Colts release five veterans, place TE Jelani Woods on IR en route to 53

ByJasper

Aug 28, 2024 #Ameer Speed , #Arlington Hambright, #Austin Ajiake, #Cameron McGrone, #Chris Lammons, #Craig Young, #Demetric Felton, #DJ Montgomery, #Eric Johnson, #Eric Tomlinson, #Evan Hull, #Genard Avery, #Indianapolis Colts, #Jake Witt, #Jason Bean, #Jaylin Simpson, #Jelani Woods, #Jonah Laulu, #Jordan Murray, #Juwann Winfree, #Laquon Treadwell, #Levi Bell, #Liam Anderson, #Marcel Dabo, #Micah Abraham, #Michael Tutsie, #Mike Panasiuk, #Samson Ebukam, #Titus Leo, #Transactions, #Zavier Scott

Colts release five veterans, place TE Jelani Woods on IR en route to 53

The Colts now have 53 players on the roster who will begin the year on the active roster. Here are the players who will not be on the roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (intended for return):

The Colts made a number of difficult decisions to close out the first active roster. Aside from Montgomery, every other veteran the team released today has some form of starting experience. A youth movement in the defensive ends department kept Avery out of the game, and Tomlinson was unable to take advantage of Woods missing the entire year on the injured list.

Perhaps even more surprising was that Indianapolis cut ties with three drafted rookies after just four months. Fifth-round Auburn defensive back Simpson, sixth-round Marshall cornerback Abraham and seventh-round Oklahoma defensive tackle Laulu all failed to make the 53-man roster, essentially marking those draft picks as wasted. If some players from the later rounds develop into true contributors, the Colts will be upset that they missed out on those three selections.

On the other hand, Indianapolis discovered a gem in Marshall Guard, who was not drafted Dalton Tucker. Tucker made the roster and is one of only four offensive linemen to support the starting lineup.