Getty Interim head coach Jeff Saturday and the Indianapolis Colts signed a reigning AFC Champion to their practice squad.
The Indianapolis Colts made a move on November 22.
Indianapolis announced that it has signed defensive end Khalid Kareem off of the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad and added him to the active roster. In a subsequent move, the Colts also waived safety Trevor Denbow.
Kareem spent his first two NFL seasons with the Bengals. He started 1 game last year and appeared in all four of the team’s playoff contests, including the Super Bowl.
How Kareem Fits With Colts
Indianapolis added Kareem one week after losing defensive end Kwity Paye to injury for a second time this season and two weeks after fellow defensive end Tyquan Lewis suffered a season-ending injury.
Obviously, the addition of Kareem satisfies the need the Colts had along their edge, opposite their other starting defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who just had his best game of the season in Week 11.
Kareem hasn’t appeared in a game this season, but he dressed for 23 contests with Cincinnati from 2020-21. He recorded 28 combined tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in those 23 games.
In 4 playoff games last season, Kareem posted 3 combined tackles.
During his 23 regular season appearances, Kareem has played more than 50% of his team’s defensive snaps just twice. That’s not likely to change in Indianapolis, especially when considering his last appearance in a football game was in February.
But Kareem figures to supply depth to a thin defensive end spot for the Colts.
The former Bengals defensive end began the 2022 season on Cincinnati’s injured reserve because of a hamstring issue. Upon being active on October 10, the Bengals waived Kareem and then re-signed him on their practice squad.
The signing of Kareem off the Bengals practice squad probably doesn’t bode well for Paye’s chances of playing in Week 12. The Colts haven’t placed Paye on injured reserve, but he didn’t practice at all last week because of an ankle injury.
If Paye can’t play, Dayo Odeyingbo will be in line to make his second consecutive start. The Colts also have Ifeadi Odenigbo and Ben Banogu to split reps between at defensive end.
Colts Waive Denbow
In order to make room for Kareem on the active roster, the Colts released one of their safeties. Denbow played in one game this season during Week 9. He didn’t appear on defense but recorded 16 snaps on special teams.
That’s the only NFL action the 24-year-old has ever received in his professional career.
The Colts signed Denbow as a undrafted free agent this past offseason. He made the roster out of training camp but went on injured reserve before the start of the regular season.
Sports Illustrated’s Jake Arthur considers Denbow a candidate for the Colts to re-sign to their practice squad. Fellow Colts writer Zack Hicks of SI reported on September 1 that Indianapolis views Denbow as a potential special teams ace for down the road.
Denbow didn’t record any statistics in his Week 9 appearance, but he excelled at making tackles on special teams during the preseason.
The Colts badly need to get back in the win column during Week 12 to realistically stay in the playoff race. Indianapolis will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.