Getty Head coach Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts brought back two players on August 31 that the team recently cut.
To the surprise of some, the Indianapolis Colts cut offensive tackle Dennis Kelly and cornerback Tony Brown this week. But they weren’t gone from the Colts very long.
Indianapolis announced on August 31 that the team re-signed Kelly while placing safety Trevor Denbow on injured reserve. The Colts also announced signing Brown to the practice squad.
Both Kelly and Brown signed with the Colts as free agents earlier this offseason and spent training camp with the team. The Colts originally signed Kelly on May 10.
They signed Brown for the first time even earlier — on March 8.
ALL the latest Colts news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Colts newsletter here!
Colts Add Another Offensive Tackle
Initially after releasing the team’s first 53-man roster on August 30, the Colts had depth concerns at offensive tackle. Indianapolis tried to solve that issue by adding two tackles the following day.
First, the Colts claimed rookie tackle Luke Tenuta off waivers. The Buffalo Bills selected Tenuta in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. With his addition, the Colts now have two rookie offensive tackles, the other being Bernhard Raimann, who Indianapolis selected in the third round.
Claiming Tenuta added depth, but not any experience at tackle. Even the Colts’ projected starting left tackle, Matt Pryor, doesn’t have much experience, as he’s only made 15 starts, five at tackle, in his career.
That’s where Kelly comes in.
Kelly is entering his 11th NFL season. He was a fifth-round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2012 NFL Draft. Kelly has started 51 games for three different franchises.
In addition to experience, he’s versatile. Kelly has mostly played right tackle in his career, but he can play on the blindside as well. That makes him the classic swing tackle every team covets for its bench.
Last year, Kelly played in 10 games, starting 4 of them, for the Green Bay Packers. He started all 16 games at right tackle for the Tennessee Titans in 2020.
Kelly missed most of training camp after suffering a knee injury during the first week of camp. Colts head coach Frank Reich told the media on August 18 that he underwent a procedure for the injury.
That made Kelly a PUP list candidate, but his release and now re-signing are an indication that he is ready to begin the season. The Colts will likely turn to him if there are any issues at left or right tackle.
Adding Kelly gives the Colts 10 offensive linemen, including six linemen who can play tackle, on the 53-man roster. Losing Denbow to injured reserve leaves Indianapolis with four safeties.
Brown Returns to Indianapolis
The Colts released Brown on August 31 to make room for Tenuta on the active roster. But Brown returned later in the day on the Indianapolis practice squad.
Brown is the 14th member of the Colts’ practice squad. Indianapolis has room to sign three more players to the unit.
In 2022, Brown is entering his fifth season in the NFL. He signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and started 3 games as a rookie. He spent two seasons with the Packers and then signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for 2020.
Appearing in 33 games, Brown has posted 58 combined tackles, including 3 tackles for loss and 6 pass defenses. Last year, he was on the Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squads.