The Indianapolis Colts expressed confidence in their young wide receiver group during offseason workouts in May and June. But as training camp opened, the Colts announced they have added more depth to the position, signing Isaiah Ford and John Hurst on the first day of training camp.
To make room for Ford and Hurst, the Colts waived fellow wide receiver Kekoa Crawford and defensive tackle Caeveon Patton.
We have signed free agent WR Isaiah Ford and John Hurst and waived WR Kekoa Crawford and DT Caeveon Patton.
Hurst has never played in an NFL regular season game, so he doesn’t add anymore experience to a wideout group that doesn’t have a single player older than 25. But in four NFL seasons, Ford has 63 catches, 681 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in 32 games.
Ford, who turned 26 in February, is now also the oldest receiver on the Colts roster.
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Colts Add More Young Wide Receivers
After starring at Virginia Tech with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons as a sophomore and junior, Ford heard his name called by the Miami Dolphins during the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve, but he earned a spot on the Dolphins practice squad in 2018 and appeared in one game that season.
Since then, he’s steadily earned more playing time every year. Ford again started the 2019 season on the Miami practice squad before the Dolphins activated him in September. He played in 8 games during 2019, 10 contests in 2020 and then 13 games last season.
After playing in his first seven games with the Dolphins during 2020, Miami traded him to the New England Patriots for a 2022 sixth-round pick. But about a month later, the Patriots released Ford without him appearing in a game. The Dolphins re-signed him to their practice squad and re-activated him for 3 games at the end of the season.
All 32 games Ford has played in have been with the Dolphins.
Coming into the NFL as a rookie, NFL.com identified Ford as a potential “deep-ball menace” because of his “height and speed,” but that really hasn’t materialized in his NFL career. Ford has averaged just 10.8 yards per reception in his career.
However, he was more of a deep threat last year. He averaged a career-best 13.4 yards per catch in 2021 and recorded two receptions of more than 25 yards, including a career-long 52-yard catch against the Baltimore Ravens.
Hurst hasn’t appeared in an NFL game, but he spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the last two seasons. He was also on the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad in 2021.
The players the Colts waived, Crawford and Patton, to make room for the two receivers were undrafted free agents in May. Crawford posted 96 catches for 1,307 receiving yards in 45 career college games at Michigan and California.
How Ford & Hurst Fit With the Colts
Just 32 NFL games between two receivers doesn’t scream veteran experience, but for Indianapolis, who has a very young wideout core, it is. Ford is 26 and Hurst will turn 26 in November, making them the two oldest receivers currently on the Colts roster.
Even if Hurst doesn’t make the roster, perhaps he can have a positive impact on the Colts young receivers after playing for a recent Super Bowl champion.
Ford could have an impact beyond just the locker room. He may receive the opportunity to develop into the Colts No. 4 or 5 wide receiver and be one of the team’s top deep threats.
Heading into training camp, for better or worse, the Colts receivers were expected to a headliner. That hasn’t changed one bit after the first day.
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Colts Add Wide Receiver Depth on 1st Day of Training Camp