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Colts.com
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts quarterback
Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, dealt with more injuries in his second NFL season in 2024 and did nothing to solidify himself as the long-term franchise QB in Indy. Richardson regressed as a passer, with his completion percentage dropping more than 11% points from his rookie year. In addition, his interceptions went up and there were questions about his off-field preparation, which led to a two-game benching in the middle of the year. The good news is that Richardson is healthy this offseason after missing the last two games of the year with a back injury, and he's already resumed throwing. His work this offseason with include refining his throws and throwing with more touch. Richardson will also be focusing on overall technique and plans to work with biometric expert Chris Hess. If Richardson can stay healthy and improves his footwork and throwing mechanics, he absolutely has QB1 upside in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Stephen Holder
3 months agoNFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Indianapolis Colts are expected to hire former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo as their new defensive coordinator. It's a big hire for head coach Shane Steichen's staff, and Anarumo will take over for Gus Bradley, who was fired after the 2024 season. The Colts defense was a disappointment under Bradley this year, falling to 29th in yards allowed per game (361.2). Anarumo also struggled in 2024 with the Bengals -- they finished 26th in point allowed per drive and 30th in red-zone efficiency -- but the 58-year-old coach has built impressive defenses in Cincy in past seasons. He's known for his creativity in disguising coverages and being aggressive with his blitz packages.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts announced on Wednesday that they will play in the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Berlin, Germany, in 2025. The game in Berlin will be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multi-year commitment by the league to playing games in the sports metropolis. The NFL played five American Bowl games at the Olympic Stadium between 1990 and 1994, and the stadium was also home to NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder from 2003-07. The Colts were granted marketing rights in Germany last April as part of an initiative that awards NFL teams international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom outside of the United States. The Colts' opponent, game date and kickoff time will be announced when the full 2025 schedule is announced this spring.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Indianapolis Colts
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts will interview former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen for their defensive-coordinator position on Friday, according to a source. Allen, who is considered one of the top candidates for defensive coordinator this cycle, will take his time making a decision and is expected to have several options. Indy is looking for a new D coordinator after firing Gus Bradley following the 2024 season. The Saints fired Allen in the middle of the year after starting 2-7. He went 18-25 in his time as the head coach in New Orleans following the departure of Sean Payton. Before becoming the head coach in New Orleans, Allen was the team's defensive coordinator for seven years. Allen was the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in his career but went 8-28. In addition to Allen, the Colts are looking at Ephraim Banda, Steve Wilks and Lou Anarumo.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said that wide receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. (back) will not require surgery for the fractured back that he played through late in the 2024 season. "One tough dude. Example of what you want," Ballard said. It's a testament to Pittman's toughness that he missed just one game due to his back injury. But the 27-year-old's back issues and inconsistent play from the quarterback position in Indianapolis in 2024 led to Pittman posting only 808 receiving yards -- his fewest since his rookie season in 2020 -- to go with 69 receptions (also his lowest mark since 2020) and only three touchdowns in 16 games. Better health will give him a chance to rebound in 2025, but his overall upside might be dependent on quarterback
Anthony Richardson's health and his ability to improve as a passer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: FOX 59 - Mike Chappell
3 months agoIndianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said the team will add competition to the quarterback room in 2025, in part because
Anthony Richardson (back) hasn't been able to stay healthy for a full season yet early on in his career. In addition to injury issues, Richardson's accuracy concerns continue to be a problem. "We knew when we took him it was going to be a roller coaster," Ballard said of Richardson. "The number one thing we have to figure out and have to work through is he's got to stay healthy. That, to me, is the biggest question. We have to have competition at the position because competition makes you better and because he's not proven he can stay healthy for 17 games," Ballard said. The 22-year-old has started 15 of a possible 34 games in his first two NFL seasons. While his rushing ability is top tier, Richardson needs to stay healthy and improve as a passer to maintain his starting role in Indy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
3 months agoThe Indianapolis Colts are expected to interview long-time NFL coach Steve Wilks for their defensive-coordinator vacancy next week, according to sources. The Colts are searching for a new coach to lead their defense after firing former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley earlier this week. Wilks last served as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator in 2023 and helped them reach the Super Bowl while they ranked eighth in total yards allowed and third in total points allowed. While serving as the Arizona Cardinals interim head coach in 2022, he led the team to a 6-6 record to close out the year and went 3-13 as their head coach back in 2018. Wilks' defensive expertise mainly comes in the secondary, having been a defensive backs coach before rising to defensive coordinator. He spent 2024 as a volunteer advisor at the University of Charlotte.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
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