Tag: T.Y. Hilton

Ex-Colts WR T.Y. Hilton signs with Cowboys

The Ghost is joining the Cowboys.

Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is reportedly signing with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Monday.

Hilton has been a free agent throughout the entire season since his contract expired with the Colts following the 2021 campaign. It wasn’t clear if he was going to join a team this season but a late-season addition for the stretch run was always possible.

Now, Hilton will play for only the second team in his career since being drafted by the Colts in 2012.

Throughout the offseason, we often heard that the Colts were leaving the door open for Hilton, but nothing ever came to fruition. Even with the need at depth wide receiver amid some injuries, the Colts didn’t make a big move to bring Hilton back.

Now, the Ghost will be joining one of the best offenses in the NFL while joining a wide receiver room that currently consists of CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, James Washington and Noah Brown.

We’ll see what kind of impact Hilton can make, but this will give the veteran another chance to make some big plays in the playoffs.

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NFC East news: Cowboys sign former Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton

The Dallas Cowboys added a veteran presence at wide receiver, as the team is set to sign former Colts pass catcher T.Y. Hilton

The Dallas Cowboys are adding depth at wide receiver, as the team has agreed to a deal with former Colts wide receiver, T.Y. Hilton.

A ten-year veteran and trusted wide receiver, this move likely eliminates the Odell Beckham Jr. melodrama that has followed the franchise.

A four-time Pro Bowler (2014-17), Hilton had five 1,000-yard seasons including an NFL-best 1,148 yards in 2016 for the Colts.

Hilton’s 9,691 career receiving yards rank third in Colts history behind Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

He’ll now join CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Noah Brown as the main options.

Philadelphia and Hilton’s former offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni will travel to face Dallas on Christmas Eve in two weeks.

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T.Y. Hilton gets ‘Thank You’ banner outside Lucas Oil Stadium

The Colts put up a ‘Thank You’ banner for WR T.Y. Hilton.

Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver and current free agent T.Y. Hilton was honored with a banner outside Lucas Oil Stadium.

There hasn’t been much noise about Hilton, who remains unsigned as the season has gotten underway. The Colts have said they will keep the door open in case of a potential return, but the message on the banner tells a different narrative.

The banner outside of Lucas Oil Stadium reads “Thank you for the memories!”

What this means isn’t at all clear. There haven’t been reports of Hilton retiring or moving on to a different team. He did mention that he would contemplate retirement this offseason—just as former tight end Jack Doyle.

Both Hilton and Doyle were the longest-tenured players on the Colts roster during the 2021 season. Doyle, despite having one season left on his contract, announced his retirement this offseason.

The meaning of the banner doesn’t come without full speculation on our part given the lack of information. Maybe an announcement will be made soon, but it appears The Ghost’s days with the Colts are over.

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13 free agents the Colts could sign before training camp

Before Colts training camp arrives, here are the best options in free agency.

The Indianapolis Colts are less than a month away from returning to Westfield for training camp at the end of July, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they continued to tweak the roster through free agency.

Though the majority of big moves have been made by general manager Chris Ballard, he’s always on the lookout to add depth and competition to the roster.

At this point in the offseason, there’s a reason these players haven’t been signed yet. It might be due to injuries, declining play, or their asking price is well above market value. Regardless, not all of these options are perfect fits for the Colts, and some of them would be brought in to training camp simply to see how they compete.

With that said, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on who is available in free agency. So here’s a look at the best available free agents for the Colts before training camp arrives later this month:

Colts’ biggest dead cap hits entering 2022

A look at the biggest dead-cap hits for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts have been in a strong salary cap standing ever since general manager Chris Ballard took over control of the roster in 2017.

Since his tenure began, the Colts have been among the teams with the lowest dead cap in the NFL. As our friends over at Cards Wire so eloquently stated, dead cap is “a charge to the salary cap for money already paid to a player in the form of a bonus that had a prorated cap hit, or it is money that must be paid in guaranteed money.”

And according to our friends over at Touchdown Wire, the Colts enter the 2022 season with the fifth-lowest dead cap mark in the NFL.

Using figures from Spotrac, here’s a look at the players with dead cap figures currently against the Colts:

Colts’ free agents who remain unsigned after minicamp

These former Colts remain on the market.

The offseason workouts have concluded for the Indianapolis Colts, and their focus now is getting the team ready for training camp at the end of July.

While the majority of the big moves have already been made, the Colts will continue to make small tweaks to the roster. Adding competition to each position is a year-round job for general manager Chris Ballard.

There are still a number of former Colts currently on the market, including some relatively big names.

Here is a look at the Colts’ free agents who remain unsigned following the offseason workout program:

Best available WRs Titans can still target in free agency

At this late stage in free agency, the Titans’ options at wide receiver are limited.

The Tennessee Titans entered the 2022 offseason with a need at the wide receiver position, a need that became more dire once the team decided to release veteran wideout Julio Jones.

Tennessee’s solution for that issue was the trade for Robert Woods, who was set to serve as the team’s No. 2 behind A.J. Brown, which was a positive development despite Woods coming off a torn ACL.

From there, it was expected that the Titans would add a young receiver in the 2022 NFL draft; however, things quickly went to DEFCON 1 after the Titans traded Brown.

The Titans did add a pair of receivers in the draft in Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, but as is the case with any rookie wide receiver, neither is guaranteed to provide the boost Tennessee needs in their first seasons.

As a result of the question marks with those players, and with the group as a whole, it is almost a foregone conclusion the team will add another veteran option at some point before the start of the season.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the top wide receivers still available in free agency. For the record, we do feel Julio is still one of the best options out there, but he isn’t included here because there’s zero chance for a reunion.

