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Colts Sign TE Mike McFarland, Waive OT Pierce Burton

By Luke Schultheis

Nov 15, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; South Florida Bulls tight end Mike McFarland (80) runs after making a catch in the fourth quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. South Florida beat Southern Methodist 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; South Florida Bulls tight end Mike McFarland (80) runs after making a catch in the fourth quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. South Florida beat Southern Methodist 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indianapolis Colts announced on Wednesday that the team has signed tight end Mike McFarland and waived offensive tackle Pierce Burton.

Originally signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of South Florida, McFarland spent last year’s entire offseason with the Colts AFC South rival. The 6’5″, 252 pound tight end caught one pass in preseason for the Texans before he was subsequently placed on the team’s injured reserve list and waived shortly thereafter.

In his senior season at South Florida, McFarland caught 27 receptions for 315 receiving yards. While he didn’t have a ton of collegiate receiving production, he was apparently pretty impressive in his pro day last year:

"“Tight end Mike McFarland (6-6 1/2, 252) ran the 40 in 4.73 seconds with the wind and 4.85 seconds against the wind. He had a 35-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-8 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.4 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.12 seconds. McFarland performed 18 reps on the bench press. He had a good workout, impressing everybody with his athleticism, and how well he ran and caught the ball. McFarland could be a late-round selection because of the shortage of tight ends in this year’s draft class, or be a priority free-agent for a team following the draft.”"

That being said, McFarland was signed for additional depth at the tight end position for the team’s offseason program and training camp. He’s likely a considerable longshot to make the team’s final roster.

Still, despite re-signing Dwayne Allen, the Colts did lose fellow tight end Coby Fleener to the New Orleans Saints in free agency and last year’s 3rd tight end Jack Doyle remains a restricted free agent. As such, it’s safe to say that the team currently lacks depth at the position.

With Erik Swoope also in the picture–having spent this past season on the team’s practice squad, McFarland faces an uphill battle nevertheless. Not to mention, another tight end Cameron Clear was signed earlier this offseason for depth.

In regards to Burton, the Colts signed him in early January to a reserve-future contract, having spent the final 5 weeks of the regular season on the team’s practice squad. The 6’6″, 305 pound offensive tackle has also spend time with the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons organizations after being signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

The team also reportedly waived cornerback Josh Mitchell, who spent all of last season on injured reserve for the Colts:

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