Colts Officially Promote Veteran Receiver to Active Roster

The Indianapolis Colts continue to move pieces as the playoffs approach, this time signing a veteran pass-catcher back to the 53-man roster.

The Indianapolis Colts have been moving veteran receiver D.J. Montgomery up and down from the practice squad to the active roster over the last month. This time, it's an official slot in the lineup rather than just a gameday designation.

We have signed WR D.J. Montgomery to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived G Arlington Hambright.

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 14, 2023

The Colts posted on X, announcing, "We have signed WR D.J. Montgomery to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived G Arlington Hambright."

They would make room for Montgomery by waiving guard Arlington Hambright, who had been on the field mostly during the preseason.

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Teams can only elevate practice squad players to the roster just for gamedays only three times in a season, so the Colts no longer have to make weekly decisions on Montgomery's status.

This move could also likely have been due to the Colts' bruising, 34-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, ending a great four-game win streak. In this contest, quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for 240 yards but couldn’t find many completions outside of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (8) and rookie tight end Will Mallory (5).

While it’s highly unlikely that Montgomery will see the field with such important games ahead due to limited career exposure (3 catches for 36 yards), he could be a suitable option as a deeper depth piece with the wide receiver room. He’s also capable of pushing the defense during practice, getting them ever more prepared for a potential, and unexpected, playoff birth.

We’ll see what happens as the Colts host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday at 4:30 pm.

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