Former Starting Defender Among Colts' Roster Purge
The Indianapolis Colts continue to make strides in their roster cuts, parting ways with wide receivers Amari Rodgers and Vyncint Smith, tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, running backs Jake Funk and Jason Huntley, linebacker Liam Anderson, cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart, and safety Marcel Dabo, all according to Joel Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.
Many of these players will factor into the Colts' practice squad decisions as well.
The departure of Rodgers and Smith leaves Juwann Winfree as the WR5 backing up Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Isaiah McKenzie. Winfree will likely have a decent role on special teams.
Seals-Jones' cut was an expected one in a crowded room also featuring Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, and Pharaoh Brown.
Muhammad re-joined the Colts this summer after a brief stint with the Chicago Bears in 2022, but he couldn't hang on as he battled Tyquan Lewis, Khalid Kareem, and Titus Leo for a depth role.
The running back room thinned out a bit with some expected moves, as Funk and Huntley are on the chopping block while the Colts figure out the situation with Jonathan Taylor. Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, and Evan Hull will fill in for now.
As for Anderson, the undrafted rookie had a solid summer but was behind a group of Grant Stuard, JoJo Domann, Segun Olubi, and Cameron McGrone that had a great camp and preseason as they battled for position behind the starters.
The Colts might keep a whopping seven cornerbacks, but Taylor-Stuart isn't one of them. He was competing for a depth spot but was near the bottom of a crowded group. With Dabo, he will likely go back to the Colts' practice squad, where the Colts hold an extra spot for him as he is a member of the International Player Pathway Program.
Today is a day full of uncertainty for any NFL player who isn’t an established star or a pillar of a franchise. As roster cuts continue to unfold, it will be interesting to see who gets added to the list for Indianapolis as they trim down the depth chart to 53 names.
Stay tuned to Horseshoe Huddle as roster cuts continue to come in.
