Tough Cuts Made by Indianapolis Colts

Now that the dust has settled from the NFL’s deadline for teams to reduce their rosters, eyes around the league are scanning waiver wires for the players who have been released. Some of the names on these waivers may surprise you, and the Indianapolis Colts are no different.

The Colts had to cut 22 players from their roster Saturday afternoon, and the team was forced to make some tough choices. Certain spots on the roster were thinned out, in order to thicken up other areas.

One of the more curious cuts made by the Colts was the release of third-string quarterback, Chandler Harnish. Harnish, who was selected with the very last pick (253rd) in the 2012 NFL Draft, had provided a good back-up for Andrew Luck. The Colts did pick up Matt Hasselbeck in the offseason, but the veteran quarterback is in 37 years old. The release of Harnish leaves the Colts with only two quarterbacks on their roster.

The Colts also released defensive lineman Drake Nevis, who they had picked up in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft. Nevis has battled injuries over the past two seasons, and seemed to not quite fit into the Colts’ change of defensive scheme. With the release of Nevis, the Colts only have one player from the 2011 draft class on their current roster.

Even though the Colts are currently set with 23 players, there may still be some changes to come. With hundreds of players released from all over the NFL, there are plenty of possibilities to look over. The Colts might see something on waivers that could fit into what they are looking for, which means that none of these fringe players on the roster are quite safe yet.