Tag: Ashton Dulin

Colts rule Ryan Kelly OUT among several roster moves

Colts make several roster moves.

The Indianapolis Colts made several roster moves on Saturday ahead of the Week 12 game against the Tennessee Titans, including downgrading center Ryan Kelly from questionable to out.

Kelly didn’t practice all week due to a neck injury he seemingly suffered during the Week 11 win over the Green Bay Packers, and now the Colts will be down several starters for this crucial matchup.

Among that were several roster moves including:

  • CB Isaiah Rodgers (knee) downgraded to questionable.
  • C Joey Hunt and DE Cassius Marsh were elevated from the practice squad as COVID-19 replacements.
  • DTs Kameron Cline and Robert Windsor were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.
  • WR Ashton Dulin (knee) has been activated from the injured reserve list.

The Colts also placed running back Jonathan Taylor on the reserve/COVID-19 list and he will not play against the Titans on Sunday.

The Colts will be extremely short-handed when the host the Titans on Sunday, especially after the several roster moves they made ahead of the game.

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Colts designate WR Ashton Dulin to return from IR

Ashton Dulin is making his way back from a knee injury.

The Indianapolis Colts designated wide receiver Ashton Dulin to return from the injured reserve list.

Dulin was placed on the IR on Nov. 17 ahead of the Week 9 game against the Baltimore Ravens. He suffered a knee injury during the Week 8 win over the Detroit Lions and it was serious enough for him to miss at least three weeks.

With Dulin designated to return, the Colts have a 21-day window to activate him. Dulin can practice during this time without being counted toward the active roster. If the Colts don’t activate him during that span, Dulin will revert back to the IR where he will remain for the rest of the season.

Dulin has a minimal role on offense but is an important special teams contributor, which means the Colts are hoping he can return for the Week 12 game against the Tennessee Titans.

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T.Y. Hilton among injured Colts in win over Lions

Reich gives updates on injuries.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) came away with a dominating 41-21 win over the Detroit Lions (3-4) on Sunday at Ford Field but did emerge from the game with a few injury notes.

Following the win, head coach Frank Reich updated the media on some of the injury notes that they had. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton suffered a groin injury just before the end of the first half. He was ruled out for the game pretty quickly.

Reich also mentioned that wide receiver Ashton Dulin suffered an ankle injury and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is in the concussion protocol.

 

It isn’t clear how severe Hilton’s groin injury is. However, he hasn’t made much of an impact and only had two catches for nine yards on Sunday before the injury.

Reich will be giving more of an update on Monday when he meets with the media, but we likely won’t know much until the injury reports come out on Wednesday.

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6 Colts who should be considered for the protected practice squad

Colts can protect up to four players on the practice squad.

As the NFL tries to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a lot of changes going around the league. Among them are the slight modifications to the practice squad, which will have an impact on the Indianapolis Colts in a positive way.

Under the new CBA, practice squads were already going to be increased from 10 to 12 players. Now, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to expand the practice squad to 16 players. Also, six of those players can have an unlimited number of accrued seasons—previously the rule was only two players—per Lindsay Jones of The Athletic.

The biggest change, though, comes in the form of a “protected practice squad.” Four players on the practice squad can be protected on a weekly basis from other teams trying to poach players, per Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

This will allows the Colts to keep some of their younger talent protected while adding depth elsewhere on the active roster.

Here’s a look at six players the Colts should consider putting on the protected practice squad:

QB Jacob Eason

Eason is the top candidate when considering players for the protected practice squad. One of the biggest challenges when projecting the 53-man roster for the Colts this season is what to do with the limited spots after having to carry three quarterbacks. Now, they don’t have to worry about that.

The Colts can carry their two quarterbacks in Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett on the active roster while Eason continues to work as the QB3 on the protected practice squad. The biggest reason for keeping Eason on the active roster was for fear of losing him during the waiver process on his way to the practice squad.

As long as he isn’t subject to waivers on this new protected practice squad, putting Eason there is a no brainer.

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How many WRs will the Colts keep on the 53-man roster?

How many WRs the Colts keep will be a major factor.

One of the toughest decisions a front office has to make every year is how to configure their roster at the end of the preseason. This year will be no different for the Indianapolis Colts with all the different things going on in the world.

The Colts will be in an interesting spot, especially with how they’ll cut down their offense. Expectations are they’ll keep three quarterbacks and a fullback on the roster, something most teams don’t do. Although the new rule about a protected practice squad could change things.

The wide receiver position is one that has several questions surrounding it in terms of construction. Let’s look at how many wide receivers the Colts should keep going into the 2020 season:

The Locks

The players that should be a guarantee to make the roster are T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, Michael Pittman, and Zach Pascal. Hilton and Pascal have proven to be solid receivers in the NFL, and Campbell and Pittman are both second-round picks that are still very young and have time to develop. Their skill sets also perfectly matchup with their roles.

These four wide receivers should be considered locks for roster spots, barring an injury that would keep them off of the active roster.

Fighting for a spot

Here is where it gets messy for the Colts. It all depends on whether they keep five or six receivers, but there will be a few guys fighting for those spots.

Marcus Johnson was a player the Colts traded for in 2018. Johnson contributed late last year when injuries hit the group.

Daurice Fountain has one of the longer shots to make the roster. A fifth-round pick in 2018, he was having a solid training camp last year before suffering an ankle injury at the end of camp. Fountain needs to show he’s fully healthy and can contribute now.

Ashton Dulin was on the roster at the end of the 2019 season but spent the majority of the time as the special teams gunner. Dulin has an upper hand on most of these guys because of his strong play as a special teamer.

Dezmon Patmon is the last of the back end receivers that will be fighting for a spot. Patmon also is a long shot to make the roster because, like Fountain, he was a late-round pick by the Colts in the 2020 draft. Coming from Washington State, he wasn’t asked to have a diverse route tree, so he has a ways to develop before truly competing for a spot.

Conclusion

Since Ballard has taken over as GM, the Colts have kept six receivers all three years, and I would expect the same this year. With the injuries the Colts dealt with and the depth of the position, expect six receivers to make the 53-man roster in September.

5 under-the-radar Colts to watch at training camp

These Colts are flying under the radar entering camp.

The Indianapolis Colts officially begin their strength and condition portion of training camp as the ramp-up period gets underway. While the next month will be unique in terms of recent years, there are still players to keep an eye on.

Throughout the offseason, there have been players who are mentioned more than others. Maybe they are bouncing back from injury or they are a new piece joining the team at an important position. But then there are those who are flying under the radar.

They might not get as much coverage as other players, but they should still be monitored as training camp commences.

Here are five under-the-radar Colts to watch at training camp:

WR Ashton Dulin

With T.Y. Hilton returning, Michael Pittman Jr. joining as a second-round pick and Parris Campbell hoping to bounce back from an injury-riddled rookie campaign, there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about the rest of the room. And while the competition for the final spot on the wide receiver depth chart features a few names, Dulin is flying under the radar.

The second-year wideout will be competing for one of the final spots in the room and while other names like Marcus Johnson and Daurice Fountain get all of the attention, Dulin shouldn’t be cast aside immediately.

Dulin has an impressive athletic profile to warrant consideration for the final spot in the room but he also has an advantage given that he can work on special teams. He played 172 special teams snaps (42%) in 2019, and that could give him a leg up in the competition.

The favorites might be Johnson and Fountain, but don’t sleep on Dulin when the competition begins.

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