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The Indianapolis Colts finally made a permanent spot on their active roster for new kicker Chase McLaughlin. It came at the expense of 1 of Indianapolis’ young wide receivers.
To make room for McLaughlin, the Colts announced they have waived wide receiver Dezmon Patmon on October 4.
Patmon received 6 targets in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when top Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. sat out with an injury. But Patmon didn’t play in any of the other 3 games. He had 2 catches for 24 yards with Indianapolis this season.
The Colts drafted Patmon in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In parts of 3 seasons with Indianapolis, he posted 4 receptions, 45 yards and a touchdown in 10 games.
Colts Lose Wide Receiver Depth Without Patmon
Losing Patmon means Indianapolis is left with 5 wideouts on the roster. In addition to Pittman, the Colts have Parris Campbell, Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin and Mike Strachan on the roster. The Colts also have wide receivers on their practice squad, including veteran Keke Coutee.
Like many of the units on the Indianapolis roster, the pass catchers, particularly wide receivers, experienced slow starts to the 2022 season. Pittman leads the team with 20 receptions and 224 receiving yards, but other wideouts have emerged over the past couple weeks to give the Colts passing game some balance.
Dulin is second among the team’s wide receivers with 11 catches and 150 receiving yards. Pierce, who the Colts drafted in the second round with their first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, posted career highs of 4 receptions and 80 yards in Week 4. Pierce also leads the team with a 20.1 yards per catch average.
Indianapolis’ tight ends have been a bigger force in the passing game the last couple weeks as well. Mo Alie-Cox led the Colts with 6 catches, 85 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4. Fellow tight end Kylen Granson also had 4 catches on October 2 and is tied for third on the team with 11 receptions this season.
Rookie tight end Jelani Woods only made 1 catch versus the Titans, but it went for a gain of 33 yards. Woods also hauled in a pair of touchdowns during Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dulin’s involvement in the offense along with improvements from Pierce and the tight ends made Patmon expendable.
Colts Officially Sign McLaughlin
After waiving previous kicker Rodrigo Blankenship following Week 1, the Colts added McLaughlin to their practice squad. Indianapolis promoted McLaughlin from the practice squad for each of the last 3 games.
He missed a 51-yard field goal that could have pulled the Colts within 4 points in the fourth quarter against the Titans, but Indianapolis still elected to make him the team’s permanent kicker.
McLaughlin didn’t have any attempts in his season debut during Week 2 because of the shutout loss versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over the last 2 games, he is 3-for-4 on field goal attempts and has made all 4 of his extra-point tries. McLaughlin made a 51-yard attempt in the 20-17 victory against the Chiefs.
The 26-year-old kicker has posted a 75.5% field-goal percentage in his 4-year career. He’s now 9-for-11 on field goal tries longer than 49 yards.
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