With the first training camp practice taking place on Thursday, the Colts made a last-minute roster move, announcing that they signed former first-round wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.
The corresponding roster move to make room for Treadwell was releasing wide receiver Xavier White, who was signed following the 2024 draft as an undrafted rookie.
We have signed WR Laquon Treadwell and waived WR Xavier White.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) July 24, 2024
Treadwell was the 23rd overall pick back in the 2016 NFL draft by Minnesota. He spent his first four seasons with the team but could never gain consistent traction.
During that span, Treadwell appeared in 53 games, including 16 starts, catching 65 receptions on 107 targets at only 10.8 yards per catch with two touchdowns.
Since that final 2019 season with Minnesota, Treadwell has bounced around, spending 2020 with Atlanta, 2021 with Jacksonville, 2022 with Seattle, and 2023 with Baltimore. He’s appeared in 28 games over the last four seasons with 46 receptions for 541 yards, 434 of which came in 2021, and three touchdowns.
The Colts’ receiver room already is fairly crowded with the additions of Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould in the draft, who will join Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce. Also returning from injury will be Ashton Dulin, a core special teams contributor.
Realistically, making the final roster will be a challenge, especially given that the Colts rarely put four receivers on the field together at one time last season.
At the end of the day, roster construction is a 365 day a year job in the NFL, with many GMs frequently churning the back end of their depth charts, particularly at this time of the year. Like everyone else, Treadwell will have the opportunity to earn a role on this team, but most likely, GM Chris Ballard saw the chance to upgrade the back end of the roster and took a swing on a former first-round pick.