Tag: Ashton Dulin

Colts’ special teams unit ranked middle of the pack

Colts sit middle of the pack in Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings.

The Indianapolis Colts special teams unit underwent a slight makeover during the 2023 offseason following the departure of Bubba Ventrone and the arrival of new coordinator Brian Thomas.

As a whole, the unit had its ups and downs. There were bright moments like the two big plays on blocked punts against the Tennessee Titans. There were also some lapses. They allowed the ninth-most punt return yards (360) and the seventh-most yards per kick returns (26.1).

Rick Gosselin released his annual special teams rankings for the 2023 season, and the Colts found themselves right in the middle of the pack at No. 16 overall.

There is always an adjustment period when a new coordinator takes over, regardless of whether it comes on offense, defense or special teams. Losing Ventrone was going to make life a bit difficult on the unit, especially considering how well they ranked throughout his tenure with the Colts.

There were some injuries that played a factor as well. Losing Ashton Dulin, one of the best gunners in the NFL, due to a torn ACL was a huge blow. Then, the team lost cornerback and return man Dallis Flowers to a torn Achilles a year after he led the NFL in yards per return. Both players were regarded as two of the best special teamers on the entire roster.

Meanwhile, punter Rigoberto Sanchez was working his way back from a torn Achilles that claimed his entire 2022 season.

On punt returns, Isaiah McKenzie spent the majority of the season as the return man. He was pretty inefficient, though, averaging 8.9 yards per return on 23 returns. The team as a whole only return nine total kicks during the season thanks to the new kickoff rules.

Barring a surprising move, Mason will be back for his second season as the special teams coordinator in 2024, and it will be interesting to see if the return of both Dulin and Flowers can get this unit back to where it was before.

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Colts vs. Texans: Keys to victory in Week 2

Here’s how the Colts can pull off a win over the Texans in Week 2.

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2023 season, where the Indianapolis Colts play at NRG Stadium against the Houston Texans.

It’s a new era for the organization with many new faces, including head coach Shane Steichen and franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson. The team is anxious to get rolling, but wins will not come easy for a roster that has also been revamped and missing one of its most dynamic players.

Here are the keys to victory for taking down the Texans:

Colts’ Ashton Dulin gives positive update post surgery

Ashton Dulin looks forward to the road of recovery.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin won’t be on the field to help his team throughout the 2023 season after he suffered a torn ACL, but now he’s on the road to recovery.

Dulin, who suffered a torn ACL during the joint training camp practice with the Chicago Bears, gave an update Friday telling fans his surgery “went great” and that he’s on the road to recovery.

Dulin’s absence will have a big impact on the Colts offense. He was slated to be the No. 4 wide receiver, and he’s thrived in that role throughout his career. But his absence makes an even bigger impact on special teams where he served as one of the top gunners in the league.

Dulin signed a two-year deal with the Colts during the spring so he’ll be around for at least one more season, but now he’s focused on the road to recovery while all eyes turn to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Gimme Him: One player Colts would steal from Bears

If the Colts could hypothetically steal one player from the Bears, who would it be?

The Indianapolis Colts play the Chicago Bears today at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday.

In a hypothetical scenario, the Colts Wire staff can “steal” one player that sheds light on depth needs or talent upgrades for the Colts.

This week’s selection: wide receiver Tyler Scott.

Before the 2023 draft, general manager Chris Ballard had his eyes on Scott. The team spoke with the wide receiver to gauge scheme fit and to dive deeper into Scott’s abilities.

At 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, Scott is smaller than Ballard’s usual prototype, but his athleticism helps him tremendously. He has 4.44 speed with a 39.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot broad jump.

Additionally, Scott has something Ballard loves: special teams experience. He has a connection to current special teams coordinator Brian Mason who coached Scott during his time at the University of Cincinnati.

Finally, with wide receiver Ashton Dulin out for the season, it’s reasonable to assume that Scott could add critical depth and help the team stay competitive.

