The Colts announced on Wednesday morning that they waived safety Kendell Brooks and waived/injured wide receiver Ethan Fernea.
These moves were made to make room on the roster for defensive end Derek Rivers and wide receiver Greg Ward, both of whom were signed after being in for a workout on Tuesday.
Brooks was signed to a futures deal back in January, and over the last week, had been in and out of practice working through an undisclosed injury.
He played two special teams snaps and 32 defensive snaps in the preseason opener against Denver, with most of his snaps coming near the line of scrimmage. According to PFF, Brooks missed on of his two tackle attempts and allowed two receptions on three targets for 42 yards.
Fernea would play three special teams snaps and 16 snaps on offense in Sunday’s game and had one reception for 18 yards. Nothing has been reported, but he must have sustained an injury of some sort in that game.
For both players, they spent training camp working with the third team offensive and defensive units. Even with all the question marks at safety, Brooks wasn’t in a position to make the roster, and in a crowded receiver room, the same was true for Fernea–especially with both having limited special teams opportunities.