Tag: Armani Watts

9 in-house Colts free agents remain unsigned

These in-house Colts free agents are still on the market.

While the Indianapolis Colts have seen a majority of their in-house free agents join other teams this offseason, there are still a handful of players who wore the horseshoe in 2022 available on the market.

The biggest name still available is quarterback Matt Ryan, but it remains to be seen what his future looks like in the NFL. He accepted a role as an NFL analyst with CBS Sports, but he also made it clear he’s not keen on retiring just yet.

The other big name on the list is defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who led the Colts with 9.5 sacks during the 2022 season. He’s likely to find a new home sooner rather than later, though it is a bit interesting why he hasn’t signed with a team yet.

The Colts also released veteran quarterback Nick Foles and waived tight end Nikola Kalinic following the 2023 NFL draft so they appear on the list as well.

Here’s a quick look at some of the Colts’ in-house free agents who remain unsigned in the market:

List of Colts free agents who remain unsigned

These Colts free agents remain unsigned.

The Indianapolis Colts have turned their attention to preparing for the 2023 NFL draft, but there are still some free agents available on the market.

Since the start of free agency, about half of the Colts’ free agents have found new homes. You can stay up to date with the latest news and rumors via our free agency tracker.

As we venture deeper into the month of April, here’s a look at the list of Colts free agents who remain unsigned.

Colts place Rigoberto Sanchez, Armani Watts on IR

Rigoberto Sanchez and Armani Watts placed on season-ending injured reserve.

The Indianapolis Colts placed punter Rigoberto Sanchez and safety Armani Watts on the injured reserve list as a part of the team’s efforts to reduce the roster to 53 players, the team announced Tuesday.

Any player placed on the injured reserve list before the initial rosters are set is forced to miss the entire season. If the team wanted to designate a player to return but still put them on the list, they would have to wait until after the final roster cuts to do so.

Neither of these is a surprise for the Colts. Sanchez tore his Achilles during the final week of training camp. While there was a moment in which the Colts may have considered waiting to put Sanchez on the reserve list—hoping he could later return—the timeline for an Achilles recovery is simply too long for that to be a possibility.

The Colts signed Matt Haack just before the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he showcased extremely well to make the initial 53-man roster.

Watts suffered an ankle injury on the opening kickoff of the preseason finale. He had to be carted off, and head coach Frank Reich told the media following the game that Watts would likely miss the season. This move confirms that.

Watts was slated for a special teams role and will likely be replaced by rookies Rodney Thomas II and Trevor Denbow.

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Colts’ Armani Watts suffered season-ending ankle injury

Armani Watts will miss the remainder of the season.

Indianapolis Colts safety Armani Watts will miss the remainder of the 2022 season after suffering a severe ankle injury during the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Watts was injured on the opening kickoff of the game Saturday night and had to be carted off the field. Head coach Frank Reich told reporters following the game that Watts will miss the remainder of the season.

Watts was signed this offseason to a one-year deal to provide help on special teams and depth in the safety room, but that won’t be happening now that he suffered this unfortunate injury.

With Watts likely ending up on the injured reserve list as a part of the roster cuts, another spot in the safety room opens up.

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Colts’ Armani Watts carted off field on opening kickoff

Armani Watts suffered an ankle on the opening kickoff.

Indianapolis Colts safety Armani Watts was carted off the field after the first kickoff to begin the game on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After the opening kickoff, Watts was down on the field for a few minutes due to the injury, and the cart had to come out for the veteran safety. He was ruled out with an ankle injury.

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Colts’ 2022 training camp preview: Safety

Taking a look at the safety position entering Colts camp.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to report to the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield for the start of training camp in less than a week. Among the many positions to watch, the safety group will have plenty of eyes on them.

It’s been a whirlwind of an offseason when it comes to the safety position. The biggest news came from the surprising announcement of Khari Willis’ retirement at the age of 26. We also saw the return of starting free safety Julian Blackmon during the spring workouts for the first time since tearing his Achilles.

Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:

As training camp approaches in less than a week, here’s a preview of the safety position:

7 new Colts who can have immediate impacts in 2022

These new faces are headed for big roles in 2022.

In what turned out to be a pretty busy offseason, the Indianapolis Colts are expected to have several new faces take on important roles on both sides of the ball.

Every year, there are new players coming in via free agency, trades and the NFL draft. So, this process isn’t new. But that doesn’t make it any less vital to get those new players comfortable with the schemes and culture that are presented both on and off the field.

Between some big moves in free agency, a pair of trades at premium positions and an eight-man draft class, here are seven new Colts who can have an immediate impact in 2022:

Updating Colts defensive depth chart after free agency moves

Here’s an updated look at the Colts defensive depth chart after last week’s moves.

The Indianapolis Colts added some new faces to the secondary last week, including a big name in the form of cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

The Colts also added safeties Armani Watts and Rodney McLeod as well as special teamer Brandon King.

With just over a week until the 2022 NFL draft, the Colts were able to add both depth and starter quality to the defensive side of the ball. That was a major question mark just a few weeks ago.

Let’s take a look at the updated defensive depth chart after those moves:

Contract details for Colts new S Armani Watts

Taking a look at the contract details for Colts new S Armani Watts.

The Indianapolis Colts added some depth to their defensive backfield this week by signing safety Armani Watts to a one-year deal.

The details of that contract have been released so we have a better idea of what the 26-year-old will be making during the 2022 season with the Colts.

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Colts signed Watts to a one-year deal worth $1.187 million with $402,500 guaranteed. He has a base salary of $1.035 million ($250,000 guaranteed) with a signing bonus of $152,500.

One-year deals don’t typically mean much in terms of impacting the salary cap but they can give us a bit of a hint when it comes to the potential role of a player.

The fact that Watts will be making roughly the veteran minimum doesn’t guarantee him a spot. The guaranteed money isn’t insignificant, though, so we should expect Watts to be on the roster.

Given their need at the position, the Colts don’t really have the benefit of cutting Watts outright. He’ll play a valuable rotational role behind the starters while adding a boost to special teams in a George Odum-like role.

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How S Armani Watts fits with the Colts

Taking a look at how S Armani Watts fits into the Colts defense.

The Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday signed free agent safety Armani Watts, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs to a one-year deal.

This acquisition adds young and healthy depth to a safety group that has really thinned out this off-season. With the departure of former All-Pro special teamer and safety George Odum, who signed a three-year deal with San Francisco, snaps are up for grabs at both of those spots this season in Indianapolis.

Watts, 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, also has a history of heavy contribution on special teams in Kansas City under coordinator Dave Toub.

In his 53 games played since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, Watts has only one defensive start while playing nearly 1000 snaps on the special teams unit.

He should slide into a similar reserve role for the Colts and continue to improve an already talented special teams group.

Another big factor that likely led to this signing is the health of starting free safety Julian Blackmon, who tore his Achilles in practice last year. The road to recovery from an Achilles injury is difficult for anyone to put a timetable on, so it makes sense to bring in competition should Blackmon need more time to heal.

With Khari Willis locking down the starting strong safety spot, expect Watts to get time alongside him in training camp until Blackmon is 100% and rotate in behind the two.

The Colts are likely not done adding to a young and relatively inexperienced secondary for the 2022 season. While he may not contribute heavily on defense, Watts could go a long way to helping fill a need on one of the most important, and often overlooked parts of any football team, the special teams unit.

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