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Colts Waive Griff Whalen from Injured Reserve

By Luke Schultheis

Oct 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen (17) returns a kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen (17) returns a kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indianapolis Colts announced Friday that the team has waived wide receiver Griff Whalen from injured reserve.

The 4th-year wideout was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago after suffering a rib injury against the Houston Texans in Week 15.

Nov 8, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Griff Whalen (17) catches a pass in the second half against the Denver Broncos. The Colts defeated the Broncos, 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Griff Whalen (17) catches a pass in the second half against the Denver Broncos. The Colts defeated the Broncos, 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /

However, this now means he’s free to latch on with another team before next season’s NFL’s free agent period and join their offseason program ahead of time.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2012, Whalen has spent the past 4 seasons either on the Colts active roster or their practice squad.

The 5’11, 190 pound wide receiver finishes this season with 19 receptions for 205 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.

While he offers any team versatility with his ability to play both wide receiver and serve as a special teams returnman, he also has to improve his ball security–having 4 fumbles this season (2 lost).

Of course, Whalen is most known this season for his infamous special teams trick play snap to safety-turned-quarterback Colt Anderson in Week 6 against the New England Patriots, which resulted in one of the worst run plays in NFL history.

Nevertheless, if this is in fact the end of his Colts tenure, Whalen will always be highly regarded for his scrappy play. Despite being buried by a number of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, Whalen always managed to find his way into the lineup and onto the field.

Known as a close friend to Andrew Luck dating back to their Stanford days, Whalen may have to learn what life is like with a new starting quarterback for the first time in quite a while–excluding Matt Hasselbeck.

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