Bleacher Report names Ravens as a top landing spot for two free agent WRs

Bleacher Report named the Ravens as a top landing spot for two free agent wide receivers

The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of young talent at wide receiver in Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, James Proche II, Tylan Wallace and others. However, after trading away No. 1 wide receiver Marquise Brown during the 2022 NFL draft, the team could stand to add a veteran at the position.

There are still multiple solid receiver options on the free agent market that could play a certain role for Baltimore. After Jarvis Landry signed with the New Orleans Saints, Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report looked at the top landing spots for free agents Julio Jones and T.Y. Hilton. He mentioned that there is perhaps no team with a greater need for a wide receiver than the Ravens.

“It seems likely that Jones and Hilton will be pursued by the same teams since they are similar in that they are both veteran guys with the ability to make plays down the field…There is perhaps no team in the NFL in greater need of a veteran wideout than the Baltimore Ravens, especially after trading Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.”

Chiari also talked about how quarterback Lamar Jackson needs another quality option outside of Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews.

“A No. 2 wideout in Baltimore’s run-heavy offense may not see a ton of targets, but quarterback Lamar Jackson needs another reliable option outside of Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews, and either Jones or Hilton would fit the bill.”

Both Jones and Hilton would add a skillset that Baltimore needs out of their wideout room. Jones is a big-bodied target who can make contested catches with ease, while Hilton can stretch the field and spread out a defense.

Colts keeping door open for a T.Y. Hilton return

The Colts aren’t shutting the door on a possible return for T.Y. Hilton.

The Indianapolis Colts may be bullish on their wide receiver room, but adding some stability could be necessary in order to maximize Matt Ryan’s time with the team.

One option the Colts still have in their back pocket would be a reunion with veteran T.Y. Hilton, who remains on the free-agent market with less than a week to go until the start of the 2022 NFL draft.

While general manager Chris Ballard didn’t go into specifics Friday during his pre-draft press conference, he did mention there is an ongoing discussion between both sides.

“We’ll still have some talks with T.Y. (Hilton). I think you all know my feelings towards T.Y. Hilton. I think he can still play. I think he can still play productive football,” Ballard told the media Friday.

There was hope that Hilton’s game would return to form in 2021 with Carson Wentz. However, injuries played a major role in the former third-round pick taking a backseat in the passing game.

Hilton suffered a neck injury during the preseason that forced him to undergo surgery and miss the first five weeks of the season. All the while, it was such a serious injury that Hilton contemplated retirement.

When he returned in Week 6, Hilton led the team in receiving against the Houston Texans (shocker) but wound up suffering a quad injury in the fourth quarter. Then he sustained a concussion in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans.

Ballard said the two sides have had back-and-forth conversations this offseason so it’s not something they are dismissing out of hand.

“I think it’s a lot of we just got to sit down – we’ve had some back and forth. I texted back and forth with him this week as a matter of fact, and we’ll continue to have some discussions. I won’t get in depth with it,” Ballard said.

The Colts will be going into the draft weekend looking to add to their wide receiver room but don’t count out a reunion with the Ghost just yet.

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Matt Ryan traded to the Colts

The Atlanta Falcons part ways with Matt Ryan as the HC Arthur Smith’s rebuild begins with a teardown.

The Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2022 third-round pick. The 36-year old Ryan played 14 years for the Falcons after being the 1.03 pick of the 2008 NFL draft. The former NFL MVP leaves an Atlanta franchise in the start of a rebuilding year under new head coach Arthur Smith and goes to a more mature offense in the fifth season under Indy’s head coach Frank Reich.

Matt Ryan Career Stats

YEAR GMS RUN RYD RTD PASS COMP PYD PTD FUM INT PTS RANK
2021 17 40 82 1 560 375 3968 20 11 12 292.6 17
2020 16 29 92 2 626 407 4581 26 6 11 354.25 12
2019 15 34 148 1 616 408 4466 26 9 14 348.1 6
2018 16 33 125 3 608 422 4924 35 5 7 416.7 3
2017 16 32 143 0 529 342 4095 20 3 12 299.05 14
2016 16 35 117 0 534 373 4944 38 2 7 410.9 3
2015 16 37 63 0 614 407 4591 21 5 16 319.85 16
2014 16 29 145 0 628 415 4694 28 2 14 361.2 7
2013 16 17 55 0 651 439 4515 26 4 17 335.25 9
2012 16 33 138 1 615 422 4719 32 2 14 383.75 5
2011 16 37 84 2 565 347 4177 29 3 12 345.25 8
2010 16 46 122 0 571 357 3705 28 3 9 309.45 9
2009 14 30 49 1 451 263 2916 22 2 14 244.7 19
2008 16 55 104 1 434 265 3440 16 1 11 252.4 16

The Falcons still have second-year tight end Kyle Pitts, but are left with no quarterback, a middling backfield at best, a soft offensive line and Olamide Zaccheaus as their top wideout. That’s a rebuilding season that is starting from scratch.

The Colts benefit with the addition of Ryan who spent most of his career as a Top-10 quarterback and dipped lower in recent years only because of a lack of receivers or a supporting ground game. That’s nothing like what Ryan finds in Indianapolis where they enjoy an elite offensive line and the NFL’s current rusher leader in Jonathan Taylor. That alone immediately upgrades Ryan’s outlook for 2022.

The Colts’ depth chart is topped with Michael Pittman Jr., Zach Pascal, and T.Y. Hilton though free-agent moves and rookie additions are expected to happen.  Hilton is no lock to play this year and Pascal is a free-agent pending being resigned. Parris Campbell is a fourth-year speedster that has yet to translate into a starter. There is plenty of room for improvement from the receiving crew, and at least they’ll have a quarterback to help maximize the crew that starts the season.