Colts: Indy signs former James Madison star off Cowboys practice squad

The Colts signed a former James Madison star defensive lineman off Dallas’ practice squad.

The NFL implemented a plethora of provisional regulations to help teams overcome potential positive COVID-19 tests during the 2020 season. For this story, however, only the particulars of the new practice squad rules are important.

That’s because the Colts have reportedly poached the most coveted defensive lineman from Cowboys’ practice squad. According to his agent, Indianapolis has signed Ron’Dell Carter to the team’s 53-man roster.

Dallas gave the former James Madison star $145,000 guaranteed in his initial contract, which was one of the highest among all NFL undrafted free agents. Only four players were guaranteed more money than Carter. We obviously know that money doesn’t tell the whole story in terms of determining a player’s potential and skill, but it’s pretty clear this was an incredibly high upside signing by the Colts.

How were the Colts able to pull this off? Well, each week on Tuesday, teams can protect up to four players on their practice squad, which prevents them from being signed by other organizations. For the first three weeks of the 2020 season, Carter was the only player who the Cowboys chose to secure, so they evidently thought highly of him.

However, since those protections don’t go into effect until Tuesday afternoon, nothing stopped Indianapolis from swopping in and making him an offer he couldn’t refuse. According to the Dallas Morning News, that transpired “over the course of Monday evening.”

After sitting out his first year at JMU, Carter showed consistent development over the next three seasons. He became a full-time starter on the defensive line as a junior, when he tallied 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumbled and one fumble recovery. The following year, he burst onto the scene by recording a ridiculous 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks on his way to being voted a consensus First Team All-American.

The fact that Carter was signed to the 53-man roster and not the Colts’ practice squad indicates head coach Frank Reich is keen on getting him some playing time pretty soon. That was likely what persuaded him to sign with Indianapolis, so fans should be keeping close tabs on the impression he leaves during practice once he’s cleared to hit the field.

Colts: Bears switching to Nick Foles is perfect timing for Indy’s defense

The Indianapolis Colts defense actually benefits from the Chicago Bears swapping out Mitchell Trubisky for Nick Foles. Here's why.