Other players in consideration would be D.J. Moore, Jaquan Brisker and Teven Jenkins.

What are your thoughts, Colts fans? Would you pick Scott or steal an entirely different player from the Chicago Bears?

Colts sign WR Tyler Adams

The Colts signed WR Tyler Adams and placed WR Ashton Dulin on the injured reserve list.

The Indianapolis Colts signed wide receiver Tyler Adams and placed wide receiver Ashton Dulin on the injured reserve list, the team announced Thursday.

Dulin suffered a torn ACL during the first joint training camp practice with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday night, effectively ending his season before it could begin.

Adams, an undrafted free-agent rookie out of Butler, signed briefly with the team this offseason following rookie minicamp. He was waived when the Colts signed wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

In 2022, Adams appeared in 11 games for Butler and recorded 39 receptions for 689 yards and five touchdowns.

Colts’ Ashton Dulin suffers torn ACL

Ashton Dulin will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin suffered a torn ACL during Wednesday night’s joint training camp practice with the Chicago Bears.

Dulin will miss the entire 2023 season due to the injury, and the depth chart in the wide receiver room takes a hit. Additionally, the Colts will lose one of their top special teams aces.

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The Colts signed Dulin to a two-year deal this offseason with the intent of providing depth in the wide receiver room and special teams under new coordinator Brian Mason.

With Dulin suffering the season-ending injury, it may open the door for players including Amari Rodgers, Breshad Perriman, Mike Strachan and Juwann Winfree to sneak onto the roster as a depth piece.

It’s an unfortunate injury for Dulin, who was locked in as the team’s No. 4 wide receiver.

Colts’ 2023 training camp preview: Wide Receiver

Michael Pittman Jr. leads the Colts WRs into training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to return for training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield with their first practice being held July 26.

Before then, we’ll be previewing each position, giving our takes on the starters, position battles and projected depth chart entering camp under the new regime.

The wide receiver position will be an interesting one to watch. There’s plenty of talent in the room, and they will need to step up for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson whenever he takes over as the starter.

You can follow along with our training camp previews as we post the links below:

Quarterback Running Back Wide Receiver Tight End
Offensive Line Defensive Line Linebacker Cornerback
Safety Special Teams

Here’s our preview of the wide receiver room entering training camp:

11 winners from Colts offseason workout program

Taking a look at 11 winners from the Colts’ offseason workout program.

The Indianapolis Colts have roughly one month until the arrival of training camp, which is when the real competition for the final roster spots will take place.

Though we should be careful about how much information we take seriously during the spring practices, it never hurts to monitor the players who stand out in OTAs and minicamp. Jobs are not won in the spring, but the foundation for the competitions is being laid out.

Here are 11 winners from the Colts offseason workout program in 2023:

Grading the Colts’ free agency moves in 2023

Grading every move the Colts have made in free agency this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts have turned their attention to the 2023 NFL draft after making some waves since the opening of free agency last month.

While the Colts are still likely to add a handful of pieces to the roster before the draft—specifically at cornerback and offensive line—the majority of their moves have been made in free agency.

If and when those moves are made before the draft, we’ll add them to this list of grades.

Even with the noise quieting down, we’re still tracking the moves the Colts are making in free agency and will do so through the month of April.

Here’s a look at our grades for the Colts’ moves in free agency, which also includes the notable moves of a trade and the release of a pair of starters:

Colts re-sign Ashton Dulin: How Twitter reacted

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Colts re-signing WR Ashton Dulin.

General Manager Chris Ballard has been high on his team’s wide receiver group for quite some time now, and it looks like that won’t change, as the Indianapolis Colts are re-signing special teams contributor and wide receiver, Ashton Dulin.

Dulin, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019, received a two-year deal worth up to $9.2 million. Dulin brings much-needed depth behind Michael Pittman, Jr., and Alec Pierce.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Colts re-signing Ashton Dulin: