Colts’ Jim Irsay being treated for ‘severe respiratory illness’

Jim Irsay is being treated for a ‘severe respiratory illness’

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is being treated for a “severe respiratory illness,” the team announced in a statement Tuesday.

The team also said in the statement that Irsay is “receiving excellent care and looks forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible.” The stage is referring to Irsay’s scheduled appearance with his band in Los Angeles this week.

ESPN’s Stephen Holder also added some information that Irsay has not been seen publicly in weeks.

Holder, and Mike Chappell of Fox59 both reported that the team has received multiple inquiries about Irsay’s status without any success.

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Colts’ Jonathan Taylor up for FedEx Ground Player of the Week

Jonathan Taylor has been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his incredible performance against the Houston Texans in Week 18.

Even though the Colts wound up falling short in that game, which knocked them out of playoff contention, Taylor did just about everything he could while battling through injury to keep the team in the game.

Taylor wound up taking 30 carries for 188 rushing yards and one touchdown while adding two receptions for eight receiving yards in the 23-19 loss.

Doing so got him nominated, along with Breece Hall and Derrick Henry, for the weekly nod.

Taylor saved his best game for last. His 188 rushing yards were the second-most in a single game during his career, and it marked the first time he reached 100 rushing yards this season. It was the first time he reached the century mark in a game since Week 10 of the 2022 season. Taylor had three games of at least 91 rushing yards this season.

The star running back was the engine of the offense during the Week 18 finale, and he wound up dealing with an ankle/heel injury during the second half that put his status in doubt. However, he would surprisingly return for the final drive of the game until the Colts came up short on a fourth-down attempt.

With Anthony Richardson coming back from shoulder surgery, he and Taylor will be a major part of the offense going into 2024 and even though the season ended with disappointment, this was a nice way for Taylor to end the campaign.

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Panthers request GM interview with Colts’ Ed Dodds

The Panthers requested to interview Ed Dodds for their GM vacancy.

Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds has been requested to interview for the Carolina Panthers general manager vacancy, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Monday.

Dodds was also requested to interview for the Las Vegas Raiders general manager vacancy this offseason.

The Panthers are conducting a search for a new general manager after owner David Tepper fired Scott Fitterer on Monday following a 2-15 season. Dodds has been requested as a part of a massive general manager search.

As of this writing Tuesday morning, there are four general manager vacancies across the NFL. Dodds has been requested for two of them while the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders also begin their searches.

Dodds has been very particular about what type of situation he would want to take over, and it remains to be seen if the Panthers fall into that category.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest news regarding Dodds and the general manager interviews, which are likely to take place throughout the month of January.

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Colts sign 9 to futures contracts among several roster moves

The Colts made 14 roster moves Monday to begin the 2024 offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts officially got their offseason underway Monday by making several roster moves, including the signings of nine players to Reserve/Future contracts, the team announced.

Along with the nine futures contracts the team signed, all of which include players from the practice squad, the Colts also signed four players to one-year contract extensions while waiving another player. So in total, the Colts made 14 moves.

As is typical protocol following the end of the regular season, the Colts will be preparing to expand their roster to 90 players for the offseason. Much of that includes signing players to futures contracts.

The expansion of the roster to 90 players doesn’t go into effect until the start of the new league year, which is March 13. That’s why it’s technically a reserve contract. It is essentially stating the player will be on the 90-man roster when the time comes.

There is no limit to how many futures contracts the Colts have as long as they are within the 90-man limit when the new league year rolls around.

Here’s a look at the 14 moves the Colts made to begin the offseason:

Raiders request GM interview with Colts’ Ed Dodds

The Raiders requested to interview Ed Dodds for their GM vacancy.

The Las Vegas Raiders requested to interview Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds for their vacant general manager role, per Tom Pelissero on Monday.

This is no surprise considering the link and history Dodds has with the Raiders. He got his start in Oakland under Al Davis and interviewed for their general manager vacancy during the 2022 offseason.

Dodds has been the right-hand man to general manager Chris Ballard since the latter began his tenure in 2017. He got his start in Oakland as a scout before joining the Seattle Seahawks for 10 years, serving in scouting and senior personnel executive roles.

Dodds has a keen eye for talent, which will make him appealing to other organizations.

As the general manager searches begin this offseason, this will be something to watch.

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Colts to have roughly $71 million in 2024 salary-cap space

The Colts will have plenty of salary-cap space to work with this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for a vital 2024 offseason in which they will be building off a successful campaign despite missing out on the postseason.

With a promising 21-year-old quarterback on a rookie contract, the Colts find themselves in a strong standing with the salary cap. Though they have a few players to re-sign this offseason, the Colts will be among the leaders in salary cap for the upcoming offseason.

It was reported during the regular season that the NFL salary cap for 2024 is expected to exceed $240 million. The league has not announced the official number, and that won’t happen until March.

According to Over The Cap, the Colts are expected to have roughly $71.2 million in cap space based on a $242 million salary-cap projection. That ranks fifth-best in the NFL.

In terms of effective salary cap, which is defined as “the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster”, the Colts rank third with $61.4 million. The top-51 rule applies when the new league year begins in March.

The Colts will have several important players set to hit the market this offseason. Some of them will be re-signed while others will be allowed to test the market. It’s far too early to say which players fall into what categories.

Even with this much salary-cap space, we shouldn’t expect the Colts to go wild. General manager Chris Ballard has never been one to overspend during free agency, but it would give them the ability to pull off a high-profile trade.

It should be an exciting offseason despite the disappointing finish to the 2023 season, and the Colts will have plenty of ammo to work with in terms of the salary cap.

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Colts’ Will Mallory suffers hamstring injury vs. Texans

Will Mallory (hamstring) won’t return in Week 18.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Will Mallory suffered a hamstring injury against the Houston Texans and will not return to the Week 18 matchup.

It isn’t clear what play Mallory suffered the injury on, but he was ruled out for the remainder of the game halfway through the second quarter.

With Mallory out and Andrew Ogletree on the Commissioner Exempt List, the Colts have two tight ends on the active roster in Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson.

 

Colts’ Zack Moss expected to play vs. Texans in Week 18

Zack Moss (forearm) is expected to play against the Texans.

Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss is listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Texans but is expected to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale.

Moss, who has been dealing with a forearm injury, started the week as a limited participant during the walkthrough but logged full practices during the final two sessions of the week.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that Moss is expected to play during the prime-time game Saturday night despite his questionable tag.

The Colts offense should be near full health on Saturday night. The offensive line is a bit banged up with left guard Quenton Nelson (ankle), center Ryan Kelly (ankle) and right tackle Braden Smith (knee) all questionable. However, all three are expected to play as of this writing.

Meanwhile, the tandem of Moss and Jonathan Taylor will be on the field for the first time since the Week 12 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Texans defense has done very well against the run recently, allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards to opposing running backs over the last five weeks.

Regardless, having as much firepower on offense will be vital in this must-win game.

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Colts’ Chris Lammons ruled out vs. Texans in Week 18

Colts CB Chris Lammons was ruled out for Week 18.

Indianapolis Colts CB Chris Lammons was downgraded from questionable to out ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Houston Texans, the team announced Friday.

Lammons didn’t practice all week due to an ankle injury but was still given a questionable tag on the final injury report. He was downgraded Friday, meaning the Colts will have a bit less depth at the nickel position.

The Colts also listed cornerback Kenny Moore (back), right tackle Braden Smith (knee), running back Zack Moss (forearm), left guard Quenton Nelson (ankle) and center Ryan Kelly (ankle) as questionable, but none of their statuses changed.

With Lammons out, it’s likely that safety Nick Cross will take over as the backup nickel behind Moore if the latter plays Saturday night.

The Colts and Texans are set for kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Colts vs. Texans: Final injury report for Week 18

The final injury report for the Colts and Texans in Week 18.

The Indianapolis Colts (9-7) and Houston Texans (9-7) released their final injury reports Thursday ahead of the Week 18 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here’s a look at the final injury report for the Colts in Week 18:

Notes

  • C Ryan Kelly practiced in a limited fashion, giving him a chance to play this weekend. His status is still very much up in the air.
  • CB Chris Lammons didn’t practice all week and even though he’s questionable, it’s difficult to see him playing.
  • LG Quenton Nelson was a limited participant for the final two practices but is still listed as questionable.
  • RT Braden Smith, CB Kenny Moore II and RB Zack Moss are all questionable but should be expected to play considering they logged full practices twice this week.

Here’s a look at the final injury report for the Texans in Week 18:

Notes

  • DE Jonathan Greenard leads the Texans with 12.5 sacks and will not play.
  • With WR Noah Brown out, Nico Collins is the main wideout to focus on.

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