Colts Suspend Two Veterans Among Several Roster Moves

After being healthy scratches on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Isaiah McKenzie and Tony Brown have been suspended by the Indianapolis Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to move to 8-6 on the season on Saturday, which put them in the seventh seed in the AFC playoff race. However, one pregame development was the healthy scratches of wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and cornerback Tony Brown, both veterans who haven’t had the ideal 2023 season they likely wanted.

It was initially thought that this may have been due to something the Colts saw on the field, as receiver D.J. Montgomery was elevated and produced with 2 catches for 48 yards and a score, and special teams were fine without Brown (minus kicker Matt Gay’s two misses).

However, it’s been reported that it may have to do with something deeper.

The #Colts announced they’ve placed WR Isaiah McKenzie and CB Tony Brown on the Reserve/Suspended list for the final three games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to the team.

— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) December 19, 2023

Horseshoe Huddle’s Jake Arthur posted on X: “The #Colts announced they’ve placed WR Isaiah McKenzie and CB Tony Brown on the Reserve/Suspended list for the final three games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to the team.”

Head coach Shane Steichen has instilled accountability into the Colts locker room, so if there’s anything that might be a distraction for the team it will be dealt with professionally and respectfully. However, it’s still unclear what was done to cause the three-game suspension for McKenzie and Brown.

McKenzie finishes 2023 with 11 catches for 82 yards. He complements that with 3 rushes for 14 yards, 23 punt returns (204 yards), and 6 kick returns (152 yards).

Brown finishes his season with 10 tackles, 1 interception, a fumble forced, a blocked punt, and a pass defended.

Look for the Colts to continue rolling with Montgomery at wide receiver in place of McKenzie. Rookie slot receiver Josh Downs also served as the returner on Saturday, which will likely continue moving forward.

As for Brown, while he struggled badly at corner this season, he will be missed as a key special teams ace for Brian Mason. We’ll see if these suspensions affect the team in any manner as the Colts push for an unforeseen playoff spot.

In corresponding moves, the Colts also announced that they officially elevated running back Tyler Goodson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, signed defensive end Zach McCloud, wide receiver Jaydon Mickens, and wide receiver Juwann Winfree to the practice squad, and also released guard Lewis Kidd from the practice squad.

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